DU SEPTEMBER BOOT CAMPWRITING WITH POWER
Ashley SandersPhD Candidate, History
Speaker: Margarita Huerta
It is always good you hear you are not alone.
No, you’re not alone! You have comrades in the trenches with you.
Accountability partners help us stay on track and make the writing process less isolating.
Sign up to find an accountability partner through TAA: http://www.taaonline.net/writing-accountability-partner
What are your goals for today? Have they changed?
First Name Sunday Goals & TasksAnn 4,000 wordsKenja I'm not sure right now, but I hope to be finishing a section of chapter 4 by then.Qingtao Polish my dissertationAlly Rewrite literature review, theory and hypothesesErin Write memo from dataWilliam I probably will want to either write 2 paragraphs de novo or revise a couple of pages.Shanna Timeline and organization
TraceyRevise literature review from proposal defense meeting,Work on first round of survey results from pilot study
Qian
Identify the dissertation format and structure.,,minimum 3000 words
Sharon I am currently editing a paper publication Eric Clearly define my research problem and begin Chapter 1 content writing.
TaliaWrite 2-3 pages of introduction,Continue refining research questions
Sharmaine sueli To prepare my writing log with a selection of books to be read. Maureen TAA Representative Katie I would like to get my proposal editedDiana TBDChaundra Dissertation proposal revisions 50% completedTaz
Some questions I can’t answer…
The length & depth of lit reviews
Page length Formatting
Check with your advisor and committee.
Your department and/or university should also have some guidelines and standards.
Ask other dissertators in your department – perfect time to find a writing buddy/partner at your institution!
Managing your committee Talk with your advisor,
the graduate chair of your department and your Graduate School
Strategies for data analysis
(Anything that’s specific to your discipline or department.)
Coming up!
I’m new. Where do I start? Goal setting Getting started – writing warm-
ups Tackling writer’s block Literature review tips Resources on revision & editing Reading to write Maintaining motivation Competing recommendations When to request feedback Resources for methodology
section
Check-in schedule:
10:00am
EST/7:00am PST
1:00pm
EST/10:00am PST
3:45pm
EST/12:45pm PST
I am new to the process
Find a more senior dissertator in your department, if possible, to buddy up with.
Read your department and university guidelines carefully.
Make a plan and timeline and ask your committee about the reasonableness of your expectations
Read books and articles on the dissertation writing process for inspiration, encouragement, and more details about how to tackle it: Write Your Dissertation in 15
Minutes a Day Writing for Social Scientists
(and all other academics) – great for helping you tackle those writing demons that provoke anxiety
What strategies do you have for goal setting (daily, weekly, monthly)?
Tips to develop a daily writing practice: http
://www.taaonline.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=269:how-to-develop-a-daily-writing-practice-summary&catid=24:resources
Set SMART Goals: Small Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound
Start by writing 10 minutes every day
Use a writing journal/log to track your goals. As you set goals
and track your progress, you will learn what achievable goals look like for you.
Getting Started: Tips & Tricks
Pomodoros: Set timer for 25 min & work like crazy and then take a 5 min break – actually take that break! Reset.
Writing Warm-ups: Journaling Free writing Reading about writing Reading other dissertations Reading a source that excites you
about your research Learn a new vocabulary word Mind-mapping
Tackling Writer’s Block
Figure out what your block is about: Perfectionism => Free
Writing Confusion about
expectations => Contact your committee, advisor, & grad students in your department
Not enough data or sources => get collecting! (and write your thoughts about what you’re reading along the way)
Find ways to reduce anxiety: Calming music Calming sounds
(ocean waves, rain, white noise)
Deep breathing exercises
Meditation Journal about your
writing anxiety 15 min a day for 4 days.
Writer’s Block
Find or start a writing group
Find an accountability partner
Create a timeline and share it with your committee and ask them to hold you to it.
What if it’s more serious? Contact your counseling
center on campus to discuss underlying causes
Contact your ombudsmen or Graduate School (administration) if you are experiencing any kind of abuse
Create a personal support system
Writer’s Block: What if it’s chronic?
Develop a tool box to help you ground yourself when you feel anxiety rising: (see calming anxiety) Use grounding techniques:
Identify everything in your space that is {color} Set a timer for 5 minutes and just focus on your
breath Repeat positive affirmations (I am
intelligent and capable. I have succeeded in the past and I will now. I am an excellent writer.)
Surround yourself with encouraging people Find a picture that represents calm/peace to
you and put it where you can see it while writing
How to write the literature review…Purpose
Place one's original work in the context of existing literature.
