Faculty Writing Group

The UNT Faculty Writing Group provides support for faculty members on establishing and maintaining productive writing habits. We regularly hold a “writing retreat” during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Writing retreats run from 8 am to 5 pm, and faculty members work on their writing projects. Breakfast, coffee, and lunch are provided at writing retreats. We have five to seven writing retreats planned for this fall semester. The attendees of our previous retreats included faculty from all colleges and ranks including lecturers. We occasionally hold a discussion or presentation during lunch. The discussion and presentation topics include information about the group, developing a daily writing habit, staying motivated, time management, developing an organization system, setting writing goals, and advice from faculty about tenure and promotion.

In addition, we offer books for members of the group on writing topics to help them with their productivity. These books include How to Write A Lot by Silvia, Becoming an Academic Writer: 50 Exercises for Paced, Productive, and Powerful Writing by Goodson, Professors as Writers by Boice, Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success by Belcher, and Deep Work by Newport. We have a core set of writing books that are tremendously helpful and available for the faculty to read.

For more information about the Faculty Writing Group, please contact Katsura Aoyama.

Additional Writing Resources

In addition to the Faculty Writing Group, Faculty Success suggests the following writing resources for faculty:

• Faculty mentors—as well as peer mentors—are a great source of feedback on research and writing. Ask your colleagues what kind of feedback they would be willing to provide, and be sure to reciprocate.
• Faculty can use their NCFDD membership to access writing webinars and join online writing groups designed by and for faculty.
• The library guide Resources for Authors and Editors of Works of Scholarship from the UNT Libraries includes resources for hiring professional editors.
• Faculty Success Mentoring Grants can be used to hire editors or proofreaders. Check with your department or funder to see whether hiring professional editors is also an eligible expense for any start-up and grant funds.
• AI resources like the Grammar Check options in Word or Grammarly can help with mechanics and usage.