Here are 5 FACTs To Know about Dissertation Writing
from Mentors and Colleagues by Breea C. Willingham
Follow me @writeonsister13
- Don’t look at the end. Focus on the planned
steps and conquer them one by one. Focusing on the end and not the means will only overwhelm you and
impede your progress.
- Trust your inner brilliance. One of my mentors reminds me of this whenever I
get down about my writing or start doubting myself. My translation: Tell your
inner-critic to shut up. There is no room for self-doubt in dissertation
writing.
- Give the dissertation only as much attention,
energy, and angst that it deserves then go have some wine and laugh with
friends. You can substitute wine
for your vice of choice as long as you remember that taking breaks is just as
important to the writing process as the writing itself. Your mind and body need
time to regroup. And, as my mother often reminds me, even a machine needs time
to recharge.
- Stop
counting pages and just write. Any distraction, no matter how big or small, can throw you off
your writing game. One of my downfalls is I constantly check the page count
each time I write a sentence. It was driving me crazy, so I taped a piece of
paper over the page count on my laptop screen and deleted the page numbers from
the Word document. I still have the urge to peak, but instead of taking the
time to peel back the tape, I keep writing.
- Quit
indulging your writer’s ego. For now, just slam it out. Edit later. As a
former newspaper reporter, it’s hard for me to write without editing. However,
as one of my mentors recently reminded me, that style doesn’t fit with
dissertation writing. Editing while writing is counterproductive and only
prolongs the writing process. Stop it. Leave the editing for the revision
process.