Interpret the major issues surrounding your topic.
Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
Identify new ways to interpret, and shed light on any gaps in previous research.
Resolve conflicts among seemingly contradictory previous studies.
Determine which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of your topic.
Point the way to further research on your topic.
Source: http://www.academiccoachingandwriting.org/dissertation-doctor/resources/writing-a-literature-review/
How to write the literature review…
Content: Overview, most significant arguments/theories, your assessment
Select and quote only the most relevant material for your subject and argument.
Make sense of the quotation within the context of your argument.
Introduce and integrate only relevant quotations into your literature review.
Focus on the language of quotations in the interpretations.
Source: http://www.academiccoachingandwriting.org/dissertation-doctor/resources/writing-a-literature-review/
Lit Review Resources
Check out: Telling a Research Story: Writing a Literature Review
TAA Podcast: “Strengthening Your Literature Review” http://www.taaonline.net/strengthening-your-literature
-review
“A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review,” Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation http://lincs.etsmtl.ca/uploads/media/v14n13.pdf
Dissertation Doctor: Writing a Literature Review http
://www.academiccoachingandwriting.org/dissertation-doctor/resources/writing-a-literature-review/
University of Michigan’s Guide: http://guides.lib.umich.edu/dissertationlitreview
Matrix Method for Lit Review:
Source: Tracey Hodges (Thank you!) For more info: Health Sciences Literature Review Made Easy: The Matrix Method
How to edit work…
It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences: A Writer's Guide to Crafting Killer Sentences
Using reverse outlines for revision: http://explorationsofstyle.com/2011/02/09/reverse-outlines/
Claire Kehrwald Cook, Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing
“Seven upgrade strategies for a problematic article or chapter”: https://medium.com/advice-and-help-in-authoring-a-phd-or-non-fiction/seven-upgrade-strategies-for-a-problematic-article-or-chapter-3c6b81be9aa2
Build, Blur, Corrode: https://medium.com/@write4research/the-build-blur-corrode-bbc-test-can-help-you-edit-new-writing-d465ed900334
6 Do’s & Don’ts of Editing Your Dissertation: http://blog.taaonline.net/2014/07/6-dos-and-donts-of-editing-your-dissertation/
How to write when you have read so little? How to read so you can write?
Whatever you’ve read, it’s enough to start writing
Write as you read: Read a
book/chapter/section/article.
Then set a timer for at least 10 minutes and write everything you remember about the reading, as well as what you think about the arguments, how it relates to your own research, etc.
Pick up The Idiot’s Guide to Speed Reading
Speed reading apps: Acceleread Speed Reading Trainer
(from Amazon App store) Speed Reading Coach QuickRdrLite
GradHacker Article: “Speed Reading for Busy Grads” https
://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/speed-reading-busy-grads
How do you stay motivated when working on a project like a dissertation in which you may have different perspectives from some committee members?
Motivation: Small goals Reasonable goals Reward yourself often Don’t do more than
your goal each day Writing
buddy/Accountability Partner
Write every day, even when you don’t feel like it.
Conflicting Input: Ask your advisor to
referee Your advisor
generally has the final and overriding say, so be clear about what s/he wants
Remember this is your dissertation and you are the expert on your particular topic
When should I plan to request committee review of the process and document? I want to have their input along the way to minimize surprise questions at a defense, but I don't need or want them to hold my hand for the entire process.
Find outside readers – other graduate students, other professors at your university and/or others, a writing coach.
Request feedback frequently – from your writing partner, tutor, or outside reader. Then…
Ask your advisor for feedback on each chapter after you’ve drafted it.
When you revise the chapter based on your advisor’s feedback, you can send it to the most appropriate committee member – the one whose expertise is the best fit for your topic/approach.
Before the defense, make your own notes about what holes exist, why, and whether or not it’s reasonable to fill them now or in the future.
When defining a problem to extend the body of knowledge, how do you effectively define the methodology needed for chapter 3 and the actual research?
Webinar by Dr. Aimee Howley, Ohio Patton College: http://youtu.be/tN0ErMOwDqk
DissertationWriting
.com: http://dissertationwriting.com/write-dissertation-methodology-help.shtml
The Write Pass Journal: http://writepass.com/journal/2012/06/how-to-write-a-dissertation-methodology/
Tips on methodology sections/chapters: https://medium.com/advice-and-help-in-authoring-a-phd-or-non-fiction/in-a-phd-or-academic-book-do-you-really-need-a-methodology-chapter-early-on-e596ac518f75
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