Writing can be a bit daunting and that blank sheet of paper or the blank screen you have been starring at now for a while do not help your confidence. At our last meet up, we received some great writing tips from our very experienced editors Jean and Michael. The contributors’ community also had some amazing advice and I bet we will all remember the tip from Mila to download FLORA that will help you focus and concentrate and plant trees!

Here is an overview of Jean’s golden tips:

• Think about your audience – who are you writing for?  For my Chapter on ‘The Seamless Student Journey: Fact or Fiction’ which I’m writing with Christine Stewart, I am writing for me as I was 15 years ago, when I was working as a project manager in the Student Experience Team at Derby University and just dipping a toe in the Service Design water.  Drawing up a persona or two may help.  Pin them on your wall or have them to hand so that whenever you’re stuck you can look up and say “What would they like to know?”.

• Think about structure, flow and narrative. What story are you telling, especially if you’re writing a Case Study?

• Try reading it aloud, to yourself or someone else, and take out any extraneous words – check your grammar. Keep it sharp.

• Don’t aim for a perfect 1^st draft – the clue is in the name.  It’s all in the edit.

• Just write, even if you don’t feel like it. Set aside a regular time when you make yourself sit down and put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

• If you are ‘in the zone’ but have to break off for a reason, leave in the middle of a sentence – that way you can pick it up more easily when you come back.

• Don’t worry about including ‘warts and all’. Readers want to know about the challenges you had and how you overcame them.  Made a mistake?  Would do it again differently? Every day is a learning day.

• Don’t forget to anonymise people and places unless you have their express permission (in writing).

• If you’re struggling or feeling daunted about starting, write up an abstract, then a synopsis.  Think about what your summary would say if it was on the back of a book jacket. Then work it up to two or more paragraphs, then two pages, then four pages and you’re well on your way!

• You don’t have to start at the beginning. You can start with your strongest section and work forwards and backwards from there. Most folk don’t write the introduction until the end.

• Watch out for TLAs (three letter acronyms) and jargon.  Could your piece be understood by someone from outside the UK HE sector?

• Lastly, what do you want the reader to take away from your chapter?  Some insights? Some new knowledge? Some thought-provoking ideas?

Now what are you waiting for?  Time to get started!