All of this works because we start doing the work. By not delaying the real work through endless reading and procrastination, we start working towards our end goal, in ways that actually contribute to our goals. That is, we start making words on the page that can be added to and refined until you have enough good enough words to submit a passable PhD thesis.
Tag: Drafting
An early draft is a fragile flower
By the time your academic writing is ready to be published, it’s a tough nut, a rose hip, a thick-skinned … More
How many drafts should you write?
There are no right answers here, but the true answer to the question ‘how many drafts should I expect to … More
10 uses for terrible first drafts
On this blog, and in programs I’m involved in like Thesis Boot Camp and Shut Up and Write, we frequently … More
This is not a test: discipline, the shitty first draft, and the real world.
A doctorate propels you towards the real world of scholarship. You will be a teacher, a researcher, an author. This is not a test. No-one else knows the answer to this stuff, that’s why you are making ‘an original contribution to knowledge’.
Live blogging the article: 28 June
Yay! Yay! Yay! Happy, glorious, wonderful day! So, I failed to do all the research. I didn’t feel like I’d … More
Red Cabbage OR [Insert quote here]
One of the joys of my job is being allowed to ask academics, ‘How do you write?’ The answer, often … More
Writing ‘tics’
You may have noticed by now that I am big on drafting. This weekend I was at Thesis Boot Camp … More
The different stages of the writing process
Last week, I talked about the writing cycle being a trap for perfectionists when applied to each sentence, but really useful … More