This week I am participating in #Must-get Monday in collaboration with blogger Christian Fiction Girl.

As Christian Fiction Girl mentioned non-fiction in her last blog (#110), in the form of Raising Healthy Teenagers I will also suggest a non-fiction book. This isn’t a recent one, but is interesting for those wanting to know about British culture.

Watching the English by Kate Fox

About the book

This is a book for anyone interested in understanding the peculiarities of British Culture and who is interested in sociology. Though, it is heavily England focused (and for our international reader that means Wales, Ireland and Scotland don’t feature much). Perhaps that means there is a market for Watching the Scottish! Fox provides an insight into why the English are reserved, choices of dress, habits which indicate social class, etc. Parts are so good you may find yourself reading parts out to your friends. Other parts are a bit slower, but it’s an easy book to read and dip into when the mood strikes. It’s basically a book to better understand the behavour of others, which cannot be a bad thing as once you understand the intricacies of the British you can negotiate relationships better.

Buy it here on Amazon.

Pluses

• sensitive and humourous writing
• accurate cultural insight
• an insight into English cultural reserve

A fun little game you can play with your English friends to find out what words they use for what items in the house (which may indicate how social class and culture is changing).

What book are you most interested in reading currently?

About Emma

As an introvert haunting the corners of storytelling festivals, it’s incredibly difficult to track Emma down. She’s best known for writing Scottish fiction about working-class women and communities and their misrepresented lives. You can find her recent book about the friendship between a Christian woman and a non-Christian (A Friendship of Thistles) here.

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With that said, here are some tools that can help improve your writing. None of them is Grammarly because here is a recent Grammarly review on Trustpilot:

As you can see, the software does not help to improve writing skills. To improve your writing avoid Grammarly, hire a trusted proofreader and/or check out these books on style. I have avoided grammar-heavy books and focused instead on readability.

A Pocket Style Manual

Diana Hacker

For someone who wants a quick hack of the basics or want a quick reminder about how to reference.

Stronger Writing Skills for Teens: Modes, Methods, and Materials That Work

Gregory Berry

Easy to read with separate chapters on argument and research writing.

Stylish academic writing

Helen Sword

Good illustration of different writing styles in academic work. With lots of examples to demonstrate that clear and concise writing is a joy to read.

Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students

Stephen Bailey

Specially written for oversees students.

Aditionally, check out this article about cutting unecessary words from your writing.

Who is Emma Parfitt?

Emma Parfitt is a proofreader with 18 years of writing experience with businesses, academics and creative writers. She obtained a Creative Writing MA (St Andrews University) and a PhD in Storytelling (Warwick University). Then set up her own proofreading business and became a published author of fiction as well as academic literature such as Young People, Learning & Storytelling (Palgrave Macmillan).

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Universities place a lot of emphasis on impact. So, if you want to become an academic, impact is everything. A journal article by Freeling,  Doubleday, and Connell (2019) states:

“Peer-reviewed articles are the currency of science. They create knowledge and enable discovery. Despite this fundamental role, peer-reviewed articles tend to be written in a dry, dense, and impersonal style that can be challenging to read and understand (1–4). There are many potential benefits for writing in a more accessible style, from promoting much-needed communication among disciplines to making science more accessible to a broader community (5, 6). But good writing takes time for both the author who writes it and the institutions that teach it. So, is there really any benefit to writing better? We believe there is, and we believe our preliminary research underscores that conclusion.”

Better text increases a paper’s reach

“Is there a benefit to writing better? Our model suggests that increases in clarity, narrative structure, and creativity could translate to a boost in citations. Interestingly, an increase in citations was related to journal influence so that researchers publishing in broader journals had a greater increase in citations (impact factor 12, 74%) compared with researchers publishing in local or specific journals (impact factor 3, 26%). This suggests that the traditional style of scientific writing appears to restrain citations, but clarity, creativity, and narrative could remove this restraint and maximize citations.”

To have your journal article read by a native-English speaker please get in touch.

Continue reading the article here…

In terms of productivity: to get pucblished you have to write. In her book How to Write A Lot, author Paula Sylvia suggests that many academics struggle to finish pieces of writing that they have started, including grant proposals inside a frantic academic schedule. The solution to writing it all while still having a life?

She provides some tips such as setting up a writing group (for motivation), and selecting focused time (even if you just have 15 mintues) on book, journal article and grant writing. Designating short bursts of time can focus the mind. She also gives tips about each of these different kinds of texts.

Who is Emma Parfitt?

Emma Parfitt is a proofreader with 18 years of writing experience with businesses, academics and creative writers. She obtained a Creative Writing MA (St Andrews University) and a PhD in Storytelling (Warwick University). Then set up her own proofreading business and became a published author of fiction as well as academic literature such as Young People, Learning & Storytelling (Palgrave Macmillan). Her latest book is A Friendship of Thistles based on a friendship in Edinburgh, Scotland, during lockdown/Covid.

Get in touch for all proofreading services here!

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Referencing Chicago

The key information you will need for your reference is always author name, date, title of work, publisher (journal/book) and page numbers.

