1.
Choose a topic you can be in LOVE with for the next year (or two).
If you hate your topic, you'll probably never finish your thesis
(let alone write and research it.) You have a relationship with your subject. Embrace him or her. But choose wisely. For you
will live with your partner for a long time.
2. Mind the GAP.
There is a gap in the scholarship that you are trying to fill. Just enough
research to draw from to make your argument(s). Not enough written yet by others that your thesis becomes redundant. That
gap is yours to claim. Find it. That's the start of a thesis. YOUR thesis.
3. Get ORGANIZED.
A place for your books. A place to write. All organized. All the time. If you
know where you can find something, you'll create less chaos. You'll write. Make this your thesis workplace.
4. READ, READ,
READ. VIEW, VIEW, VIEW.
Anything, everything. Become the expert on your topic. Watch all
the movies, read all the journals, skim/scan through all the books. Create a plan on how you'll do this. Keep notes. Xerox
important texts. I created a binder of all my reading and categorized it. This helped IMMENSELY. I could FIND my support materials.
5. How do you eat an ELEPHANT?
One bite at a time.
Create an outline, get specific. Go write a point here, a point there. 2-4 pages per point and sub-point, it'll start
coming together. (Oh, and constantly backup your work. I saved every 5 minutes, backed up constantly on a flash drive
and broke things down by chapters. Later, I compiled the chapters into my thesis.)
6.
When you find a quote you can use, TYPE IT into your computer asap.
Put the attribution at the bottom of quote in bold (so you'll know where it came from). Especially page number, chapter, author, book.
Arrange quotes by themes.
Keep a separate file of just quotes. Cut and paste quotes into your thesis as you write. Keeping them via themes will pay dividends.
I had 254 quotes. Typing
them into a Quote File (and then cutting/pasting them into the proper chapters) saved me time and effort. And helped me stay
on point as I wrote between quotes.
7. After you turn in your rough pages...KEEP WRITING.
Don't wait for changes or comments or meetings with professors.
Go on to other points, chapters. Don't stop except for a brief break. Momentum is everything.
8. REWRITING is the key to SUCCESS.
My first drafts weren't that good but they provided structure. With each subsequent draft it started coming together.
I wrote 6-8 drafts of each chapter, finetuning, tweaking, changing things, making it stronger, better, more scholarly. I also
ended up writing 181 pages. Do just over half that, you'll be fine.
9. Listen to your COLLEAGUES.
Having other colleagues read your material in class is invaluable feedback. They aren't close to the material like
you are. Their constructive criticism can often make the lightbulb go on over your head, while also bringing you fresh wisdom
on how your thesis is shaping up.
10. Finally - it's all about THE ARGUMENT.
Your argument has to be a thread woven through every point, page and chapter. It needs to be on surface, not buried.
That said, your SUMMARIES need to hit singles and doubles. The CONCLUSION needs to swat a big fat home run into the stands.
Hit away!
