Writer’s Development Programme

The Writers’ Development Programme has been developed with support and funding from the Institute for Business, Social Sciences and Public Policy. Academic writing is one of the most demanding aspects of our job. The purpose of this programme is to help you with guidance and support in developing a specific publication and increasing your effectiveness in making time for writing in our increasingly crowded work-schedules. We have two very experienced facilitators to work with us on this. Dr Rowena Murray and Prof Sarah Moore, authors of The Handbook of Academic Writing (Open University Press, 2006).

We will start with two very hands-on, practical sessions. These sessions will help you focus and define your specific project, as well as introducing skills to use in our writing in general. These will also build towards the writers’ retreat which will take place over 3 days in late November.

Session 1, 9.30am – 12.30pm Friday 7 October 2011:

– on-campus ½ day session led by Dr Rowena Murray, Strathclyde University

– introducing the programme

– obstacles to writing; writing strategies (writing to prompts; short bursts)

– preparatory work for the writers’ retreat: setting goals; organisation of materials; practicalities

Session 2, 9.30am – 12.30pm Friday 21 October 2011:

– on-campus ½ day session led by Dr Rowena Murray, Strathclyde University

– targeting journals; drafting an abstract; outline

Session 3, November 2011:

– residential retreat, led by Professor Sarah Moore, Centre for Teaching & Learning, UL

– 28 November to 1 December (3 nights) in Connemara Coast Hotel

The programme is open to staff and researchers from both School of Business and Economics and those affiliated to IBSSPP. It is suitable for experienced writers and novices, really anyone who is interested in exploring and developing their writing practice in a collaborative way. You are welcome to attend the on-campus sessions without participating in the retreat. If you want to attend the retreat it would be desirable to attend the on-campus sessions as they are important preparation to make sure you get the best out of your time.

If you would like to attend either of the sessions, or the sessions and the retreat, please email Dr Rachel Hilliard(rachel.hilliard@nuigalway.ie) to confirm your place on the programme. IBSSPP is funding the costs of the on-campus sessions, as well as the additional costs of the retreat. Retreat participants will need to be able to fund their accommodation costs for the retreat which will be approximately €300. Funding for this may be available from your discipline head or from your triennial travel grant.

Please contact Dr Rachel Hilliard if you have any further questions.

Dr Rachel Hilliard
Associate Head, Research
JE Cairnes School of Business & Economics
NUI Galway
Email: rachel.hilliard@nuigalway.ie
Tel: +353 91 492932

Advanced registeration required