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High Educ (2013) 65:785786
DOI 10.1007/s10734-012-9555-y
BOOK REVIEW
Published online: 21 July 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012
The book Becoming an academic writer: 50 exercises for paced, productive, and powerful writing describes a theoretical and practical framework for writing productivity in academic settings, the POWER model (Promoting Outstanding Writing for Excellence in Research). Throughout the book, the author walks readers through the model by determining theoretical principles, demonstrating empirical evidence, and proposing practical exercises for becoming an academic writer.
Early in the Acknowledgements section, Goodson mentions that the POWER model saved academic careers of many grad students she worked with, as they were about to drop out of grad school due to their struggles with writing (or lack of). Right there I identied with the book. I had been one of those discouraged grad students. I wanted to write, but I never had the time to do it. Truly stressed out by the pressure to write and not knowing anything else to tackle the problem other than the famous techniques commonly known as binge writing and editing while you write, I almost gave up on my dream of being a college professor. That is, until I heard about the POWER model.
The POWER model was built by a group of scholars who strategized practical concepts such as writing should be initially bad and the importance of sharing early and late writing drafts....