Need some help breaking through blocks in your dissertation writing? Here are some tips and advice.
Keep your thesis uppermost in you mind. A thesis is the dissertations main idea -- that is, what the dissertation is about. Everything needs to connect back to that thesis. Doctoral candidates who keep their thesis in mind produce clear and focused dissertations.
Study examples. A stumbling block in writing is that not having an image in our mind of the project should look. This is where good examples come in. After all, how can anyone write a literature review if they've never read one? If you can't readily find examples, ask your course professor or chair for recommendations. Chances are they have a file of their favorite examples.
Get organized! Take some time to organize your workspace (we all need a filing system) and thoughts. A few words can be enough to keep you on track. Learn to organize your work, your time, your space and to develop systems to monitor your progress.
Save, save and save. There's no such thing as saving too often. Make sure you save the most recent versions of your document on your computer and an external drive flash (like a flash or memory stick). Losing writing is terrible.
At the Doctoral Support Center we can help you break through roadblocks in your writing. Ideas for further support are getting involved with the Writing Groups, attending the upcoming ODA Weekend and attending GPSS's presentation on defeating writer's block. Come in and talk with us about your progress.
