Writing first drafts

Dr Desmond Thomas,

University of Essex.

First Draft Writing Principle 1: Managing readers’ expectations

“Trying to think consistently about how readers will understand your text, writing with readers in mind, is a fundamental aspect of becoming a good author”

Patrick Dunleavy, “Authoring a PhD”

Managing Reader Expectations. How?

• A clear abstract• Abstract to include both focus & thesis• A clear table of contents• Clear section & sub-section headings• Introductions & conclusions• Signposting to guide the reader• Signalling of arguments/counterarguments• Topic sentences• Using linking expressions?

Using topic sentences & linking expressions

TASK 1: Look at the ‘Managing readers’ expectations’ text and find the topic sentences that signal to the reader what each paragraph is going to say

TASK 2: Look for examples of linking expressions (e.g. ‘on the other hand’, ‘moreover’, ‘however’ that signal to the reader how the argument is being developed.

Reference: Patrick Dunleavy’s “Authoring a PhD”.

Topic sentences glue the text together

1. Producing a PhD is normally a longer piece of writing than anything you have done before.

2. The longer the text the more taxing it becomes for you as an author to understand your own arguments and to keep them marshalled effectively.

3. It is also harder for your readers to follow your thoughts as the text grows in size.

Linking expressions are not as useful

• And so …. (p.1)

• Almost by definition …. (p.2)

• Yet …… (p.2)

• The alternative outcome is …. (p.3)

• But equally likely ……. (p.3)

• In addition ….. (p.4)

Also: their use is very subtle – so beware

First Draft Principle 2: Establish Productive Routines

• Setting priorities• Breaking down writing into sessions or units of

work• Keeping track of your effectiveness as a writer:

when you achieve best results• Crossing off “non-writing times”• Establishing “quiet times”• “A-time” and “B-time”• Zerubavel, E. 1999, “The Clockwork Muse”,

Harvard University Press Ch.2

Setting targets

• Set realistic targets eg 500 words a day or 10 pages in a long weekend

• Do not set goals which are 100% linear – you will need to ‘multi-task’

• Allow sufficient time for different drafts and for editing each draft

• Keep a diary of progress to help the ongoing process of goal-setting

Diary of progress

• An important document in its own right, recording why you made certain decisions at certain stages. (Turn it into an article!)

• Helps to include an element of reflexivity where this is needed – often the case in qualitative studies.

• Monitors progress helping future planning

• Encourages critical self-appraisal

My own PhD jottings …

• I know chapter 4 is far far too long.I will perhaps be able to shorten it when chapter 5 is written and the less relevant parts of chapter 4 can then shrink almost to nothing. A lot of quotes could perhaps be transferred into Chapter 5 as I work through the main issues which come out from the data.

• The main question is: is it readable? Or is it just like a list of events? If I shorten it too much , will I have to have long appendices with transcripts of everything? It's very difficult for me to decide all of this because I can't really stand back from it.

Desmond Thomas LTU 2008 11

First Draft Principle 3: Be aware of the Basic Writing Cycle

• Planning the basic structure of chapters• Producing a first draft (get it written before

editing!)• Reflecting on 1st draft printout• Getting feedback from various sources• Re-planning where necessary• Editing: implementing changes & producing the

next draft• Repeating the cycle until a final version is

produced

First Draft Principle 4: Writing and Editing are different

“Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down” (John Steinbeck)

In other words the first draft can be flawed. Never feel that you have to make everything perfect before moving on.

“Writing freely” means …

• “Telling the story” clearly and simply• Not worrying about minor factual errors• Not revising grammar, spelling, punctuation• Not checking or even including all references• Not worrying about paragraph length• Not over-worrying about conciseness or academic

style considerations• Paying more attention to coherence of

argumentation than to detail• Including the key arguments/counterarguments• Exploring the key concepts

“Writing freely” does not mean …

• Writing aimlessly without a plan or structure or awareness of “point B”

• Missing out introductions or conclusions

• Confusing your own ideas with those of other authors

• Preventing yourself from re-reading what you have written as you go along

Overcoming “the 1st draft wall”

• Switching activities

• Rewards & incentives

• Talking things through

• Overcoming perfectionist tendencies

• Switching from screen to print-out

• Writing to yourself before you walk away