Then order for Chicago as follows: Surname, name. “Title capitalised.” Journal name volume number, issue number (year): page numbers.

For more help with Chicago check this out.

Reference APA

Other information might change in order, but if you have the essentials it’s hard to go wrong.

For  more help with APA go here.

Reference Harvard

Author, author initial. (year). Title. Edition. Place: publisher.

For more help with Harvard.

Tip: there are problems with software that generates bibliography lists. So to avoid being caught out near submission write up your source list in a word document as you go and save it more than once in different locations.

MLA

Surname, name. “Title.” Journal Title journal vol. issue number (date): page numbers.

For help with MLA check this out.

If you need furthur help checking a bibliography or other university document? Get in touch.

Common issues

Some of the most frequent problems I am asked to fix in the bibliography involve:

(A) Missing information,

(B) Inconsistent formatting.

Key things to look out for are if the punctuation marks are consistent and correct in every entry. Do all online sources have a DOI/http link consistently formatted? You may also find that titles are not formatted in the same way. I also find that students cut and paste refs from Google Scholar without checking for errors (which I frequently spot in missing volume or issue information and missing page numbers).

This is why people hire me as it takes a lot of time to go over, less if one is an expert.

Otherwise, chose a reference style (or follow university guidelines in the first instance) and collect referencing information correctly the first time you read a document. I used a spreadsheet for everything I read in my first PhD/doctorate year. This was important as I had heard about difficulties with list generators and wanted to create a master Word document to later use in my final year. A little planning goes a long way.

Who is Emma Parfitt?

Emma Parfitt is a proofreader with 18 years of writing experience with businesses, academics and creative writers. She obtained a Creative Writing MA (St Andrews University) and a PhD in Storytelling (Warwick University). Then set up her own proofreading business and became a published author of fiction as well as academic literature such as Young People, Learning & Storytelling (Palgrave Macmillan).

Get in touch for all reference and proofreading services here!

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Writing? To write one must write. Also, improving one’s writing is a constant learning process. I wrote a book review in 2017 (published in 2018 in International Sociology).

Book review

Review: Ulrich Bröckling, The Entrepreneurial Self: Fabricating a New Type of Subject. 

Today, I recieved a box of hardback copies of Young People, Learning and Storytelling (published with Palgrave Macmillan)

Strange to read my short article after a year, even stranger seeing the book that took me four years to research, and one year to write (with book proposal writing inbetween).

When I reread the article I saw some room for improvement. I think this is more apparent to me now because I have read a lot of things about improving academic writing and edited the work of others. The article was gladly accepted, still I can see some room for improvement. For example, tip of the day: avoid the word ‘it’ and use something more precise.

When I looked at my research book I’m proud because I wrote the book I wanted to. The arrival of the box below tells me that it’s time to face a new writing challenge… bring it on!

Find out more about my book here.

Update: since writing this text I have started my own proofreading business as a way to support myself whilst writing. I have helped academic books be published such as Art as an Institution (Alberto Cossu) and published more fiction such as A Friendship of Thistles (a novel about friendship during Covid), Shattered Roses (a beauty and the beast retelling based in a nursing home) and Seascape (a collection of fairytales).

Who is Emma?

As an introvert haunting the corners of storytelling festivals, it’s incredibly difficult to track Emma down. She’s best known for writing Scottish fiction about working-class women and communities and their misrepresented lives.You can find her recent book A Friendship of Thistles here. Or hire her for proofreading here.

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Book summary

This book explores the lives of young people through the lens of storytelling. Using extensive qualitative and empirical data from young people’s conversations following storytelling performances in secondary schools in the UK, the author considers the benefits of stories and storytelling for learning and the subsequent emotional, behavioural and social connections to story and other genres of narrative.

Storytelling has both global and transnational relevance in education, as it allows individuals to compare their experiences to others. Young people learn through discussion that their opinions matter, that they are both similar to and different from their peers. This in turn can facilitate the development of critical thinking skills as well as encouraging social learning, co-operation and cohesion. Drawing upon folklore and literary studies as well as sociology, philosophy, youth studies and theatre, this volume explores how storytelling can shape the lives of young people through storytelling projects. This reflective and creative volume will appeal to students and scholars of storytelling, youth studies and folklore.

Reviews

Some reviews below:

This book is an exceptional study of how storytelling cannot only help us understand children’s experiences under difficult conditions, but also how children use storytelling to cope with problems facing them in their daily lives. Dr Parfitt has a firm grasp of the art of oral storytelling and interdisciplinary methods, and develops keen insights into the emotional behaviour of children as they tell and listen to stories. Her book is a significant contribution to the fields of childhood studies and folklore and will interest anyone concerned with improving relations with children in schools and at home.

(Jack Zipes, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota, USA)

 

“Beautifully written, with imaginative metaphors from the stories themselves, she offers really accessible theory and vivid compelling accounts infused with the real voices and personalities of the young people themselves. This is not a manual, but something more precious, a guide to reflective practice to inspire teachers and storytellers practically in the classroom.”

