As writers, we are big believers in the usefulness of planning, accountability, and establishing a sustainable writing practice (e.g., writing some most days rather than hoping for successful binge writing). Here are some resources we have found helpful.
NCFDD
Pitt is an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity. They offer some free programming and support and some that is paid.
Books on Writing Productivity
Here are some of our favorite books about writing:
- Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing by Robert Boice
- How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing by Paul A. Silvia
- The Clockwork Muse: A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Books by Eviatar Zerubavel
- Write No Matter What: Advice for Academics by Joli Jensen
Productivity Tools
The Pomodoro Technique relies on using segments of timed writing (using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer, perhaps) to structure your time and advance your writing. To try this technique, all you need is a timer of some kind.
Focus Time is a fun app that works with the Pomodoro Technique. Instead of using a kitchen timer, this app helps you to work for four twenty-five minute sessions (with a short break between each segment), followed by a longer break at the end. The app also presents you with statistics on your writing time.
Have you ever wished you could just turn off the Internet so that you can work without distraction for a while? Freedom allows you to do that. You specify the number of minutes that Freedom should block your access to the Internet (and email!). This low-cost software is available for Mac and Windows.
Rescue Time will not only block sites, but it will also analyze your computer use and tell you how much time you spend, for example, writing and how much on surfing, Facebook, or email. By helping you better understand how you use your time, Rescue Time can help you make better choices.
Some writers find Scrivener useful for generating and organizing long projects.
Guided Meditation
The University Counseling Center offers some downloadable audio guided meditations. These are perfect for helping you to manage stress. Try one when you are preparing to write to help you get centered or take a break and do one to recharge.
Resources for Graduate Student Writers
The University of Pittsburgh subscribes to The Versatile PhD, a site that helps graduate students who want to identify and prepare for possible non-academic careers. The key concept is versatility: the ability to apply skills and interests in a wide variety of fields. The site keeps students informed about academic employment realities, educated about non-academic career options, and supported towards a wide range of careers. Because Pitt is an institutional subscriber, you can register through a link to the site on My Pitt (just search for Versatile PhD); accessing the Versatile PhD site through the My Pitt link authenticates you as a member of the Pitt community and enables you to see premium content.
The University Counseling Center offers group support for graduate students as well as one-on-one support and more.
The ULS librarians have created a LibGuide for Dissertation Camp with useful links.
ULS also offers workshops in EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley, software that can handle your citations for you.