In the dissertation writing, it’s sometimes easy to write whatever comes to mind, only to find that you’ve written a bunch of pages which don’t really belong in this chapter. What should you do? First, save these pages (they might make a handy article or be useful for another part of the project) and then, back up. Go back to the point in your writing where you felt you began to veer off, and see if you can recapture the path or thread you were originally working from. Try to put yourself back in that mental frame or space, and begin writing again. This time, though, write for just about 10-15 minutes, and then stop to doublecheck that you’re still on track. If you are, keep going. If you’re not? It may mean that whatever is coming up is a new element to pay attention to, or it may mean that you’re ready to work in a different section or chapter. Make adjustments as appropriate. It can sometimes be easier to go where the writing is leading.