(Nicola Grove, Founder of OpenStoryTellers, UK)

Reflections in 2023

It seems surreal now, that I finally got a book accepted and went through the whole publication process with Macmillan. I’m proud of myself. It feels like another person wrote this now. Four years ago the final version left my desk the same year as my wedding! It had taken me four years of research and writing and working parttime to obtain my PhD as a mature student. The book feels well earned for that reason. I faced emotionally draining times living in student accomodation to provide well-being support to students.

During that process I learnt a lot about myself. And the few individuals, you know who you are, I really helped, that appreciated an ear to talk to and talking through their options to get the outcome they wanted for their educational journey made it worthwhile. Thought, I’m sure the fab residental team would have had them anyway. For if a student reached out we were there. The being woken up to deal with emergencies and noise disturbances I would rather forget.

The process of hard, exhausting work that got me on that stage collecting my PhD is an experience I constantly remind myself of whenever I doubt myself. It has eased the doubts of my educational ability, past scarring from previous university experiences that ‘I was not good enough’, that I see now is a narrative I had heard from others and constantly reinforced in my own head. I was good enough then, and I am good enough now, always striving to be better. Not just in the way I write, but as a human being.

And I would not be the ‘me’ I am today without the people that challenged and support me along the way. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don’t say it often enough. I’m getting emotional thinking about all the friends I miss, some no longer with us, some across the world seperated by the cost of a flight ticket. Thankfully we have the technology to stay connected. And to those who I have lost touch with … I think of you sometimes with gratefulness for the periods of life we shared along the way.

My writing

If you are looking for another book to read, this time a fictional tale about sisterhood … I have also published A Friendship of Thistles.

Or you can contact me for proofreading.

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Zombies. I was asked by Iggy to prepare a Sociological reply to the following questions regarding the film World War Z. First I would like to say that I did not enjoy this film. I was bored. This is a personal option, yet, if you want to see a good zombie movie I would recommend the following (in no particular order):

Question one: What is the most realistic human reaction to the crisis?

Question 2: In what order would society break down?

Question 3: Would humanity come together or would it be a case of every man for himself?

Questions raised

You can check out my other writing here.

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Discussions about marriage

I think that discussions of marriage are very topical at the moment given the media attention on same sex marriages, and the long overdue changes taking place. I’m not certain about the links Peterson draws between the state and marriage. She herself said she was taking a bird’s eye view and there are many complex processes involved. Peterson comes from a psychologist turned international relations viewpoint.

‘Hold onto your hats!’ Peterson began. By the time it had ended I felt entertained and informed about something I knew little about before. I also felt like I had just crammed for an exam. There was a lot of history to cover about the change of marriage overtime since ancient Greece to the present which I can’t do justice to here.

The presentation

Peterson’s presentation was not a critique on marriage, as she acknowledged the emotional investments of many individuals as well as alternative marriage arrangements. Her talk was liberal, and not based on any biology or factors at an individual level. It was more to stimulate discussion in this area. Her argument was that the state formalised and supported marriage as a structure through organisations like the church leading to the image of marriage we have today. That marriage was based on Christian, monogamous, relationship values that benefits privileged men, and therefore sustains inequality between people.

Did I understand correctly?

If I understood correctly, because the state formalised marriage this leads to the ‘normalisation’ of heterosexual, patriarchal marriages. This leads in turn to male-female differences (in gender roles within a marriage). And, therefore  husband-wife relationships. The structure of one male to one female partner, plus children, reinforces certain stereotypes based around sex and gender identity.

A patriarchal structure causes continued economic equality as privileged males inherit property (only certain people could in the past inherit family property). As family inheritance is passed down amongst certain individuals in the family, through history this has maintained an economic advantage for men in particular, particularly in certain classes. This affects life chances.

An example

Peterson cited as an example the post-war GI Bill in the USA where white males that had served in the army had opportunities to study. Therefore, they had an educational advantage over other men, which lead to jobs and the purchase of property. This excluded many people, including women, and was clearly racist.

There has been complicated if restrained resistance to such limitations throughout history. Take the suffragette movement, and feminism. However Peterson emphasises, ‘We haven’t gone beyond racism, sexism.’ Rather they have ‘changed shape. You just need to look around at who does things, how they are paid, the roles males and females are assigned.’ And how, ‘patriarchy has got a different face, a female face.’

A definition of Patriarchy

Where my interest lay was in a brief mention of writing technology and literacy. Without writing by people at different points in history (policy documents included) how would we know what happened at the time? Writing is a powerful ideological capturing tool. And easier to research than language which extends through time and space. A person in the audience asked a question about language. Perhaps looking at this to capture views and interactions, changing ideologies across time.

A huge task, which I felt resonated with my thesis. Although I am looking at a more micro-scale, what stories interpreted by young people may demonstrate about gender identities and stereotypes. Identity, particular gender, is becoming part of my thesis. As identity formation appears to be important when considering emotional and behavioural management.

Influence

Carrying this idea forward of capturing our time I wrote A Friendship of Thistles. Set in the working- and middle-class lives of mothers in Edinburgh.

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Who is Tanith Lee?

What will the live lounge do?

Thank you

My own writing

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