ABSTRACT
This first chapter discusses writers’ thinking and revising processes generally, a prelude to what follows. The succeeding chapters address writing strategies for key parts of the dissertation, but underscore iterative processes requiring continuous reflections back.
Section 1.1: Understanding the task (preparing mentally) and Section 1.2 Dissertation processes. These sections explain that uncertainty is normal, that original work means making an original contribution. They deflate the idea that a project begins with a “big idea,” but rather by reading what others have researched on one’s topic of interest, and discovering a gap. The sections discuss the nature of “contribution,” strategies for finding the “gap,” and getting used to openness, iterative processes, and provisional drafting.
Section 1.3: Developing the proposal – being ready to revise. This section details the general kinds of missteps many new (and old) researchers make – overgeneralization, overinvestment, and promotional language, along with examples and revisions. Given that all writers struggle with such issues, they are viewed not as “errors” but as opportunities to hone one’s thinking.
Section 1.4: Processes of rewriting. This section equates writing with rewriting. It also sees rereading as writing, and writing as producing more writing. It encourages students to seek out readers, develop a community of writers and readers, understand that writing is not a skill but an act of communication, and use writing to think (not to delay until one “has thoughts”). The book expands on how writers can use a community of writers to spur writing as thinking, how to manage the dynamics of a community of writers, and how to keep the community focus on support and moving forward.
Overall, Chapter 1 promotes the general theory of writing and revising that undergirds the book. This chapter also indicates how the various dissertation elements relate.
