I am finding it difficult to get started writing: although I have read a lot of the literature regarding my topic I find it difficult to get started regarding the actual project. Maybe I fear having to change later on when I actually have data, vice versa without explicit starting of the process there will be no data

Anyone recognizing this issue?

I'm there myself at the moment. Got very excited a few weeks back when I finished my first sentence, but literally been staring at the same few sentences for as many weeks

Same here. I started my PhD only 3 months ago but I have managed to read quite a lot and now I have quite a lot of material. But when it comes to actually order, analyze it and write something about it I get blocked and wonder if I could spend say the first 2 years reading and making rough notes, and the last year just writing up.

I wrote a short paper over Christmas using some of the material I collected during these months - at the beginning it felt like a nightmare but I started by writing from memory a summary of what I thought the main points, then I browsed my rough notes to find material related to each one of these points to see how could I develop each one of my original ideas. Once I had a clear scheme of what I wanted to write and in which order, the process of actually writing wasn't so painful... I just tried to ellaborate my ideas by supporting them with examples and using links to relate them to each other.

Does your uni have any graduate skills courses or someone who you can sit with who can give professional advice on how to structure your writing. I'm in UCL and there is a guy that does it for free.

I remember one thing he said which was that you take a piece of paper and write out each section as questions. And then to answer these you ask more specific questions. e.g.

What has a previous similar study shown? --> Are your results different? --> Did you use a different method? --> Which study concurs with your hypotheseis.


Shitty questions I know bt I'm sure you can think of some better ones.

Hope that helped a little.

Oh yah I also find explaining the study to someone else helps.

Dear Sixkitten, Nimrod81,roopa,

thanks for your replies, it helps already to hear that you have had or have similar sentiments and issues.
I agree with Nimrod81 that summarising is a good thing, yet from memory quite hard as I really read a lot and as a result I am quite puzzled. Do you keep your articles catagorised in a particular taxonomy and then summarised?
The tip regarding the starting with a question and then to deepen this is useful, and I probably need someone to help me to structure the writing.
Sixkitten I am at the same stage and therefore appreciate what you are saying, feel exactly the same...