ABSTRACT
I was the kind of student that Becker describes in Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book or Article—the kind of student who first cleaned the house, then organized all of my writing utensils, books, and snacks before I could begin writing. Sometimes that would use up two hours of my writing time. No wonder I was so frustrated at how slowly the process seemed to be going. My advisor, Dr. John McCarthy, gave me some very simple advice, but it worked. Use your writing time to Write! If during this time you can’t think anymore, work on the bibliography or make the tables/graphics, but do something. Don’t allow other things to use up your writing time. In a sense, Becker says the same thing with his idea about a “spew draft”; put something down on paper because it will be easier to revise than it will be to write the perfect first draft. Now doesn’t that seem logical? Yet, I wasn’t doing it until after our little talk.
