I have six weeks to write a sample chapter. I have the primary sources and I've done the reading. I even have an outline...why isn't it just falling out my head? Everything just seems too childish and 'not good enough' for the thesis - even though I know it will be rewritten...

Hi chrisolinski

Don't worry about how it feels or what it looks like, just write. I often have the same problem... just remember its much easier to rewrite something that has already been written than it is to think of something to write in the first place. The shape will come about in its own time. Sounds like you have some ideas for content... just go for it. Set yourself goals... say 500 words tonight...

Hmmm, WRITING IS HORRIBLE! I know, I'm trying to write my 3rd chapter at the moment... it's like a battle of wills between me and ... me!!! It's like I physically have to force myself to put words down on paper. For writing a chapter, I find the easiest is to start with methods, then results, you've got a big nice looking chunk done which doesn't require too much brain squeezing... then it's onto the STRUGGLE of the discussion and introduction of the chapter:

I find the easiest way to get stuck in (never easy) is to (i) look at papers to see how they structure their discussions/intros; (ii) freewrite - i.e. just write anything that comes into my head about what I'd like in the chapter... then go back and restructure it, elaborate. Freewriting is nice because you're not supposed to care about structure or anything, it's like a continuous writing brainstorm - it helps... trust me! And 6 weeks is a good amount of time to write in... I'm trying to cram mine into a week or two, and getting VERY STRESSED OUT! Grrrrr. You have my sympathies... good luck!

Thank you! I like the idea of goals and checking out the way other people have introduced their work.

500 words a day....

Hi Chris,

The way you are feeling is completely normal ... I'm now in the late stages of writing up and still look at my work thinking it's a load of rubbish/too simplistic (even though my supervisor - as well as the panel at my transfer viva - tell me my writing style is good).

As others have suggested ... put pen to paper and start writing! Remember - your supervisor is asking you to do this as an exercise to get you to commit your ideas onto paper (those who don't get over this, usually never end up getting to submission stage!).

Some 'free write', but I don't, and have to go through the agony of making sure that everything is as word 'perfect' as I'm going along. You'll find a system that works best for you.

Also, I agree with others - 500 words a day is a realistic achievement (although when I first start writing I'm lucky if I get 100, but this does pick up pace as you 'get into' your writing).

Don't worry ... you will be fine!

Thanks to Seabird! have tried your 'freewriting' method and got a long way yesterday - the first time in a week and feel like I achieved something - definitely works better for me than worrying about the perfect structure straight away - have actually quite enjoyed going back and editing afterwards. Good tip!
ps. are seabirds your subject? because I work on birds.... or are you a surfer or something?

Cool! Happy it helped! But I'm afraid I'm not a birdy PhD, but very fond of the feathery animals - I spend a lot of time on the sea and just very fond of sea birds... those cute puffins with beaks full of fish, that family of shelducks swimming along... all 12 chicks 2 by 2, fulmars gliding along the top of the waves and the gannets like torpedos diving into the depths... maybe I should have done a bird PhD!!! Good luck with the rest of the writing

Join the club! Feel EXACTLY the same way. Trying so hard to write, but it just doesn't seem to be happening. Have outlines, notes, everything...just no words! It doesn't help that I've rewritten the chapter structure twice a day for the last three weeks!!!

Jazzing up the structure helped. I hope to have if half done by the end of next week...

Hi Chris,

would like to say how I write:

First I brainstorm for myself: I write down all the things I can think of around a topic. Not bothered whether makes sense. Make a sort of drawing indicating how these things are linked. Then try and arrange them into catagories. This helps to get a structure. Getting a structure is important and takes quite a bit of time. Once I have a structure I try fill it in. I write freely, not bothered initially whether I can prove what I say (as you have read a lot, a lot is intuitive knowledge). Once I have something like structure and story see whether the things are actually true: connect with references. Then process of review and re-iteration: Corrections, adapt structure etc.

Hope this may be helpful

I agree with Rick ... that's how I work. Intuition is important & I do think you can actually OVER plan and end up too bored of the material to write it. I always have to leave a bit of the fine-tune thinking undone to keep up that energy and excitement as I write ...

Gosh Rick, that sounds great - and similar to what I was taught in a GRADSkills course and book 'How to write a thesis' - but I haven't had the time or energy for so much planning. I scribble down my results, work out which order they should be placed... and write the results section. Then by referring to papers to see what structure they use, I work out how I'd like to structure the discussion, following a similar order to the results, but keeping the most important bit to last so it's neatly tied off at the end. I then figure out what I need to say in the introduction to make it complete... I don't think I'm doing it right, but am in a bit of a rush and need minimal editing time! Your method sounds like it works if you have more time on your hands (or more organised than I am). Maybe I'll try it for my next chapter though... I haven't worked a chapter where I'm happy with the structure yet...