Write No Matter What

Writing in academe. Letting go of the dream ; Demystifying academic writing ; Craftsman attitude -- Using tools that work. Three taming techniques ; Securing time ; Securing space ; Securing energy -- Challenging writing myths. Draining the drama ; Demons in for tea ; The magnum opus myth ; The impostor syndrome ; The cleared-deck fantasy ; The hostile reader fear ; Compared with X ; The perfect first sentence ; One more source -- Maintaining momentum. Follow the lilt ; Beginnings and endings ; Finding the lost trail ; Effective feedback ; Handling revisions and rejections ; Working with stalls ; Relinquishing toxic projects ; Back-burner projects ; Breaks, summers, and sabbaticals -- Building writing support. Overcoming isolation ; Creating faculty writing groups ; Building campus writing support.

Elegant ideas deserve elegant expression. Sword dispels the myth that you can’t get published without writing wordy, impersonal prose. For scholars frustrated with disciplinary conventions or eager to write for a larger audience, here are imaginative, practical, witty pointers that show how to make articles and books enjoyable to read—and to write.

All students and professors need to write, and many struggle to finish their stalled dissertations, journal articles, book chapters, or grant proposals. Writing is hard work and can be difficult to wedge into a frenetic academic schedule. In this practical, light-hearted, and encouraging book, Paul Silvia explains that writing productively does not require innate skills or special traits but specific tactics and actions. Drawing examples from his own field of psychology, he shows readers how to overcome motivational roadblocks and become prolific without sacrificing evenings, weekends, and vacations. After describing strategies for writing productively, the author gives detailed advice from the trenches on how to write, submit, revise, and resubmit articles, how to improve writing quality, and how to write and publish academic work.

Though SARK has empowered millions to live their creative dreams, manage their businesses, and savor personal connections, the deaths of her mother and cat and the end of a treasured relationship tested her ability to walk her talk. But as Glad No Matter What shows, she journeyed through the spirals and layers of grief and loss and emerged stronger and more whole. In this inspiring book, she shares the insights she found along the way — practical strategies we can all use to cultivate profound, positive transformation through, rather than despite, life’s inevitable travails.

The Artist's Way for the 21st century—from esteemed creative counselor Beth Pickens. If you are an artist, you need to make your art. That's not an overstatement—it's a fact; if you stop doing your creative work, your quality of life is diminished. But what do you do when life gets in the way? In this down-to-earth handbook, experienced artist coach Beth Pickens offers practical advice for developing a lasting and meaningful artistic practice in the face of life's inevitable obstacles and distractions. This thoughtful volume suggests creative ways to address the challenges all artists must overcome—from making decisions about time, money, and education, to grappling with isolation, fear, and anxiety. No matter where you are in your art-making journey, this book will motivate and inspire you. Because not only do you need your art—the world needs it, too. • EXPERT ADVICE: Beth Pickens is an experienced and passionate arts advocate with extensive insight into working through creative obstacles. She has spent the last decade advising artists on everything from financial strategy to coping with grief. • PRACTICAL AND POSITIVE: This book is both a love letter to art and artists and a hands-on guide to approaching the thorniest problems those artists might face. Pickens offers a warm reminder that you are not alone, that what you do matters, and that someone out there wants you to succeed. • TIMELESS TOPIC: Like a trusted advisor, this book is an invaluable resource jam-packed with strategies for building a successful creative practice. From mixing business and friendship to marketing yourself on social media, this book can help. And it will—again and again. Perfect for: • Visual artists and makers • Writers, musicians, filmmakers, and other creatives • Art and design school graduates and grad-gift givers

Even when everything is going wrong, the science of happiness can help you! Pioneering positive psychologist and New York Times–bestselling author Tal Ben-Shahar shows us how in Happier, No Matter What. Ben-Shahar busts the all-too-common ideas that success brings happiness and that we can seek happiness itself. When hard times thwart our success and steal our joy, these ideas actually invite despair by leaving us with nothing to do. But we can do something: We can climb the SPIRE—Ben-Shahar’s five-step staircase to hope and purpose. Spiritual: I am experiencing meaning. Physical: My body’s needs are met. Intellectual: I am learning. Relational: My friends support me. Emotional: I am allowed to feel. By truly living these five elements of well-being, we build the resilience to carry us through anything—from a personal loss to a global pandemic. Ben-Shahar’s all-new SPIRE method shows us the way to becoming “whole again”—and when we’re whole, we invite happiness in.

Former CIA Agent George Mueller arrives in Havana in August 1958, just months before the fall of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. He's looking into the activities of Toby Graham, a CIA officer suspected of putting weapons, covertly provided by the CIA to Batista, into the hands of Castro's forces. As the FBI, CIA, and State Department compete to influence the outcome of the revolution in the face of the brutal dictatorship's imminent collapse, Graham is troubled by the hypocrisy of a bankrupt US foreign policy, and has fallen in love with a married American woman.

A 4-week course offering new tools to deal with the challenging emotions that get in the way of enjoying life. These incredible self-soothing methods, created by a highly respected life coach and inspirational speaker, really do work. Do you feel your life could be a lot more successful and fun - but it's not happening? Do your overthinking and intense emotions keep getting in the way of enjoying life? Do you struggle following advice such as "let it go", "be positive" and "live in the moment"? Do you keep falling back - despite your best efforts - into the same old relationship problems, mood swings and self-esteem issues? This book has a radical message: You don't need self-improvement to enjoy your life. You don't need to be better. You are ok just as you are. Step-by-step, this innovative 4-week course teaches you to free yourself from intrusive thoughts and challenging emotions, so you can step out bravely into the world, not caring so much what others think. There are no complicated theories, rituals or practices here, only simple techniques that will enable you to step away from overthinking, self-criticism and fear to live as your already empowered Real Self. Living a good life doesn't need to be complicated. Amazing things happen when you know how to be yourself and love yourself, shining bright as who you are.