Eat, Sleep, Redraft, Repeat

Many students experience difficulties with writing their PhD thesis. These can arise from setting an unrealistic writing schedule, for example, or having preconceived notions about how to write in an academic style. The chapter looks at ways to overcome these difficulties. Drawing on the author’s experiences, it starts by encouraging students to take an honest look at their writing routine and find a process that works. This involves factoring in time for external needs as well as for writing. It’s worth bearing in mind that the writing itself is made up of pre-writing, drafting and rewriting, all before proofreading and eventually publishing and sharing your work. The chapter also provides advice about language, keywords and voice, before concluding with some useful lessons, not least the importance of working out a realistic schedule.