WRITING FOR PUBLICATION

oes your heart sink when a colleague says, Thats a really interesting piece of work, you should write it up? After reading an article do you think, I could do that, but never get round to doing anything about it? I havent got the time, Ill write when I retire, or I cant write, are the most common excuses people hide behind for not writing up their work, but the real reason is often fear of the writing itself. And the fact is, if you have conducted an interesting piece of work, investigated a different approach or developed some new materials, you owe it to yourself and your fellow professionals to disseminate your ideas more widely. Of course every speech and language therapist can write. However difficult it may have seemed at the time all therapists have written essays or dissertations at college, or client reports since beginning work. However, it is true that many people feel overwhelmed by the prospect of writing and even the most prolific writers often find it hard to begin and complete the next article, the next chapter, the next book; each new project feeling like the first. So, how can you break this deadlock? How can you get started, and even more importantly, keep going? Writing a considered article or chapter is a process over time; it is not something that happens in one creative burst. And, as with any process, it begins with the first step. That is, facing the blank page, the stage at which many falter. Of course there are some who have no difficulties starting. For them fear of the blank page (or writers block) may occur somewhere in the middle or at any stage of the process, but let us consider how to overcome the initial fear that so often prevents the potential writer from getting beyond the opening paragraph.

Doing the write thing

Have you considered writing about your work but not quite found the courage? With a treasure trove of experience and an enviable publishing record amassed over 20 years, Myra Kersner and Jannet Wright are well placed to help you get started - and then to keep going all the way to the finishing line.
from relevant sources you have been reading; you may have a file or notebook of random thoughts you have jotted down when first thinking about the project. It is a good idea to make notes as thoughts occur to you; you always imagine you will remember them, but it is amazing how quickly you will lose even momentoussounding ideas if they are not immediately committed to paper or the computer. way of breaking the writing into manageable chunks. In addition, if appropriate to the journal, headings help break up the text for the reader. A useful technique at this stage can be to write the article as if you were telling a story, expanding the main ideas and points in everyday, colloquial language not worrying about grammar or punctuation. Crafting each sentence to perfection at this stage is likely to inhibit the thought flow. It is usually more advisable to let the ideas flow freely as this may lead in novel directions, and prevent you losing important detail. It is not a problem if you write an excessive number of words because these will no doubt be lost at the revising and editing stage. In fact it is much easier losing words in order to meet the word count target than adding them; additional words often appear as padding. Unfortunately a slowing of pace and enthusiasm, a sudden dearth of ideas, followed by a dip in energy levels, emotional stability and self-belief is an inevitable part of the writing process for even the most seasoned writers. This is the stage when many articles are lost as the writer tosses the unfinished pages into the waste basket in a fit of despair. But it is only a part of the process albeit a critical one. Now is the time to recognise that muses are definitely not to be relied upon, only hard, regular work. This is the time when it is crucial to ensure you have several writing appointments with yourself booked ahead in the diary. They do not need to be long sessions, but they do need to be regular and as closely spaced as possible so that you dont lose the thread of what you are trying to say. If you have been able to maintain the discipline thus far, you will by now be coming to the end of a completed version of your work, and you will probably feel pleased with it. But, however carefully you have crafted and nursed it to reach this stage, this is only the first draft.

A task to be completed
There is no point in waiting for the muse to take you. It probably wont. Writing is a task to be completed like any other, so make an appointment with yourself, set aside a realistic period of time in which to work, and begin. The assignment should you choose to take it is to fill as much of the empty white space on the page or the computer screen as quickly as possible. One of the most satisfying ways to do this is to brainstorm. This word often has a bad press but it is an effective way of launching into a new project. Give the opus a working title then write down anything and everything that comes into your head about the topic. This does not have to be in complete sentences, write odd words or phrases as the thoughts gain momentum. Scribble that is, whether you are writing or typing, dont worry about spelling, grammar, or coherence. Dont try to censor, or arrange your thoughts in any sequence or order. Let your mind roam freely. No thoughts are too off the wall at this stage. You will have time to organise and classify the ideas later. You may even find that what you eventually write is quite different from what you first planned in your mind, but there is nothing wrong with that, it will pay to be flexible in your thinking. Another way of covering the whiteness of a blank document quickly, particularly if you are writing directly onto a computer screen is to import some previously written material to act as a trigger or starting point. For example, you may already have some references, with quotations

Maintain the momentum

You may not be able to get beyond the ideas stage during the first session so make sure to book a series of realistic appointments with yourself; for the first flow of idea-generating adrenalin is often accompanied by a burst of enthusiasm that needs to be capitalised as quickly as possible to maintain the momentum.

