This document provides strategies for successful academic writing, especially writing a dissertation or thesis. It recommends writing every day for short periods, such as 25 minutes, rather than trying to write in large blocks of time. Writers should establish a regular writing space and schedule to increase productivity. Successful writers practice techniques like active waiting, leaving easy starting points, and nonattachment to early drafts. Support from writing groups can also help maintain regular writing habits over the long term.

1. Scholarly Writing
Or
How to write your Dissertation/Thesis on
30 minutes a day!
Shawn E. Nordell, Ph.D. (shawn.nordell@slu.edu)
Department of Biology, Saint Louis University
Senior Faculty Fellow, Reinert Teaching Center

2. Learning Objectives/Goals
Discuss the obstacles to writing
 Present strategies for getting started
writing
 Present strategies for maintaining a
productive writing schedule


3. Assessment of Writing
Problems

What prevents you from writing?

Free write for five minutes on what prevents
you from writing.
 Write
whatever comes to your mind about
what prevents you from writing.
 Do NOT stop writing during the five minutes.

4. Assessment of Writing
Problems

What prevents you from writing?

6. Writing Misconceptions

Writing requires:
 HUGE
blocks of time
 No interruptions
 Amazingly clear ideas and thoughts!
 Complete paper written in head
already!
 Each sentence will come out perfectly
on the computer screen!
 Simply
NOT Supported!!!

7. The most successful
academic writers write every
day for short periods of time.
 Individuals
who wrote daily (Boice):
• Wrote twice as many hours as those who
wrote occasionally in big blocks of time
• Wrote and revised ten times as many
pages
• Also produced more consistent creative
ideas

8. The most successful
academic writers write every
day for short periods of time.
25 minutes of writing
 5 minute break


You can do almost anything
for 25 minutes!

Pomodorotechnique.com

9. The most successful
academic writers write every
day for short periods of time.

Make writing a daily activity
 Regardless
of mood
 Regardless of readiness to write
 Schedule your writing time each day

When you are “fresh”?

10. The most successful
academic writers write every
day for short periods of time.

Priority principle
 Make
writing a priority
 Delay reward until after writing
• E.g. shower, checking email/ internet,
chocolate, reading the newspaper/ internet
news, watching TV/ internet
 Failure
to write results in:
• Contribution to least favorite organization

11. The most successful
academic writers write every
day for short periods of time.

Establish one or few writing places
 No
non-essential reading
 No cleaning during writing session
 Quiet place
 Limit social interruptions
•
•
•
•
Close door
Post writing schedule
Unplug or turn off cell phone and internet
Create set aside list
 Where
is this for you?

12. Limiting Distractions

Minimize disruptions

NO email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Pinterest, etc.

Apps that control your internet
addiction

StayFocused (Chrome)
LeechBlock (Firefox)
OmmWriter (Mac, PC, Ipad)
Freedom (Mac)




13. The most successful
academic writers write every
day for short periods of time.



Make a daily writing goal
Plan to work on specific finishable units of
writing in each session.
What is your specific goal for this
writing session?



Revise two paragraphs in introduction
Write 500 words for argument on …..
Draft two new paragraphs for documentation of evidence
for……

14. Successful writers write
BEFORE they are ready

Writing without feeling “ready”
 Learn
to tolerate (and even embrace)
imperfect material in early drafts

Anne Lamott:
 Bird
by Bird, Some Instructions on Writing
and Life
 Terrible first drafts lead to good second
drafts and terrific third drafts


Good way to get started writing
Generate creative work

15. Successful writers write
BEFORE they are ready




Write to help develop and formulate their
thesis
Write to better understand their topic
Write to learn the best prose to use for their
discipline
Exercise:
 Write
for 5 minutes on some aspect of your
current writing project
 DON’T stop
• For anything
 Write
anything!

16. Successful writers practice
Active Waiting

Active waiting:
 means
pausing reflectively during the
day
 means thinking about writing
 sets the stage for the next days writing
 means making notes/ diagrams for the
next days writing

17. “Park on the downhill slope”

Leave your writing with an easy
re-entry point
 Partial
sentence
 Lead in to next paragraph
 To do list

18. Successful writers practice
NonAttachment
Moderate overattachment and
overreaction
 Encourage criticism!
 You are NOT your writing!
 Terrible first drafts are NOT written by
terrible people
 Use storage files to store unneeded
sentences, paragraphs, ideas


19. Strategies for the long run

Keep a writing journal
 Record
how many minutes spent writing and reading
 Boice
experiment (1 year):
• Controls - wrote in big block
• no change to writing habits
• Writing avg = 17 pages
• Daily writers with journal
• Writing avg = 64 pages
• Daily writer with journal and group
• Writing avg = 157 pages

20. Strategies for the long run



Find a support group
Writing groups – SLU Writing Services
Online
 Academic
Writing Club (Academic Ladder)
• www.academicwritingclub.com
• fee based ($2-3/ day)
 Twitter
• #writingsprint
• #wordsprint
 PhinisheD
• http://www.phinished.org/ (free)

21. Assessment of Writing
Problems


What prevents you from writing?
Anything we have not yet addressed????

22. Review

Write before you are ready
 Don’t

wait for deadlines
Minimize distractions
 Writing




conducive space
Don’t stop writing during your writing
session
End writing session so that it is easy to start
again tomorrow
Be mindful of your writing and waiting
Kick it out the door!

23. References:

Boice, Robert.1990. Professor as writers: A
self-help guide to productive writing. New
Forums Press, Stillwater, OK

Boice, Robert. 2000. Advice for new faculty
members: nihil nimus. Allyn & Bacon. Needham
Heights, MA

Belcher, Wendy Laura. 2009. Writing your
journal article in 12 weeks. Sage Press. Los
Angeles