The aim of this workshop is to discuss and share a range of techniques, resources, strategies and tools that can be employed to overcome internal and external barriers to academic writing. To do so, we will unpack stories of writing success and failure, focusing on different aspects of the writing process.

When preparing to write, we are simultaneously faced with the fear of failure and the pressure of success. A number of concerns and questions can emerge in the researcher’s imagination and stifle activity when we think about, prepare and approach a writing task. When should I write? Why am I writing? Who am I writing this paper for? How do I present my findings in an interesting way? These concerns and questions, sometimes exacerbated by feelings of ‘impostering’ and ‘not belonging’ can inhibit our productivity. It is only when we acknowledge these concerns, and consider the ‘imposter syndrome’ as ‘public feeling’, (Breeze, 2018), that we can begin to explore ways to move forward.

Before we can begin to think about how to put these into practice, we need to acknowledge the collective challenges that we face as researchers in the neoliberal academy. For this reason, we intend for this workshop to be participative in nature, providing opportunities for early career researchers to share their experiences and learn from each other, as well as the workshop facilitators.

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