The four rules of writing of writing your thesis

The four rules of writing your thesis

Roger Watson

Why do you want to write?

Academic obligationCareer progressionPrestige of your institutionTo share research findingsTo disseminate good practiceMoney

Because you enjoy it?

Overcoming the barrier

Behind every written piece there is a living, breathing human being who overcame his or her own challenges to express important thoughts on paper

Dale Salwak (THE)

What is the main barrier to writing?

How to be a writer

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way round these two things…no shortcut.

Stephen King

Being a writer

I learned to write by writing

Professionalism comes from being able to write on a bad day

Norman Mailer

Application to the job of writing

Apply the seat of your pants to the seat of a chair and don’t get up until you’ve written something.

Beaverbrook

Application

Learn to write anywhere and everywhere

• Office

• Home

• Trains

• Planes

• Hotels

Keep a note book

Some don’ts

Don’t think about it

Don’t tell anyone about it

Don’t wait for inspiration

…just do it!

Just do it

You can edit a bad page….

…you can’t edit a blank page

Inspiration

Inspiration is the act of drawing the chair up to the writing table.

Orhan Pamuk

Inspiration

Instead of planning or talking about your plan, I say, just get something out on paper before you forget it – no matter how uncertain you feel or how confusing it sounds.

I also suggest that (you) write the first draft before (you) do any research.

Rarely do we know what we’re going to write about until we’ve completed a first, stumbling draft

Dale Salwak (THE)

The four rules of writing

Read the guidelines

Set realistic targets and count words

Seek criticism

Treat a rejection as the start of the next submission

Journal guidelines

Journal guidelines

Or take a look at other theses in your university

Journal guidelines

Length

Layout

Organisation

Referencing system

Setting targets

All good writers do this

Try to write a specific number of words per day or every time you sit down to write

When you have reached your target…STOP!

Setting targets

Set daily targets, stick to them and give yourself plenty of rewards afterwards. The people who succeed are those who treat it like a job…

Phillip Hodson (THE)

Seeking criticism

Find a ‘critical friend’

Seek criticism of your writing

NOT THIS

OR THIS

THIS

Expect to have several revisions

…I’m one of the world’s greatest rewriters

James Mitchener

Learn when to let go

Edited by Karen Holland and Roger Watson

An invaluable guide on writing for publication, enabling

the reader to develop skills in writing articles,

book reviews and other forms of publications, written by experts in the

field.

September 2012, 288 pages

ISBN: 9780470657829

£19.99 / €25.90 / $32.95Order online at www.wiley.com

Prefer digital? Visit your e-book retailer to order

Writing for Publication in Nursing and Healthcare:Getting It Right

r.watson@hull.ac.uk

0000-0001-8040-7625

@rwatson1955