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