Hey all

I was wondering about writing up. I am in my second year and have one chapter done, am completing another and in two months will have another (methodology). When I come back from fieldwork I will do analysis (social sciences, a bit postmodern). THEN will I see these chapters and think how useless they are and have to toally re-write them? My sup seems very pleased with my progress and the writing so far so I take this with encouragement. BUT am I being overly optimistic? Or could these chaps actually be useful and not need too much re-jigging (apart from lang, new books and arguments etc)?? I wonder where I am in the scheme of things...

Any help from writers-uppers gratefully appreciated...

I think my post was a bit unclear. Basically, has anyone written up chapters as they have gone along, and then just revised during the 'writing up phase' or do you tend to write it all in one go? Is all 'old work' generally rubbish or useful? When I am away on fieldwork, can I count on coming home and being three chapters down - or am I kidding myself and will have to re-write from scratch?

thanks!

I did what you are doing, write up chapters as I go along. It really is the best thing to do even if you have to re-write chunks of it afterwards. When I started and asked advice of people who were finishing or finished in my group, the main thing they said was that they wished they had written up as they went along as it's difficult to always remember exactly what you did 2 years ago.

Another thing is that you will look back on those earlier chapters and possibly realise that you haven't done enough analysis or need to do more experiments because you are developing your skills over the years and you WILL become better and better at it.

In my first year, my boss gave me a deadline to have my introduction written, which I've done. Now in my second year, he's given me a deadline to have a chapter written. This is the one good thing my boss has done for me because I want to finish my Phd within three years, and the thought of leaving it all til the end terrifies me! I think it's a great idea to write up as you go along although some of your chapters and your introduction may need adapting, atleast the bulk of it is there.

You'll probably have to change the focus of your early chapters to provide a coherent argument for your results and conclusions, which don't tend to form until quite late in the day...

Thanks for your responses!! My PhD argument seems to be developing in sections... each one is to be presented in its own discrete chapter using discourse analysis to present a particular 'voice', then I round it all up after my fieldwork findings. So I want to write up because I won't have these ideas next year - I will definitely forget them and anyway, how anyone holds a whole PhD in their head and splurges it out I don't know! I definitely expect to change them, to make them better as I get better at writing and get news insights but am glad to hear that on the whole this is a good thing to do! yay!

I find that without writing things down, I forget what work I have done! I end up going round in circles, and so by writing up as I go I can progress in my PhD. So I am starting to write out parts on my introduction and lit review (I am a first year).

I know that in a years time (or maybe less) I will read what I have written and cringe, but the basics will be there and it will be easier to improve something that has already started to be written than something that doesn't exist yet!

I'm trying to write up as I go along (well, my supervisors are forcing me to!) which I find quite an ordeal as someone who spent undergrad / masters doing everything at the last minute. But I guess doing it incrementally is a big part of teaching you to efficiently manage a relatively long-term research project (and a good way at getting you into the habit of redrafting cringeworthy text) so I think I'll eventually appreciate having done it this way..!

That's true chantal - I used to leave everything to the last minute and never proof read my writing because I hated re-reading my work. now though re-reading my own work is like reading anyone's, I am very objective about it. And I could never leave all this to the last minute! Ooooh no!

Good skills to learn

I too am writing up in stages, chapter by chapter. I am on chapter two at present. I have been told that I will have to rewrite large parts at the end though, but must start now.

I think the best advice that anyone could get during their PhD
is to write up as you go! So well done for doing just that!

Thanks Ju-ju! I endeavour to continue! I was worried that it was optimistic to think that any of the work I am doing now will count for anything in the future but it seems, pleasingly, the way to go...