John E. Drabinski teaches in the Departments of English and Africana Studies at University of Maryland. He has previously taught at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Assumption College, Grand Valley State University, and University of Houston, Downtown Campus. Across all these varied institutions and appointments, I have been a consistent, ambitious writer. That has meant writing articles and books while teaching a heavy load (5/5, 4/4), a conventional load (3/3) and a research load (2/2). Each appointment had its challenges: burdensome teaching load saps writing energy, conventional load is often offset by committee work, and even research loads have challenges that come with elevated expectations for tenure and promotion, competitive cohorts, and poor mentorship from senior colleagues.

I have learned a lot about myself as a writer and researcher in each appointment, as well as from the life circumstances of each phase of my writing career. This has given me a bit of insight into the process of formulating a project, plotting its progress, planning its completion, and seeing that project through to publication. 

Learn more here about the place of habits and time-management in my writing process – and yours!