Category Archives: academic writing as work

writing home and away

Posted on February 3, 2020 by pat thomson

I’m working away from my desk, as my out of office assistant puts it. But I’m still very much working. I’m writing out of place. I don’t have my usual working set up. And not just for a couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, academic writing as work, office, space, writing routine | Tagged academic writing, desktop, out of office, Pat Thomson, routine, space | 7 Comments

grow your own writing practice

Posted on September 23, 2019 by pat thomson

You often hear writing described as a skill. And a skill is the capacity to do something well, to use expertise built up through practice. Skills are often seen as merely technical, but a skill requires specialist knowledge and often … Continue reading →

Posted in artisan, connoisseur, PhD, practice, reading, routine, starting the PhD | Tagged academic writing, artisan, coonoisseur, Pat Thomson, starting the PhD, writing skills | 5 Comments

writing the thesis – work, moves and structure

Posted on January 8, 2018 by pat thomson

Before you start to wrestle your material into a thesis structure, it’s helpful to consider the work that the thesis has to do, and the moves that ensure the work is done. Once you understand the work and the moves, … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, academic writing as work, argument, four thesis moves, structure, thesis, thesis warrant | Tagged argument, four thesis moves, Pat Thomson, thesis, thesis structure | 6 Comments

on (re)building institutional writing cultures

Posted on February 16, 2017 by pat thomson

What goes on in a university? What would the brother from another planet think if they came to visit one today? They’d see teaching in term time. There’d be some visible signs of research, particularly in labs. But walking around … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, academic writing as work | Tagged academic writing, Pat Thomson, writing cultures | 3 Comments

2017 – the year of the ‘to do’ list

Posted on January 2, 2017 by pat thomson

Social media folk delight in discussing the organisation of academic work. How to manage time. How to organise all that information that comes in and out. How to sort and select tasks in order of their urgency and importance. How … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, academic writing as work, to do list, Uncategorized | Tagged academic life, academic writing, Pat Thomson, to do list | 20 Comments

is #acwri a hobby?

Posted on April 21, 2016 by pat thomson

The most frequent question writers are asked is some variant on, “Do you write every day, or do you just wait for inspiration to strike?” I want to snarl, “Of course I write every day, what do you think I am, some … Continue reading →