Writing a paper or dissertation can be very hard. I have had several students going through what they experienced as a daunting challenge. When asking for advise, I used to tell them that I, too, struggled. And I shared bits and pieces how I managed. Last week I finally wrote up those pieces as a whole.

TLDR: My main advise is to work in time-boxed writing blocks. In each block, you stick to only one writing mode. After each block, take a break. Rinse and repeat. If possible, do this as part of a writing group.

Writing modes

When you write, there are very different tasks to accomplish. You start with doing your research, reading and reviewing other papers and books. You come up with a fitting structure for your dissertation. You define the sub-points of what you are going to say. You write paragraphs, your re-write them. These steps are not happening sequentially. The problem is, however, that these “modes” don’t mix well. Our brains simply are not wired to switch easily between such different types of tasks. Next, let’s have a closer look at the different writing modes.

Pre-Writing

  • You research, gather information, collect important references.
  • You capture what are main conclusions and points you aim to use those references for.
  • All the other fine things you do to come up with meaningful interlectual work.

Outlining

  • You plan your work
  • Bullet down high-level structure of your work, i.e. headers and sub-headers.
  • Bullet down keywords on what you want to say.
  • Goal is to have a structure into which you write.

Flow Writing

  • You write and write and write.
  • Essentially this is about filling the structure you have outlined.
  • No correction, no restructuring, no reformulation.
  • You can indeed flow between different sections of your outline and figure out connections between them.
  • The goal is to get as many thoughts and words down as possible. Proper writing, even spelling and factual checking has time for future writing blocks.
  • Initially I found this the hardest section. It just wasn’t my style to produce paragraphs of bloated text. But over time it felt more natural and even fun. It certainly helped me overcome some serious blockades.

Revising

  • You rewise, from the overall story or concept, to the paragraph level and actual sentences.
  • Focus is on the meaning and content of what you write.
  • Sharpen WHAT you are saying.

Editing

  • Here it’s not about content anymore, it is about the writing techniques — word choice, formulation, grammar, etc.
  • This is about finding theGet your paper / work in good shape.
  • Headers, styles, reference formatting, etc.
  • Sharpen HOW you are saying things.

Time-boxed writing block in ONE writing mode, followed by a break

  • Have 50 minutes of intensive writing blocks, followed by a 10-minute break.
  • Writing blocks: Use ONLY ONE writing mode per block. This is the single most important idea. The different writing modes range from doing research, outlining, flow-writing, re-writing and styling/formatting. Don’t mix them, stick to one mode per block!
  • It doesn’t matter how long the writing blocks are. I have seen people using 30 or 40-minute blocks. But it matters to time-box them. The goal is to maintain focus.
  • Breaks: Relax, chat about something else, get something to drink, fresh air. Look out of the window.
  • Before starting the next writing block, choose the writing mode you are going to focus on. There is a tendency to start with the first, top modes, and finishing with the bottom ones. But don’t be dogmatic here. I had days where I had four sessions in one mode, and others, where I iterated through outlining, flow and re-write mode.

Find yourself a writing group

  • These groups tend to exist at universities. If not, go and find one, or start one.
  • The single thing everyone should have in common is that there is some serious piece of writing to be accomplished.
  • Participants can work on very different topics. That’s even re-freshing and inspring for the breaks.

References