Interlude: Breaks, Tactics, and Taking Care of Readers

Over the past few weeks, we've seen a lot of unpredictability and felt some big feelings about everything that is happening with research funding.

I want you to stay informed about everything. However, I've made the decision to stick with the intention of the Interlude to give you a break in your day, which also means a break from the firehose we are experiencing. So although I will (mostly) omit information about the state of things moving forward, please seek trusted sources to stay up to date.

And know that I am here to support you in any way I can.

Now onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

10 Tactics to Help You Stop Overlooking How You Can Improve Your Writing​
Editing your own writing can be challenging. You might think that you can just edit your own work. But you are so close to the work that you can easily overlook mistakes and other problems with the writing. I encourage you to collaborate with a professional editor, but you can also try these 10 tactics to avoid overlooking how you can improve your writing.

👓 Reading

Leonard Cassuto on Taking Care of Your Reader​
"If you know that your readers will stay with you no matter what, you don’t have to worry too much about how you treat them. Instead of working to care for the reader, academic writers are taught by their earliest experience that readers are unconditionally invested. They require no consideration because they’re already on the hook. That unfortunate lesson invites all kinds of bad writing..."

​Three books to sum up where we’re at with “AI” tools for writing​
"Fortunately, we’re just far enough into the age of LLMs that books are beginning to be published providing the kind of treatment you’d hope for – broad enough to cover the idea of LLMs in general, and deep enough to let you consider well-reasoned cases both for and against writers using LLMs." Heard's book recommendations: Generative AI for Academics, AI Snake Oil, and More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.

...Oh, and if you're interested in getting hands-on training with AI tools for research and writing, join us in Scientific Writing Simplified for an interactive session with AI whisperer Núria Negrão on March 4. You must be enrolled to join.

🧰 Tools

Simplelists​
I recently learned about this great tool for managing an email distribution list. With Simplelists, you can "optimise group email communications for small or large groups with email hosting that is user-friendly, advert-free, has robust virus protection, quality email deliverability, plus more."

💭 Thoughts

Writing without thinking about your readers is like hosting a dinner party without thinking about your guests.

Just as you wouldn’t want to cook steak for vegetarians, you don’t want to write content that is difficult for readers to digest.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal