I finally finished all the APA punctuation twiddling, the quadruple checking of everything in sight, the last minute spell check, the constant reformatting of the table of contents and plucked up the courage to send the manuscript to the publisher. I am now convinced that I will have done something ridiculous, like spelled my name incorrectly or something else embarrassing on the frontpage. But I am resolved not to look at in any more until it comes back as proofs and/or with any more edits to do. For if I had to read it once more I would have either fallen into a boredom-induced coma or had a brain explosion. So it would have either been very quiet, or very messy.

I am now about to start looking at a paper that I am co-writing with two other colleagues here about a course we teach. I am responsible for a third – about 1000 words. That being said, I have never co-written anything before and don’t know what I will make of the experience. I am used to being entirely responsible for every part of the paper. And I kind of like that responsibility I guess. So we’ll see what happens next. Plus it’s entirely removed from my usual research area of television. I am doing it to prove to the powers that be that there is some connection between my teaching and research so they will continue to allow space in my workload for the research I actually want to do (so this paper is in the field of educational, preparatory studies). Yes, it’s ridiculous, because surely the generic skills of research, writing and academic practice in general connect explicitly to teaching a course in preparing mature age learners for entering tertiary education. Surely,if I am writing and researching I am modelling that behaviour for our students in a very practical sense. Well I think so, but others disagree.
So, sighing, I now make myself start. Perhaps I can knock my “bit” over before the end of the week.