Tag Archives: Tiny Text

Planning and writing

When it comes to writing I’m definitely a planner. I like to show other people how to plan their papers too.  And the standard caveat before I begin. Of course my way is not the only way. This is A … Continue reading

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five focusing questions to kick off some writing

So you’re about to write a paper. Or a chapter. You’ve gathered together all of the stuff you think you need – analysed data, a short list of references to cite, some early jottings. Now you begin to think about … Continue reading

Posted in beginning writing, contribution, pomodoro, the point, Tiny Text | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

academic writing knowhow – setting the scene

That first sentence. Your first thought. An opening gambit. Setting the scene. Attracting the reader. Aaargh. Starting a new piece of writing can be daunting. It’s no wonder that so many writers worry about how to begin. But academic writers … Continue reading

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academic writing – from Tiny Text to road map

But wait ! There’s more. In the last post I showed the usual way I develop a piece of writing from tables through graphic design to a Tiny Text.  This post completes the picture. Here I’m using a Tiny Text as … Continue reading

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academic writing – from a bunch of stuff to text outline

Someone asked me the other day how I did my own writing. I get asked this a lot and I don’t often answer – I don’t want you to think that you have to work like me. No. Every academic … Continue reading

Posted in graphic organisier, literature reviews, organisation for writing, Tiny Text | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

working up a first draft: a twelve step strategy

If you are drafting, it is pretty easy to find a lot of advice about the benefits of free writing. Lots of people find that timed writing sprints help to generate content. Unstructured writing is useful to work out what … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, crappy first draft, drafting, notebook, Tiny Text, writing in chunks | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

plan to write – a controlling purpose

At some point in the writing process, most writers develop a plan. Some writers may already have, before they plan, chunks of text or a crappy first draft that needs to be beaten into shape. Other writers begin with the … Continue reading

Posted in argument, controlling purpose, the point, thesis, Tiny Text | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

patter is eight and celebrating with writing skeletons

Happy birthday to me July is patter’s eight birthday and this is my 784thpost.  That’s a lot of words. At about a thousand per post, well, there’s about ten books worth buried in this blog. I’ve had a bit of … Continue reading

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tiny texts – small is powerful

I work a lot with tiny texts. Abstracts. Storyboards. Story threads. Lines of argument. Tiny texts are my academic writing tool of choice. If I had to abandon all the other writing strategies I have in my repertoire, this is … Continue reading

Posted in abstracts, academic writing, methods, methods chapter, research methods, thesis, Tiny Text | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

writing regularly – matching time and task.

You’ve all heard the advice that it’s good to write regularly. Perhaps it was phrased this way – productive writers write a lot because they write regularly. You’ve been told that you can get a lot done if you just … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, time, Tiny Text, writing regularly | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments