Write Well, Live Well Checklist

Here is a checklist for writing well and living well. 

1. Take care of your own house first. This means you must get 6-8 hours of sleep every night. Practice all things in moderation. Get outside and be active. Look in the mirror and say to yourself, "I love you." 

2. Keep a writing journal. Writing is a creative and therapeutic outlet for living. This is not recent news, but it is still worth considering. Use your iPhone Journal app, a paper and a pen, or an online writing software like MS Word. Breathe. 

3. Consider your feelings about writing. Are you the best writer ever? Do you loathe writing? Are there sections of a paper you love? Do you feel positive? Meaningful? Mattering? Think of a time you felt joy about writing. Feel that joy again. 

4. Reflect on what you have to write about, that people might want to read and know. Remember, you have special knowledge and reflections that only you have. People want to know you and hear from you.  

5. Write every day. Practice makes perfect. Abandon programs like Chat GPT or even Google. Create your own record of knowledge about what is happening in the world and how it makes you feel. You can write well. 

6. Be specific, be clear. These are wise words from Dr. Mark Schulz, my dissertation co-chair, who saved me many times. 

7. What will you write about? What is worthy of writing and reading? Trust me, you are worthy, and so is what you want to write about. 

8. How much time do you have to write? Make time for you first. You cannot give what you do not have. 

9. Are there other authors, or are you the only one? Reach out for help if you need it. 

10. Read journal articles about similar topics. What is missing from them? What can you contribute that they did not? Keep a list of potential journals for article submission. Print a journal article, cross out their names and the title, and add yours. The future belongs to those who can see it. 

11. Analyze data. If you are writing a research paper, you may have already analyzed the data, or you might be. Wherever you are, this is an ongoing process, and you might need to go back to the data depending on how the journal wants you to report information and format tables and values. Remember, you are brilliant. You can work with data and write something meaningful.   

12. Create a paper outline. This typically includes an Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), but this often depends. Take a moment to review and organize the content in your outline. 

13. Select a journal that will likely publish the type of research you are writing about. Find a similar article and follow it for formatting and citation rules. Read and reach out to the article's authors. Tell them you appreciate their work and contributions to the field. Gratitude is the attitude for living well. 

14. Select a reference software and cite sources following the journal guidelines. Find sources and other information for the sections of your paper that require literature. Honor others by citing their work, just as you want to be honored in this way. And you don't want to be fired.

15. Format your paper and create an expletive first draft (SFD). I will not write what S stands for, but you can probably figure this out on your own. Ask a colleague to read it and provide feedback. If you have co-authors, this might be where you ask them to provide feedback on certain sections. Again, this depends on who is doing the writing. Write a thank-you card and mail it to your colleague or reviewer. List ten reasons you value and cherish them.  

16. Submit your paper and live well. Take time for submission and remember that getting a paper published is about following a journal's rules. If you follow their rules and have something interesting and novel for readers, your article may just be published. Celebrate your success and submission. You have demonstrated what it means to write well and live well... Give yourself a hug and look in the mirror, say "I love you."

Check out this file for the history and final publication of the Good Road of Life Evaluation. 

 Small, C., Big Horn, E., Small, G., Webb, K., Brown Bull, E., Small, M. C., ... & Kelley, A. (2025). Walking the Good Road of Life: a longitudinal evaluation of American Indian youth suicide prevention training. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1616464.