identify the main theme of what you want to say, and the take home message for the reader
In order to organise the brain-stormed ideas it may be helpful next to identify the main theme of what you want to say, and the take home message for the reader. You can begin to put ideas together, organise similar thoughts under headings, now judging and discarding those that no longer seem pertinent. Writing under headings even if these are removed later not only helps with organisation and sequencing of thoughts but is a

14

SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY IN PRACTICE Summer 2007

WRITING FOR PUBLICATION

READ THIS ARTICLE IF YOU WANT TO: OVERCOME A FEAR OF PUBLISHING FILL THE DAUNTING BLANK PAGE WRITE WITH OTHER PEOPLE

Does it comply with the requirements of the specific journal you are submitting to? Have you checked the punctuation and grammar? If you are uncertain about this there are several books you can read which are fun and easy to follow. Is the language and style appropriate for the journal to which you are submitting? Would you be interested in reading it if the manuscript arrived on your desk? Hopefully, your submission will be accepted. Although most commonly there may be some suggested, often minor, changes. If comments are included or there is an indication that, with changes, the article might be resubmitted, then it will be important to look at it again - after you have calmed down - and to consider the suggested revisions. You will usually find they are right. Unfortunately, it is possible that your article may not be accepted for publication, but although every rejection is painful reviewers are only commenting on your work, not rejecting you. The article may just not be suitable for the journals current needs, or they may already have a similar one in their publishing pipeline. You always have the option of revising it to suit a different journal and hopefully will feel able to write another article.

Write collaboratively
What many potential writers do not realise, is that this is when the real work begins. Of course when you are ready to submit your article for publication it is critical to research the market if you havent already done so to ensure that you have written your piece in a style appropriate to that journal. For example, there is no point in sending a reflective nonreferenced article to a journal that only publishes datadriven research. It is normally helpful to do this before you begin writing, but it is possible to make the appropriate adjustments at the revising and editing stage. All journals have their own format and requirements about the presentation of a manuscript, so make sure you research the journals that you wish to target. One of the most effective ways to ease the pain of writing is to write collaboratively with someone else. Where this is possible you will often find that together you are far more productive than either of you would be writing alone. Writing with another person can be a great motivator, having to produce work to show your co-author often proving a great incentive to write. And it can be fun. You may also find yourselves supporting each other in unexpected ways, particularly if physical and emotional writing peaks and troughs are complementary rather than simultaneous. Writing collaboratively highlights other issues that will need to be agreed, such as order of authorship which may relate to the amount contributed or may be alphabetical, and who will be the author for correspondence. As writing is essentially an individual experience it is important to adjust to each others style, to find a rhythm that suits you both, and this is true each time you write with a different partner. In our writing partnership we find that a half-formed thought from one will often spark a more considered idea from the other, an ungrammatical phrase from one will trigger a syntactic gem from the other. But no clumsily expressed notion is ever judged or dismissed without being fully discussed. It is also helpful if within the partnership you are able to take on complementary roles irrespective of your natural skills. For example, both of us are finishers but when writing only one takes the role of obsessive perfectionist. We are both capable of generating ideas, but usually at different stages of the writing; one particularly enjoys tracking the logic of the arguments while the other specialises in spotting omissions. But essentially we each appreciate the others contribution and together have learned to hone our craft. Naturally there are many potential pitfalls when working closely with someone who has their own views, their own style, their own vision, but the secret of a successful
SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY IN PRACTICE Summer 2007

Revision
As any published author will tell you, good writing is all about revision, so be prepared. There are those who claim they never revise their work, but it shows. Either the work is ill-considered and rushed or it is written by someone who cannot commit their thoughts onto paper until they have honed each sentence to perfection. Such people usually write extremely slowly and may not always complete their projects, for the end product remains distant for so long, they are likely to become dispirited and lose interest. Most writers prefer to work more speedily following the flow of ideas and then to sit back and enjoy the editing and revising stage of the process, polishing the words and sentences until they are the best they can make them. It is not always easy to undertake serious editing as each word you have written may feel precious, but it is important to remove redundant language, ensure there is no repetition, and check that the major points are sequenced logically and that each idea is expressed as clearly and succinctly as possible. Now is the time to reduce verbiage and ensure that the language is appropriate for the journal that is being targeted. This is often a good time to seek the opinion of someone you trust; someone who understands what you are trying to say and can give you some honest feedback. (However, discourage them from marking your manuscript with a red pen; too close a reminder to schooldays!) It is usually helpful if you can space out your revision sessions so that each time you return to your work you have had time to gain some distance and consequently perspective, enabling you to see it afresh from the readers point of view.

