The Bullet Train

 
An image created by Helen Sword for her Writing BASE diagnostic tool.
 
 

THE BULLET TRAIN

Your Bullet Train profile, shared by around 2% of academic and professional writers, shows that you have given yourself relatively high ratings (6 or above) for your Behavioral and Social habits but low or moderate ratings (5 or below) for your Artisanal and Emotional habits. This profile is called the Bullet Train because you move forward efficiently and connect well with others, but may lack craftsmanship and emotional depth in your writing journey.

Your strengths and challenges create a distinctive pattern:

  • You feel fairly productive as a writer, with effective routines and time management (Behavioral).

  • You frequently engage in fruitful conversations with others about your writing (Social).

  • You lack confidence in your writing skills and technical abilities (Artisanal).

  • You don't particularly enjoy writing and may even actively dislike it (Emotional).

This combination means you reliably produce writing and effectively engage with writing communities, but may struggle with quality and find little satisfaction in the process itself.

ACTION PLAN

To broaden the BASE upon which your writing practice is built, consider sharpening your skills and deepening your emotional connection by drawing on your strengths:

  1. Leverage Your Productivity to Build Craft

    • Dedicate specific writing sessions to focus solely on improving particular writing techniques.

    • Apply your disciplined approach to systematically developing specific writing skills.

    • Create measurable goals for craft development similar to how you likely track productivity.

  2. Use Social Connections to Enhance Your Skills

    • Seek direct feedback on specific craft elements from writers whose skills you admire.

    • Join or create a writing group focused on technique and skill development.

    • Consider collaborative projects where you can learn from others' strengths while contributing your own.

  3. Discover Sources of Writing Satisfaction

    • Identify which specific aspects of writing you find least unpleasant and focus on building from there.

    • Experiment with different writing environments, times, and approaches to find what feels best.

    • Create meaningful rewards and celebrations for writing accomplishments.

  4. Connect Productivity to Purpose

    • Reflect on why you write beyond external requirements and connect to deeper values.

    • Design writing routines that incorporate moments for reconnecting with your writing's meaning.

    • Use your social networks to discuss finding meaning and satisfaction in academic writing.

The WriteSPACE can help you with all of these things!

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

 
2%Victoria Silwood