For those with a PhD!!

[Jazzicatz]

How did you get motivated to start writing up? I am 2.5 years in have done all my data collection and am now ready to write up, but just cannot get motivated, how did you do it???

I'm one year in to a part time Phd and have been advised to try to write up as I go along which is hard to do. What shocked me was how little of the Phd's in my area are secondary research and how much ie a quarter is discussing the methodology. I thought it would be more on secondary and primary research and say about 10% on methodology.

Anyhow I am sitting here with a target of two weeks yesterday for submission of draft chapter 1 and guess what I cannot write.

Is it partly that you don't feel ready? If so, remember you're never going to feel quite ready - there's always one more thing to read.

I think time pressure is useful. If you're 2.5 years in and have done all your data it sounds like you are in a position to finish within the magic 3 years which will look really good on your cv, so it's a great target to set.

No I feel completely ready, I have planned all my chapters, I have used a matrix system to make sure I have enough material to cover each section. in my head it is written, I just cannot sit down and start!!

have you got a target number of pages to write each day and a reward planned after a suitable sub-target?

I think that may be the way to start kathy. Thanks!

Have written 1500 words today and am really pleased - only 78500 to go!!!!

Good on you! If you had not done at least 750 I was going to chase you round Mumsnet with a whip, but 1500 is ace.

Thank you Kathy, just need to do that everyday!!!

Promising to print out each chapter for my supervisor by a certain date, whatever state it was in, concentrated the mind in my case

We have targets for the supervisor in mine. I have to have a chapter for the end of July and another for the end of December written. Done 3000 words so far and its a load of rubbish to say the least but at least I can criticise it myself

Keep at it. You will be finished long ahead of me

Something that helped me when I got to that point of staring at the computer screen for hours on end willing the thesis to write itself (or, more often, procrastinating on the internet) was to pick a section that was the most interesting and just write SOMETHING. ANYTHING was better than nothing. Also, try making the graphs or working on results (if it's science... not sure about humanities...) that can help clear things up in your head. The hardest part for me was actually getting myself into writing mode but once you're in it, somehow things flow. As you said, it's already practically written in your head, just need to get it onto the paper.

All that said, once you are flowing, try to concentrate on one chapter / section. I wrote in bits and pieces all over the place and it became a nightmare to clean up in the end!

Sometimes I find its best to restrict my ambitions - for example, I tell myself that I am just going to write the opening sentence to a chapter - you know the sentence that is supposed to introduce as much as possible of the chapter? Then I don't feel so overwhelmed by the task and end up procrastinate less as a result. Also, once you have written a sentence, the next one is always easier!

So my advice is: sentence by sentence!!

Good luck

Write a plan, a very, very detailed plan. And then fill it in, bit by bit.

Writing the plan should take 50% of your writing time.

start with Materials and Methods. It doesn't require any original thought, but gets you in the writing groove.

The tackle the results chapters. Sort out your figures first - again, a bit brainless, but gets you thinking about your data.

Do the thesis introduction last. It's a killer - months of literature searches, trying to write originally. Yaawnnnnnnnn (oops, unless you like doing this ).

Still having problems writing up - had a bollocking from my DoS's. I have decided I am inherently lazy. How can I rectify this???

Not really got any advice Jazzicatz, but wanted you to know you're not alone! I'm in a similar position to your first post, 2 and a bit years in and trying to start writing. It's so difficult to begin!! Where are you doing your writing? At home or at uni?

Possibly you don't want to finish it on an unconscious level? When you've done all the research, spent years getting close to your subject, the finality of actually concretising your thoughts into what you subconsciously fear to be substandard and inadequate hard copy can paralyse a body into inactivity. Just bear in mind that there will be nothing to redraft and improve if you don't start writing in the first place. And nothing is not better than something.

I've just started writing up - I have a funny thesis that has lots of chapters so I'm aiming for a chapter a month (plus one somehow) from here to Xmas (some of the analysis still needs wrapping up as I go).

It IS hard to actually get down to the real writing of pages but I'm finding having smaller parts to concentrate on very helpful. I was going a bit mad trying to consider the Whole Thing at once all the time.

Are you aiming for Sep/Oct submission? Alas I have blown that but I will race you 6 complete chapters against your entire thesis with a month by month (or week by week) status report? How about it?

What a great idea acionyx - you are on!

OK let's do this!

My next deadline is to submit Chapter 1 May 30th. My hurdle for this week is to get the program written to analyse a theoretical dataset. I should have done this ages ago but it just didn't occur to me (slaps head in exasperation). I'm off today to get help from a programmer pal (who doesn't yet realise what he's got himself into....). I cuold totally kick myself for not getting this done in my first year.

What are your plans for May?

Ok - well this week is a little difficult as I am marking and interviewing for a research project I am working on - however, this week I aim to finish my methods chapter which is 3/4 done.

Jazzi, I started working full-time just as I began to write up. I banned myself from TV each night until I'd done x amount - e.g a number or words, finished a section, blah blah - I'd be frantically writing so as to get to watch something I wanted... And I am extraordinarily lazy, but got to the stage where I just wanted the damn thing done. Kathy's right - if you can try to aim for about 3 years, it does look good.

Well my friend has gone off with my program but I have no idea when he will do it so i will just have to get on with something else in the meantime (and try not to ask him about it every day..). Unfortunately I'm also preparing for supervisions. But my revised plan for this week is to finish the first section of Chapter 1. So by Monday then. How hard can that be, eh?

Califrau - I hope my dh doesn't read your post. I'm sure no-one will be more thrilled than my poor dh to see The End of the Thesis Saga.

But banned

Surely even a thesis-slave deserves some pleasure in life....?

I have fone passed the 3 year mark and that is purely because I am having a nightmare trying to get started. Think I am just do a little at a time and the competion with acionyx will be great