Would you be interested in reading it if the manuscript arrived on your desk?

Let go
How do you know when to stop editing? How do you know when its time to let go and accept you have the final version? The answers are mainly: when it feels right; when you have said what you wanted to say concisely and to the best of your ability. The check list below might help. Read it aloud if you get tongue tied by impossible phraseology or inappropriate wording then it may still need a final polish. Ask the opinion of someone you trust. Check the presentation is it double spaced, printed on A4 paper, with appropriate paragraph line-spacing?

15

WRITING FOR PUBLICATION

partnership hinges around enjoyment, trust and commitment. We keep our writing promises to each other and as far as possible meet deadlines that are critical to our agreed targets. Our partnership survives because it continues to develop despite one of us having changed tracks to pursue a fiction-writing career, and the other having moved two hundred miles away. But the partnership continues because we have fun, the writing is stimulating and we still enjoy working together.

E-mail to the editor

Dear Avril, Speech and Language Therapy for Aphasia following stroke Cochrane Systematic Review As speech and language therapists we are very much aware that evidence-based practice is fundamental to the provision of good quality healthcare. Research evidence linked with clinical practice provides us with essential information regarding the effectiveness of healthcare interventions for our patients. There are a number of different ways of exploring aphasia therapy outcomes and issues, for example, individual case studies, case series and group studies. However, currently randomised control trials (RCTs) are considered the most robust methodology to evaluate clinical interventions, i.e. measure and demonstrate the effectiveness of therapy. Systematic reviews of such evidence are crucial as they synthesise the findings of RCTs, helping inform therapists' decisions about rehabilitation interventions and highlighting current knowledge and potential research priorities. The Cochrane Collaboration (www.cochrane.org) is an international independent organisation whose function is to disseminate accurate up-to-date information about the effects of available healthcare worldwide. It produces and disseminates systematic reviews of healthcare interventions and promotes the search for evidence in the form of clinical trials and other studies. It has reportedly had a significant impact on practice, policy decisions and research around the world. In 1999 a Cochrane systematic review was published which presented the evidence for speech and language rehabilitation of aphasia following stroke (Greener et al., 1999). Since this publication additional evidence has been generated or is currently ongoing in many countries around the world. The review is now being updated to reflect these developments. The objective of the review is to assess if: 1. speech and language therapy is more effective than no speech and language therapy 2. speech and language therapy is more effective than support from volunteers or non-speech and language therapy professionals 3. one speech and language therapy intervention is more effective than another speech and language therapy intervention. Relevant trials have been identified through a number of different methods including the Cochrane Stroke Groups Specialised Register of Controlled Trials as well as Medline (1966-2007) and Cinahl (19822007). Academic institutions and other researchers were also contacted in order to identify further published and unpublished research in this area. The findings of this updated systematic review will be published later this year in order to provide speech and language therapists with the latest evidence for the rehabilitation of aphasia upon which they can base their clinical decisions. If readers are aware of any published and / or unpublished trials that would be appropriate for inclusion in this review update could they please contact me with the details? Dr. Helen McGrane Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit Iris Murdoch Building University of Stirling Stirling, FK9 4LA Telephone: 01786 466285 Fax: 01786 466100 Email: helen.mcgrane@stir.ac.uk

Personal style
Finally, despite all tips and suggestions, it has to be said that writing is an intensely personal activity and there is no one way to write; we each have to develop our own style. There are however a few general tips that will help all writers. Type each reference in full into a reference list as soon as you find it. You can be sure you will not remember where it came from if you leave it till the end. Each time you begin work on the computer save the piece again with the current date. That way you will not only be able to identify the current version easily, but will also have previous versions on file in case you need to reinstate deleted passages. Back up at least one version of your work separately from your computer each night, such as on a CD, pen drive, or by emailing it to someone as an attachment. Your work is important. Happy writing!
SLTP

Myra Kersner is a Senior Lecturer at University College London and Jannet A. Wright is the Professor in Speech and Language Therapy at De Montfort University, Leicester.

REFLECTIONS DO I HAVE A CLEAR TAKE HOME MESSAGE? DO I RECOGNISE THAT THE REAL WORK OF THE WRITING PROCESS BEGINS AT THE REVISING AND EDITING STAGE? DO I ASSESS MY WRITTEN WORK FROM A READERS POINT OF VIEW?

Reference Greener, J., Enderby, P., Whurr, R. (1999) Speech and language therapy for aphasia following stroke, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Issue 4. Art. No.: CD000425. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000425.

16

SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY IN PRACTICE Summer 2007