Interview Notes from Dr. Davis on Writing

About the Professor: Dr. Julie Nelson Davis received a B.A. from Reed College, studied in Japan at both the Osaka University of Foreign Languages and Gakushûin University, and completed a PhD at the University of Washington. She is an Associate Professor in Art History as well as the former undergraduate chair. She teaches courses in modern East Asian art (1600 to the present) and is a specialist of early modern Japanese art.

Dr. Davis's University Webpage

Writing Process: In describing her writing process, Dr. Davis points to the importance of "sacred writing time," time away from the distractions of internet and cellphones, time set aside purely for writing, as key to her writing process. For her self-imposed "writing boot camp," Dr. Davis sets aside one to five hours of the day for reading and writing, and, at the end, she records what was accomplished in that time. She is also a part of a writing group with several other professors in Japanese studies. Every week they exchange a piece of writing, which she finds valuable for the feedback as well as for the incentive to come prepared with new material.

Writing Tips: Dr. Davis recommends several books on writing: William Zinsser, On Writing Well, Paul J. Silvia's How to Write A Lot, and William Germano's Getting it Published. She encourages students to make better use of the library's ample resources in addition to what is available through online sources.

Important Criteria for Student Writing: Dr. Davis ranked the following criteria as important for student writing

Close visual analysis of the work of art or architecture
Organization
Reasoning and evidence
Original ideas
Style
Appropriate citation

Links:

Back to Art History
Back to Writing in the Disciplines

Other professors in Art History: Dr. Kuttner