The Right Prose Podcast with Jane Joann Jones

Have you ever stared at a blank page for what seemed like hours? Do you feel slightly nauseous at the prospect of sharing your work with others? Many academics are afraid to put their words on paper. You might be one of them! In today’s episode, Jane will explain where that fear comes from and how to mitigate it. If you’ve been delaying sharing your work, or writing it in the f

In part 2 of this 2-part micro-series, Jane will show you how to accurately assess the progress you’re making, so you don’t succumb to fear or feel overwhelmed by your work. You’ll learn the most important factors you should consider in gauging your progress. Then, you’ll learn how to use these factors to evaluate some common thought patterns that can help or hinder your wo

There’s a lot of noise in academia about productivity. You’re likely bombarded with opinions about how much time you should be writing, how many publications you should produce each year, and how you’re “wasting” your time on mentoring, service, and teaching. In today’s episode — the first of a 2-part microseries — Jane explains how and why you’re using the langua

What does the way you think about your writing have to do with the way you leverage the secondary literature in your work? A lot! In today’s episode, I’m going to tell you what I see as the three most common approaches to citing the secondary literature, and the thought you have about your writing that is most likely motivating that approach. Then, I’ll describe what your app

Are you regularly giving your writing time away? Do you find it hard to say no to requests for your energy and effort? If you answered yes, then it might be time to reassess your boundaries. In this episode, Jane will explain how tapping into your values will help you protect your boundaries. She’ll also teach you a simple way to understand the relationship between your values an

Do you believe that writing your first academic book is going to be as simple as “revising your dissertation”? In today’s episode, Jane discusses how the prevalent but pernicious advice to “revise your dissertation” actually stifles your book writing process and creates unnecessary stress. She’ll cover the reasons why revising your dissertation is an unrealistic goal, h

Have you ever agonized over selecting a project management software? Do you peek around Scrivener every so often, only to abandon it because it’s too confusing to get started? Staying organized can seem like an intractable problem if you’re an academic writer. It’s tempting to think that there’s a tool out there to solve all of your organization desires. In today’s episod

In this episode, we delve into the challenges and strategies of claiming your expert energy as a woman in academia writing a book. We explore why it’s crucial to embrace your expertise during the writing process and how to do so effectively, even when self-doubt creeps in. From leveraging existing evidence of your expertise to seeking support from a community of peers, this episo

​​In this episode, Jane tackles the common issue of permission-seeking in academic writing, especially among scholars socialized as women. Many academics find themselves constantly deferring their book-writing time to meet the needs of others, ultimately putting their own projects on the back burner. Jane explores the reasons behind this behavior and provides practical steps to

Across the humanities and social sciences, many faculty are expected to write an academic book to earn tenure. Yet, even though this is a job requirement, the structure of academic life creates many obstacles to successfully achieving this goal. In today’s episode, Jane is going to break down some of the challenges academics face while trying to write a book. In doing so, she’l