The Festive Season is a good time to clean up and clear out the pile of paper collected throughout the proceeding year. One the many pieces of potentially useful information I archived was a three-page article from the April edition of the monthly magazine Prima [1]. Most certainly not the most academic magazine, but useful all the same, as it was a piece encouraging readers to write their own book.
The six steps or recommendations in Prima were:
- Figure out what you want to write;
- Make time to write;
- Find your writing method;
- Forget about perfection;
- Keep going (even when the going gets though);
- Find writing buddies!
I found it interesting as these six steps in this piece overlap a lot with the advice we have been giving to budding academics for years [2]. 
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)
References:
- Gibson, F. (2024) How to write a novel and get published, Prima (April edition): 38-40.
- Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Hundley, V. with Shreesh, K. (2022) Writing and Publishing Academic Work, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books
New BU publication on academic writing
Latest BU publication on academic writing
Writing academic papers: Workshop in Nepal










BU academics publish in Nepal national newspaper
New BU Physiology paper
Gender and street names
Help Shape the Future of Research at BU: Postgraduate Research Experience Survey 2026 Now Open
3C Event: Research Culture, Community & Cherry Blossom – Tuesday 14 April
REMINDER: 3MT® Competition – Deadline 9am Monday 20 April
ECR Funding Open Call: Research Culture & Community Grant – Apply now
ECR Funding Open Call: Research Culture & Community Grant – Application Deadline Friday 12 December
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 Call
ERC Advanced Grant 2025 Webinar
Update on UKRO services
European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease