1. Practical strategies for writing the thesis or dissertation
A workshop based significantly on what I’ve learned from the master, Dorothy Duff Brown (

2. The plan: Beginning the writing process
Structuring the thesis or dissertation
Organizing the material realities of the writing process
Time management
Knowing when to stop writing
Writing clearly for an academic audience
Communicating with advisors and committees
Setting up support structures for writing

3. Attitudes toward your writing
Writing as a very personal, frequently vulnerable thing.
At the same time, a very public thing, and in this case something that must be evaluated.
So: striking a balance between writing sincerely and resisting taking feedback as a comment on you as a person.
Relocating the writing outside you - and, thus, as something that can be worked on.
Writing mindfully, with moderation.

4. Some graphs : Hypomania.
(Boice, Advice for New Faculty Members 171

5. Some graphs : Binging.
(Boice, Advice for New Faculty Members 172

6. Some graphs : Creativity.
(Boice, Advice for New Faculty Members 173

7. Some graphs : Depression.
(Boice, Advice for New Faculty Members 174

8. Taking a view: See the thesis or dissertation as: A whole Manageable
A serious work, but also an experiment
Something that you are doing, but that does not encompass everything that you are.
Something you can make decisions about now, not later (title, length, number of chapters, etc)

9. Beginning the writing process
Hold your writing in mind while you do research.
Read, perform labs, etc, with a view toward how the work you’re doing will fit into your thesis or dissertation.
Take notes that include your opinion/ thoughts: what you’re thinking “for now” about your findings: have a charge.
Use the tone in these notes that you will use in the thesis/dissertation itself: Calm, reasonable, measured, ample, not cryptic.

10. Structuring the thesis or dissertation
Come up with a working title. Right now.
Try out a cognitive map of the dissertation
How many pages will this be?
How many chapters will you include?
Formulate a Table of Contents (not an outline)
What are the institutional guidelines for formatting? (put the MS in this format soon)

11. Organizing the material realities of the writing process
You must back up your files. Really. Otherwise, some suggested tactics:
the binder mock-up of the whole manuscript.
the box marked “archive”
develop a system for knowing when you’ve responded to comments
go ahead and print drafts out.
regard the computer as a tool for production, not organization.

12. Time management
Since you will not get everything done, consider what has to be done. Not everything is as important as everything else.
Managing guilt, more than time.
80/20 rule
Aim for concentrated, productive, short time in writing

13. Further time management
Planning ahead
45 minute units
Project weeks
Stop time for any given day
When your week starts
Taking a day off, as entitlement not reward

14. “Brief, Daily Sessions”
(Boice, Advice for New Faculty Members 144)

15. Knowing when to stop or pause
Is your procrastination telling you something important about form or missing content?
Check in with self, faculty: given clear goals for a given piece of writing, how close are you to meeting them?
“In this piece of writing, I hope to show __________”

16. Writing clearly for an academic audience
Academic writing as genre, tool: something to master and use. Not the “best” kind of writing.
Discipline-specific! Learn what makes sense in your genre, and write to that.
Through-line: does each part of the writing speak to your overall purpose?
Would a reader be able to say what you mean to do at each point in the piece?

17. Pre-writing, writing, revision
Freewriting
Notecarding
Colour-coding and re-mapping
Not too tight, not too loose
Respond to feedback and also hold your ground
Understand revision and pre-writing as just as significant as writing.

18. Communicating with advisors and committees
Faculty feedback = valuable commodity. Brief them well.
The memo cover-letter: always include, on paper:
Dear Dr. _________
Here is “…” (V. specific: # pages, what they do, what stage of draft they are at, where they fit into the whole project.)
What its core argument is.
Specific guidelines for feedback you want.
If this is the end: Ask “Is this something you can sign off on?” explicitly.

19. Setting up support structures for writing
Prepare your friends/ lovers/ family/ spouse/ children for your writing process
Structure your material and psychic realities according to what actually works for you.
Consider forming a small, manageable, functional, trustworthy writing group.
Submit work to conferences and journals, at whatever stage you’re at - singly or in collaboration with a more senior scholar.

20. Useful books Annie Lamott Bird by bird
Robert Boice Advice for New Faculty Members
Natalie Goldberg Writing Down the Bones
John Douillard Body, Mind, and Sport
Becker, Howard S. with a chapter by Pamela Richards. Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article
Bolker, Joan. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis.

21. Some useful links