Learning How to Blog: Faster with Better Arguments

Part of the reason that I am writing this blog is to get the brain juices flowing (so to speak) for the eventual purpose of writing my dissertation.  Also, I have been told by previous dissertat-ors that the habitual practice of "writing well" involves, mmmm....habitual practice (a dissertat-ing woman named Liana Silva also repeats this very same advice in her blog here).  Unfortunately, I will not be able to wave the magic wand of "data collection done" and suddenly turn into an excellent writer at the stroke of midnight.

To get myself started, I have received some helpful instruction on how to write decent blog entries and replies; this wisdom was passed to me recently in the form of two other blog entries (what a happy coincidence).

The first discusses how to write quickly; "Slowpoke: How to be a faster writer" was published in Slate on August 10, 2011 by Michael Agger and shared with my department's graduate students by one of our professors who writes opinion pieces frequently and well. It includes mournful recollections and pithy insights and is quite entertaining. It also has some helpful hints on how to write faster and how to avoid getting 'writers block'.


The second discusses how to defend your argument once you have been "attacked" by commentators on your blog. This blog entry borrows from Shakespeare in order to articulate what kinds of defenses one might martial.  It was published on my colleague Jean Goodwin's blog "Between Scientists and Citizens" where she discusses how scientists might better communicate with their chosen public. As I do not currently have any commentators on my blog, I will use this advice to (hopefully) develop better arguments in my writing.