How to improve your writing quickly: 6 tactics that saved my PhD thesis

I have put together a list of things that not only improved my writing, but also saved my sanity during my PhD. The first two tips will get you going with your writing, the second tips will improve your editing, and the last two will assure that you never stop writing. There is no time to waste, let’s start:

1. Commit to becoming a writer

Write every day, that is what writers do. They write every freaking day. That is it, the whole secret. This is the only requirement, just write everyday. It does not have to be a great writing, it does not even have to be a good writing. In fact, it can be a crappy writing most of the days. Whatever you write, is a progress. Each day you add something.

Create a habit of putting things “on paper”. Everything: your thoughts, what you have done, what you want to do next or in the future. Write blog posts, instagram or facebook posts, diary, whatever you fancy. The more you write, the easier it gets.

2. Create a routine around your writing

Writing is hard. Therefore, it may be worth investing a little bit of time and effort to make it as enjoyable as possible. If you are more likely to enjoy writing in a nice cafe, go to a cafe. If all you need for your writing to flow is a cup of hot coffee or tea, do that. Writing does not have to be this dreaded activity, it can be the time you spend with yourself in a nice environment.    

3. Do one thing at a time

If you write down your ideas, do just that. Do not focus on grammar, spelling, or flow. Just start with your thoughts. The second round could be about rewriting it for a specific audience. The next iteration, would involve flow check, and fixing some obvious unclarities. Next repetition, could concentrate on a keeping each idea in a separate paragraph. And so on.

This iterative process seems unnecessary long when you read about it, but in really it is actually speeding you up. You focus on one thing each time, therefore you go quickly through the text. You do not get stuck so often, and you get tired a lot slower. Improving everything at the same time can be overwhelming and therefore slow. Focusing on fixing smaller things and only one at a time, can be very rewarding and motivating. Give it a try, please.

4. Read your writing out loud

Especially, when you struggle with a flow of a paragraph or chapter, try reading it out loud. When you read your own writing aloud, your brain does not process your thoughts anymore. Instead, the brain processes what it hears. Therefore, it allows you to experience your own writing from a different perspective, and hopefully find desired improvements more easily.

5. Show your writing to others, often

When you have some writing done already or you got stuck, you can speed up your progress by showing it to others. A pair of fresh eyes will see the things you will never see after spending x amount of hours already looking at it. Also, other people will be like your trial audience. They will be able to point out to you all the unclear bits, the bits which do not give enough information on, and the bits that are confusing.

As researchers we sometimes assume that other people know what we know, and although it is true in rare cases, we can never be sure. At some point of your PhD you will become an expert on the topic, even your supervisors will be learning from you. Because other people are not you, they will be able to point out inconsistencies, contradictions and misspellings instantly. The very thing that would take you many reads to discover.

6. Join (establish) a writing group

Writing groups are meetings dedicated to help members in writing. They can be done differently, depending on the needs of a particular group. Some writing groups can be focused on solving concrete problems the members of the group encounter in their writing. Other groups may just have a short section at the beginning to update everyone on the progress each member has achieved with their writing (accountability part) and then writing time, when each member works on their piece of writing (writing part).

You can either find a writing group at your uni/department to join, or establish a new one. You can ask other Masters or PhD students to join your writing group or make it open to all academics. If your writing group involves people you do not work with on a day to day basis, then it become a great networking opportunity too. Win – win.  

If you have writing-related anxiety or you struggle with motivation to write, please try all of these techniques. They surely have potential to save your sanity. And as a bonus, they will make your writing better.

What are your ways to improve your writing and keep you motivated?