What No-one Tells You About Academic Writing with Anne Wilson

20 snips

Jan 27, 2025

In this insightful discussion, Anne Wilson, an award-winning scriptwriter, journalist, and Royal Literary Fellow, dives into the complexities of academic writing. She shatters the mystique surrounding what constitutes 'good' writing, emphasizing that it’s a dynamic, evolving process. Anne shares valuable tips for finding your academic voice and seeking constructive feedback. She also highlights unique challenges faced by neurodivergent scholars and offers strategies for clear communication in writing, particularly in a post-COVID world.

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ANECDOTE

Anne's PhD Journey

Anne Wilson's PhD journey in the late 70s was challenging, taking eight years and facing limited support and declining mental health.
A week before her viva, her dad had a stroke, making her apathetic about the outcome.

INSIGHT

Mystique of Academic Writing

Academic writing has a mystique, causing self-blame for struggles.
Academics themselves struggle to define "good" academic writing, leading to subjective feedback.

ADVICE

Clarity over Complexity

Academic writing is about clear communication, not complex language.
Focus on conveying ideas effectively, even with simple sentences.

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Anne Wilson is an award-winning scriptwriter, journalist and careers counsellor. After doing an MSc and a PhD in social psychology at the LSE, and publishing a book on children’s identity, she became a freelance journalist, writing for publications such as Just Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, the New York Times, Good Housekeeping and the Guardian. Anne moved on to writing for screen media and has won numerous awards for her films in the corporate sector. She has also published two crime novels, featuring Sara Kingsley, a single-mother detective — Truth or Dare and Governing Body — both published by the Women’s Press.

Anne is committed to teaching and mentoring and in 2010 she started offering private careers counselling to new graduates as well as advising university applicants on their personal statements. She became a Royal Literary Fellow and, most recently, has been supporting students at Brunel University.

In this episode we tackle the mystique surrounding academic writing - what it actually is and why academics are vague about what 'good' looks like in their discipline.

Anne explains how writing is dynamic and how it changes from the starting out phase to writing up; and why your literature is not a fixed entity that won't change.

We also discuss the challenges of academic writing for neurodivergent scholars.

In closing, Anne offers a wealth of top tips including how to find your academic voice and how to ask for the feedback that you need.

Connect with Anne:

@anigone.bsky.social

https://rlfconsultants.com/consultants/anne-wilson

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/three-ways-refresh-your-academic-writing

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/using-literature-reviews-strengthen-research-tips-phds-and-supervisors

If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft