===================================================
THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE(tm)
Devoted to practical steps for completing
your doctoral dissertation.
www.abdsurvivalguide.com
< http://www.abdsurvivalguide.com/>
===================================================To subscribe, visit www.abdsurvivalguide.com
< http://www.abdsurvivalguide.com/>INDEX
1. Ben's note
2. Getting Down to Writing
by Dr. Rachna D. Jain
3. Inspired to Write? Contribute to the ABDSG
4. Words of Wisdom
5. Inspirational QuoteSUMMARY
=========In this issue, our Editor, Dr. Rachna Jain,
shares some advice for getting started -
and keeping at - the dissertation writing.We also offer an invitation to write for
the ABDSG- all you need are some good
tips and a willingness to share them.We round it out with Words of Wisdom & an
inspirational quote.<>===<>===<>===<>===<>===<>===<>===<>===<>===<>
Ben's Note
October 7, 2004
Dear ABD Survival Guide Reader,
The response to Blue Sky Visioning was tremendous.
It was great to hear that so many of you are
planning ahead for your vibrant futures. Also,
in the past two weeks, we've had a rush of
unsubscribes from the list- why? Because these
readers had defended their dissertations
and graduated. Congratulations to all
of them, and I look forward to hearing
from many more of you as you finish up.If you're having trouble getting started
with the writing, this issue's feature
article will help. It's written by
Rachna Jain, who has been Editor of
the ABDSG for the past few years- she and
I have worked closely together and her
advice will help you get down to
writing.If you find this issue's writing advice so
inspiring that it moves you to write
for the ABDSG, we also issue an open
invitation to all recent Ph.D.'s, current
students, faculty advisors, professors,
consultants, writing coaches and current
students who would like to share their
good ideas and helpful hints for
succeeding in the dissertation process.I hope this issue finds you well, and
settling into a new academic year. Keep
working towards your goal- you can
definitely reach it.See you in two weeks.
Warmly,
Ben
============================================
Getting Down to Writing
by Dr. Rachna D. Jain
============================================Writing the dissertation requires preparation-
of both the content and the writer. You must
gather your ideas together, organize them,
and be able to transfer your multidimensional
intimacy with your topic to the one-dimensional
framework of the computer screen or pad of
paper. This is often one of the most difficult
transitions to make, for you must first build
up a structure and then tear it down and
separate it into parts to make it fit the
prescribed structure of an acceptable dissertation.Most graduate students are synthetic thinkers;
that is, they are prone to thinking about the big
picture. They love to roll ideas around and find
all sorts of connections and combinations and
links within the seemingly limitless realm of
thinking. Generally, it is neither as interesting
nor as easy to transfer the unlimited potential
of your thoughts to the realm of words on paper.When you are preparing to write a chapter or
section of the dissertation, there are certain
processes that can make it easier to begin and
keep working:1) Follow your own style - it's worked so far.
Follow your own natural style of organizing information,
within reason. Your usual style of reading, studying,
and integrating information has served you well up
to this point in your academic career. Now, in the
home stretch, is not the time to radically change
your organizing and writing style. Use what works
for you and stay focused on completing this project
as quickly as possible.Some graduate students view the dissertation as the
time to rid themselves of all their bad work habits
to finally reach the exalted place they've always
aspired to be. Allow me to suggest that you save the
self-exaltation for after you obtain your Ph.D.Until you have been awarded your degree, stay with
what has worked well for you in the past. If you
read best in bed at night, by all means keep doing
that. If you write best first thing in the morning,
keep doing that. If you like to have the radio on
while you're piecing out a complex train of thought,
leave it on. The dissertation is the time to keep
on using what has worked for you so far. It's not
the time to try to change yourself drastically.2) Get rid of negative feelings before you write.
It's crucial that you've attended to any negative
feelings and gotten them out of your way before
sitting down to write. If you are feeling tired,
depressed, angry, anxious, or upset- DO something
to alleviate these feelings first so you can then
have a more successful writing experience. One
technique that I use quite often is to write a
journal entry for about ten to fifteen minutes
before starting to write. I find that this helps
me dump out all my thoughts, worries, and mental
wanderings, clearing my mind so there is space to
focus on the writing task at hand.3) Take time to review your notes before you start.
In preparing to write, it is a good idea to take
some time to review your notes and what you are
planning to say. I suggest doing this for about
fifteen to twenty minutes before your official
writing time. If you work in the morning, for
example, you might sit at your desk at 8:35 a.m.
and read over your notes until 9 a.m. Then you'd
start your official writing time, which might
last until 9:30 a.m.After this, you might take a break for a few
minutes, walk around, stretch, and then precede
your next writing burst with a brief period of
reading and reflection. When you are first sitting
down to write, schedule shorter writing periods
(especially if you find writing to be difficult)
and gradually work up from there.Remember, more hours spent in front of the computer
do not automatically make the finished product better.
If you can get a focused block of writing time and
use it well, you can accomplish a great deal in
smaller blocks of writing time, even fifteen to
thirty minutes. The longer you sit at the computer
without writing, the more likely it is that your
internal critic is censoring you. The more your
critic censors you, the more difficult you'll find
it to write. So if you're having problems finding
the right words or nothing is coming out, shift
your focus for a few minutes and then try again.
There is nothing to be gained in focusing on
how you should be writing something when
you know you're not.4) Start with what you know.
Try starting with the section or idea with which
you feel most comfortable. In every writing session,
aim to draft at least half a page, no matter how
terrible that half page might be. There is value
in writing for the sake of writing, especially at
first, and you might create nuggets that can be
expanded in later sections.5) Stay focused on what you've planned to work on.
When you begin writing, stay focused on the section
or chapter you're working on, and try not to get
derailed by too many thoughts about random ideas.
Having too many good ideas about the parts of the
dissertation you're not currently working on might
be an avoidance technique. You might want to keep
a note pad by your computer so you can jot down
your ideas and file them away for use later.
Unless you are absolutely compelled to switch focus
and move to a new topic or section, try to adhere
to your original plan. Inspiration does strike, and
should be welcomed. But overall, the main progress
of the dissertation will often be more plodding and
methodical.6) Use visual aids and outlines to assist your writing.
Make use of your visual aids to assist in writing.
If you made a Mind Map or outline of your section,
go back and fill in as many details as possible.
Refer to this map or outline periodically and aim
to end each writing session by reaching a defined
goal. The clearer you are about where you're going,
the easier it will be to know when you've reached
there.7) When you're writing, just write.
I find that when I get into the writing zone, the words
keep coming out of me and they flow easily. When I start
to edit and revise in mid-sentence, the writing zone
quickly disappears and is difficult to find again.
I must stress that when you are writing, write! Aim
to write as much as you can as fast as you can. When
you are editing, edit! Do this carefully and
thoughtfully. You will know the difference because
the writing will flow more easily and you will be
almost continuously typing when you are writing,
*just* writing. When you are editing your writing
as you write it, your time at the computer or desk
will be marked by long pauses; little output; and a
growing feeling of anxiety, worry, and, sometimes
even dread.Remember: you cannot write quickly and edit at the
same time. Writing and editing should be considered
to be mutually exclusive for your purposes. Create
a psychological or emotional writing space that
allows you to explore your ideas without feeling
they always have to lead to perfect, well-defined
end points. If you have read enough and prepared
an outline or map for your writing, sometimes you
just need to step aside and allow the writing to
come. The writing is not going to show up when
your internal critic is judging every word you type.
Writing is a creative process, and creation is often
messy. The more you can allow the writing to be messy,
the faster you will move to the place of a more
refined product.8) Leave your last sentence unfinished.
Leave your last sentence unfinished so you can more
easily pick up in mid-thought when you next return
to writing. Most ABDs find it much more daunting
to start on a new page or with a new paragraph
compared to finishing up one they had already
been working on. Each time you sit down to write,
aim to work for at least ten to fifteen minutes
at a time. If you think this doesn't sound like
much time, you're right. But if you write -
*just* write for the whole ten to fifteen minutes,
you can asily write a page or more within that
time frame. Then you can go out and do other things.
Remember, the dissertation is just a long paper.
The more you can chip away at it by writing a
little each day, the sooner you will get to the
finish line.9) Think less and write more.
Rather than taking up all the valuable real estate
in your very expensive brain by charting out the
perfect pathway to a perfect dissertation that
may never get written, why not do a bit more
and think a bit less? When you're writing the
dissertation, your main goal should be to fill
as many pages with as good quality writing as
you can, as quickly as you can. If you can't
write fast and well, then at least write fast.
Writing fast often turns out better than we
expect, anyway. If you have taken the steps to
outline your thoughts and you have read enough
on the topic, the only goal you should have is
to get as much of your knowledge out onto the
screen or paper as quickly as you can.10) The first draft need not be a masterpiece.
Remember, the dissertation is not a masterpiece
in the first draft. And it's not a work of pure
fiction (we hope), so you don't have to worry
about snazzy plot lines, intriguing climaxes,
or the ideal amount of tension between your
characters. Since the dissertation is a formal
piece of academic writing, you will need to follow
the style and form of this genre, and this rarely
requires the amount of pre-thought that most ABDs
put into it. The first chapters of the dissertation
are the most difficult to write because you are
becoming accustomed to a more scholarly
style of writing. Once you have the basic format
defined, you will want to use a similar template
for each of your subsequent chapters.And one last thing: remember that a small amount of
consistent discipline and regular focus will get this
project completed faster than anything else.
Your dissertation process does not have to be
painful to be meaningful.Now, get down to writing, and good luck!
=======================================
About Dr. Rachna D. JainRachna is the Editor of the All But Dissertation
Survival Guide and the author of two related
books: Get it Done: A Coach's Guide to Dissertation Success
2002)and Get it Done Faster: Secrets of Dissertation Success
2004), which have been adopted as required reading by several
universities. Rachna is a recognized expert on goal setting
and achievement, and is quoted regularly in the national
media. Having now coached more than 50 ABD's to write
their dissertations in a year or less, her personal
best as a coach is zero to finished dissertation
in five months.She can be reached online at:
http://www.excelwitheasecoaching.com====================================
Inspired to Write? Contribute to the ABDSG
===================================We'd like to issue an open invitation for
all recent Ph.D.'s, faculty advisors,
university professors, consultants,
graduate students and writing coaches to
share your personal insights and wisdom
regarding the dissertation process.
If you'd like to write for the ABDSG,
please contact rachna@mentorcoach.com to
request our guidelines and list of possible
topics. You can also view our archives at
http://www.abdsurvivalguide.com to
see what we've recently published and/or
to get some ideas.We look forward to broadening our
knowledge base through your participation.When you share what you know, we all benefit.
Thanks in advance-
Ben & the ABDSG staff=====================================
Words of Wisdom
====================================It doesn't have to take a long time.
I think we get brainwashed into thinking
that you have to go through emotional trauma
before you finish, and so we fulfill our
expectations and take forever. It doesn't
have to be that bad mentally if you start
thinking of it as just another task,
albeit with high priority, to do.=======================================
Inspirational Quote
======================================="When I face the desolate impossibility of
writing 500 pages, a sick sense of failure
falls on me, and I know I can never do it.
Then gradually, I write one page and then
another. One day's works is all I can
permit myself to contemplate."
~~John Steinbeck===================
Your Own Coach
===================If you are considering whether to get your own coach
to help you reach your academic goals, send any email
to: ben16-76471@autocontactor.com=============================
BEN DEAN, Publisher, ABDSG
===============================Ben holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of
Texas at Austin. He is the founder of MentorCoach
(www.MentorCoach.com <http://www.mentorcoach.com/>),
a virtual university training Accomplished mental
health professionals to become extraordinary coaches.
Ben lives in suburban Maryland with his wife and
two young children, Walnut, their hamster, and
Rubin, their cocker spaniel.==================================
RACHNA D. JAIN, Editor, ABDSG
==================================I'm a dissertation coach and licensed psychologist
based in Maryland, with a doctorate from the
University of Denver. I'm the Editor of the
ABDSG, as well as the Author of "Get It Done!
A Coach's Guide to Dissertation Success" and
" Get it Done Faster: Secrets of Dissertation
Success". If you'd like to learn more about me
or my books, please visit my website:
www.ExcelWithEaseCoaching.com
< http://www.excelwitheasecoaching.com/>
If you have questions about this newsletter, you
can direct them to me: rachna@mentorcoach.comI'm excited to be working with you to meet your academic
goals. You can do it!================================================
THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE(tm)
================================================"The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide"(tm) focuses
on ways to help its readers more readily overcome the
roadblocks that often seem to stand in the way of
completing the dissertation. It is read throughout the
world.===============================================
INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A DISSERTATION COACH?
READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP?
=================================================Email ben16-76471@autocontactor.com
You'll receive an email outlining the application process,
follow the instructions and submit the form. Your
application will then be forwarded to potential
coaches so that you might arrange a free,
initial consultation. Various fee plans are available.ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
=====================First, congratulations!!!! Yeaaaaaa!!!!
Second, please send any email to: FreeAtLast@mentorcoach.com
Within seconds, you'll receive a note from Ben.A FAVOR
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