The more pleasurable the activity, I found, the more likely it was to initiate a new spate of productive writing within the next day or two.

“effort is what makes you smart or talented.”

The benefits of informal learning processes such as constructivism (building on previous knowledge and experience), situated learning (acquiring new skills on the job and through professional communities of practice), and reflective practice (learning through trial, error, and self-reflection) have been well documented

It feels like it will never come together—and then it does. Just hanging in there through that development phase, that messy phase, is so important.

the trick was not to exchange one for the other but to find creative ways of combining the two.

Of all the myths surrounding academic writing, the fallacy of effortless productivity is among the most persistent.

I sometimes like to write longhand if I am thinking about something difficult. I curl up on the bed or couch and then transfer it to the computer later. I find it useful because it slows you down. Sometimes

Success is a process, a mindful process. A lot of students make the mistake of comparing their beginning efforts with other people’s final products, which is not a smart thing to do, since rarely do you start with something wonderful. And even if you did, it wouldn’t be any fun.

So I began to play with more organic, nonlinear ways of writing, paying close attention to my rhythms and moods at different times of the day.