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The Clockwork Muse: A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Books (my reading notes) buff.ly/2vre8c2 I am re-reading this book, which was recommended to me in 2015 by @ProfKFH & @CelenzaChris & @BrandenBorn in 2017 (it only took me until 2018 to read it)
I hate when people ask me to recommend THE BOOK or ONE BOOK or THE BEST BOOK - but upon re-reading Zerubavel, I would say This Is IT. The one book you all should have on your bookshelves and read and come back to it often. Yes, much of what he says will sound "common sense"
Zerubavel makes a really key point: spacing writing sessions too much makes it hard to come back to a manuscript and it also makes it difficult to sustain any gained momentum. For example, this week I've been SUPER consistent in writing every day. Next week... HOLIDAYS.
Zerubavel also advocates for the piecemeal approach (break down the work in smaller pieces) and a strategy I used to finish my doctoral dissertation (which, by the way, was a book manuscript, not a collection of 3-4 papers'): create a FULL DRAFT of the manuscript. THEN revise.
I echo Zerubavel on the psychological boost. I knew I had to revise each chapter, but seeing the "A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY" in the first page, the table of contents... just made me EXCITED.
A substantial portion of The Clockwork Muse is devoted to planning the manuscript (breaking down the work, creating outlines, planning your writing sessions, determining how many pages a day you need to write, when can you write, etc.) - this is one reason why I keep coming back.
This is why I have recommended that you own a small (we all are under tight budgets trust me) library - 3 or 4 trusted books that you can come back to for inspiration on a regular basis, even as you write your book/manuscript/thesis/article. The Clockwork Muse is in.</end thread>
