Pain-Free Academic Writing

I just finished one of the best courses I've ever taken: "Practical Strategies for Pain-Free Academic Writing". The short course (2 hrs) was taught tonight at Laurentian University in Sudbury by Dr. Alexis Shotwell. The professor kept us laughing as she inspired us to stop feeling constrained in our writing styles, stop the procrastinating and (surprise!) learn how to write freely and productively. I thought it was wonderful! Especially after hesitating, putting off typing and puttering for a good chunk of last weekend, instead of writing a paper.

So, what am I writing about? (Or, what was I trying to write about last weekend? I'm looking at "Sensing Changes: Technologies, Environments and Everyday, 1953-2003" by Joy Parr and "Canada's 1960's: The Ironies of Identity in A Rebellious Era" by Bryan Palmer, plus a whole variety of writing dealing with gender history. My paper is starting to come together as it grabs common themes -especially themes that cross into the north.

More to follow but for now I wanted to say that this blog won't be just about the course I teach at L.U. but it will be about what I'm researching for my Phd. It's been a truly interesting year since I last wrote. Of course "interesting" doesn't quite cut it--but it's been a long day...