I have been writing thousnads for my sup to read from Day 1, LarryDavid. But this august I will submit a first draft to her, at the end of my 2nd yr. What does this mean? this means i will give her her first vision of the complete whole - the whole 'book' as it were as it would look like. This, midn yiou, includes Version 35 to 40 of certain sections and at least version 10s of every chapter, which she and I have seen and discussed. But first draft - will be a document with sequential chapters, from beginning to end, which will be a representation of the thesis as it is expected to look like, when brought together. That is what jojo means.

yes Sneaks. Our director's annual letter (am at a Russel group social science university in London) also confirms that STEM will stay safe, but that things look serious not drastic...

My whole day is a break, for 3 weeks. Then I get depressed with low productivity and write 8000 words in 2.5 days, and then take a break for 3 weeks.

I am dead serious.

I am horrid. Don't please do this.

I don't write for 3 weeks. I work myself up into a frustrated frenzy.

Then I sit and write 10,000 words in about 2 to 3 days.

Many months later there'll be up to Version 23 if it is being submitted proper. Else, that's it.

Then I don't write for 3 more weeks.

Even I'd expected a higher percentage of No actually!

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I don't know if I am getting this wrong, but you can *never* put someone's name on an article without their knowledge and consent. It is unimaginable. Can you imagine, 10 years later, suddenly seeing a journal article, with your name as author on it (giving you responsibility for the ideas in it, even if partial) when really it has been written by your PhD student and when you have expressly stated that you do not wish to be a part of it? What will your reaction be?

I would go with what your supervisor says really, unless they have a really bad track record (students failing, students long term unemployed etc). If they feel your thesis and its completion on time needs more attention right now, then so it is perhaps. They are the supervisor and hence they are probably gauging your pace and progress.

More generally, on the matter of publishing, it does not hurt the supervisor if their student publishes. If they are actively discouraging you and advising you to focus on thesis then it might mean (A) they are concerned you may not complete thesis on time if you get distracted with the demands of the publishing process at this point (B) that your work needs further fine tuning and refinement till it is sent out to be reviewed. Both are concerns of time and quality which a supervisor's job is to look out for and mediate, if need be. So, yes, please follow their advice unless you have hugely strong reasons not to. And these reasons cannot be that it's good to have things published. Of course it is. But every person is ready at a different time. usually supervisors can measure things and gauge who is ready when.

You'll email the articles?

Everybody does not start one of these 'personalised' pages, some do. Those that do can usually be accommodated happily. If this is a general point you wish to make it would refer to the other writing up thread, accountability thread, goal setting threads, viva preparation threads, submission threads as well - all of which are recently/currently ongoing here, none of which I think are problematic, or against forum values, and all of which are instructive and enjoyable.

NB: Experience sharing does not always need to happen in one set generic form of 'tips needed for writing' or similar. One person's journey is as instructive for sharing experiences, gaining insights as five other people's are. Beyond this, I think if people feel these personal threads are problematic, do start a thread on it and ask what the mods/othrs think, instead of hijacking the thread itself.

I guess every experience is different. When I started my PhD, just under 2 years ago, I always dreamt of a 'writing up period'. Now that I am 8 months away from submission (tied to a tangle of other deadlines, none of which have anything to do with funding, as I work to fund myself, and none of which are relevant here), I am thinking two things - first, yes, if the submission in March 2011 works out, I will have completed in about 2 years 7 months total PhD time. Second, writing up period? What writing up? I am writing up now - a chapter a month, first draft by 31st August (next month), draft 2 (end of December) and submission (March) - in parallel to which I have these 3 jobs, the money from which pays my international tuition fees.

There are peers around me, who have or will have a writing up period, when one can sit and write. It comes with its own troubles - boredom, overstrain, fatigue, money worries. My writing up is happening on conference nights, in lunch breaks, on airport floors. Would I want this to continue for long? Oh hell no. So, I continue to have a fascination for the term 'writing up'. There's a real chance I'll end this PhD in 8 months, without understanding what it really means. :p

Ouch sorry, PS:

The US is not debit card friendly AT ALL. So, credit cards, all the way, and make sure they work once there (check with the bank to be double sure and not stranded when there).

Amtrack trains are sometimes unreliable. Study Amtrack train schedules and Grayhound bus schedules carefully in case it involves flying in and out of Washington.

When you're there, make sure to do little getaways - Jefferson's Charlottesville is sooo prretty, the country roads will be lovely. There's other stuff around too.

What else? The youth hostel I mention is in a verrry noisy locale, but close t the action and stuff so will be youthish and cool. (And they do NOT accept anything but credit cards)

Cheers

Also, am sure you know, but there's something about Washington and the US big cities in general that's huge and distant - huge people, huge buildings, huge roads. Most people use private transport so don't expect the busy tube traffic like in Central London or buses that ply ever so frequently. Don't expect roads to be nicely narrow enough and/or friendly. If accosted by random people for money and/or MacDonald's burgers,. the line is "sorry mate, not carrying any cash on me right now". People tend to approach you near ticketing counters for the underground, so best to make monthly passes or something so they dont see you taking out cash.

Dont intend scaring you, but have had the unpelasant experience once of having a man with a knife at 12.30 in the midnight at DC Union Station, near ticketing, with not a soul around. anything could've happened to a 24 year old woman, alone. I just looked at him after 10 mins of being followed and said "please leave me alone, I am new here. Please. PLEASE". ANd he just walked away.

Ah, have I scared you enough now?

GOOD LUCK! It will be fab!

hi

sorry I meant to reply and then rushed off. Washington, do you mean DC? It can be incredibly difficult to make sense of DC at the start. I once had to be in Crystal City (Arlington) and getting there was a difficulty. Most people had advised me of a really cheap students' place called Washington International Student Center I think. It's damn cheap, especially if you can take the dorms. Havent tried it though, and yes, use the underground.

I havent done fieldwork outside but travel a huge lot with my confernces and 2 pan European porjects, huge, as in like 5 trips in June, and at east once a month lol,. i think the following are in order:

1. Make sure you get all transport maps, links, lines studied before you go
2. Have some extra money for the outset
3. Get a self cateirng place to keep costs low
4. Have pots and pans with you or ready to buy at the $$ shops
5. Buy some dry foodies (soups, noodles, other crap) for tough days
6. Keep everything backed up when away. (multiple pen drives)
7. Keep a Word file on every pen drive with a 'to be returned to' on them
8. Do not leave data on the USBs and nowhere else ever
9. THIEVES. Yes, laptops are not safe. Sorry. Use drop box or something always
10. Make sure you have a sensible internet connection
11. Make sure your cards work where you are going.
12. Take a sensible rucksack
13. Once you reach the place where you'll stay, stock up on basics or take them in baggage - medicines, pots/pans, toiletries
14. Make sure your phone is quad band or whatever the US needs, that's tricky
15. take electrical and electronic stuff - converter adaptor, recorder, batteries, Ipods, spare laptop batteries, pens

What else? Nothing else comes to mind! Good luck

I am tending to wake really late surprisingly - and not really get going till after lunch. As for food, regrettably, I am hungry all the time, and enjoy eating a lot of food :-(

Hi i do this all the time - using section breaks (insert - break - section break - next page- format - landscape/portrait - this section only) and voila!