Writing Strategies for the Semester Finish Line

As grad students, it’s a bit of an understatement to say the end of the semester is a busy time. Whether it’s wrapping up your own coursework, grading student assignments, or getting that next chapter of the dissertation wrapped, there is always another task on the horizon. And when that horizon seems to stretch on infinitely with assignments yet to be written, it can all seem a bit overwhelming. So, in order to make the prospect a bit less intimidating, today’s article is on three helpful tips for not just making it across the end-of-semester finish line but making it across with your writing assignments, and yourself, in good condition. 

Write with Friends

Don’t let that increased workload lead to isolation. Yes, there are times where it’s helpful to work on projects by yourself, especially when they may require an intense level of focus, but make sure to intersperse these with writing sessions involving friends or colleagues. If you’re concerned about the groups becoming too chatty, discuss boundaries before diving into your work to prevent this from becoming an issue. Perhaps you could adopt strategies like writing for fifty minutes and then socializing for ten, or all having all group members meet a pre-chosen goal before joining in conversation; methods like these can help your group embrace a healthy balance of concentration and rest, and you can find more on this topic in our article on writing groups, linked here. Alternatively, you might have a writing group that’s really good at falling into natural rhythms of knowing when to chat and when to work quietly and so those boundaries don’t need to be set. Either way, working with other people not only makes sure that your social needs are met, but it’s a great way to offer and receive motivation as you encourage one another in your tasks, so make sure to bracket it in.

Use the Resources

It may be a busy time of the semester, but don’t let that prevent you from using the writing resources that Baylor has to offer. Attending writing workshops (or listening to the ones stored in the Grad School video library), listening to lectures, and attending writing or study-themed events can not only provide a much-needed change from your main task load, but they may also provide insights that enrich your final projects or make them easier. Additionally, don’t hesitate to take advantage of professors’ office hours or book a consultation with the Graduate Writing Center as ways to get input and feedback that may help polish the final forms of your writing assignments. The GWC also offers several helpful resources on every stage of the writing process, which you can learn more about in this blog article, which gives a short rundown of the services we offer and how they can be of assistance to you. All in all, there are an incredible amount of resources that the university has to offer in your academic endeavors, so be sure to keep an eye for ones that may be of assistance and make time for them as you are able.

Keep Your Energy Up

When you’re swamped with any work, writing or otherwise, it can be easy to let care for yourself fall by the wayside in the form of too little sleep, irregular eating, and not providing your body with some daily movement. It may seem like a lesser concern – after all, it’s just while you finish the semester – but neglecting these areas of your life can also have very real consequences in the form of burnout, illness, and increased fatigue: all issues which can impact the quality of your writing, as well as your overall well-being. So, make time in your schedule to ensure your needs are being met; and if you want to know more about how that can specifically apply to your writing process, take a look at this guide for setting boundaries in the writing process, and how this ultimately benefits you. By taking these deliberate steps, not only will your writing be in better condition at the finish line, but yourself as well. And if you’re struggling achieve that balance on your own, don’t hesitate to reach out to family, friends, and the people who are ready to be there for you.

The end of the semester may be busy, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. So, find the group that will keep you motivated, use the resources available for you, and take the rest that you need. Then, when all of your assignments are finally completed, you’ll be ready and in good shape for celebration.

Teach a Person to Fish: Proofreading Strategies for Lifelong Writing

by Kristin Huggins, Consultant

In music, there is no such thing as an insignificant note. A musician must carefully examine each musical notation and interpret it through the lens of style, story, and audience. Similarly, writing demands that we, the writer, drill down through every clause, every synonym, every semi-colon to determine how our writing will be interpreted by our readership. However, when working through larger projects (i.e., a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation) these tiny details become blurred in the face of larger, macro-level writing issues. Where does this leave the proofreading process? Cue the green and gold smoke signal for help!

The seven tips below are a culmination of both personal habits and strategies shared by colleagues and professors over the years. While collectively these tips are not foolproof, they serve as a great way to start the proofreading process!

  1. Download Grammarly to Microsoft Word. I cannot stress enough the value of this program. Grammarly is AMAZING. Fun Fact: Word’s spell-check runs an entirely different algorithm than Grammarly when reviewing papers. This means that with the power of both, you’re more likely to catch those pesky issues hiding in the crevices of your paper. Grammarly offers both a free version and a paid premium version. I use the free version, mainly because the thought of paying for yet another subscription makes my stomach turn. But many colleagues swear by the premium. Try both for yourself!
  2. Read your work out loud. Yes, academic writing is not the same as colloquial speech. I’m well aware. However, when speaking through your paper, you’ll find moments where you pause subconsciously to consider a phrase or punctuation that doesn’t feel “quite right”. Follow that gut reaction. Question it. Determine whether it has merit and write from there. This trick is also helpful in addressing larger concerns such as flow or topic congruency.
  3. Become best friends with your Search Bar. If you open your Sidebar in Word, you will be able to Search specific phrases, letters, punctuation, or even extra spaces in your paper to see where and how often they occur. This tool has been my saving grace in finding places where I accidentally inserted two spaces after a period rather than one. I also use this feature to discover my “Word of the Week” (i.e., the adverb or adjective my brain has decided to play on loop during my drafting sessions). Searching for these repetitive words allows me the opportunity to consider whether they are truly appropriate and whether a synonym would be of better use.
  4. Do not attempt to tackle your entire work at once – especially if it is multiple chapters. This piece of advice is also applicable for writing consultations. You’re much more likely to be effective in your writing goal if you break it down into digestible chunks. The prospect of proofreading a 200-page dissertation within one sitting is inconceivable. I like to approach difficult chapters during my most productive hours of the day when I know my brain will be firing on (nearly) all cylinders.
  5. Proofread content and style separately. Many find it effective to proofread papers for academic style errors (i.e., APA, MLA, Turabian, etc.) without addressing in-text content. Some have this gift. I wish I was so blessed. Alas, I cannot rub my belly and pat my head at the same time, therefore I will assume that proofreading multiple levels of style, content, and grammar will only result in tears.
  6. Try tactile proofreading. Staring at screens for hours on end has an odd effect on how the brain processes language, at least in my personal experience. Some of my best revision work has come from printing a chapter and setting to it with a traditional red pen (or green, if you prefer soothing, positive colors). Feeling the crispness of individual pages while setting your thoughts to paper with actual ink is a very different experience than scrolling through Word document pages and adding strikethroughs. Try it once and see what happens.
  7. Use a Proofreading Checklist to help guide you. Even the seasoned scholar falls into the trap of trying to tackle all proofreading tasks at once. Experience may make the writer, but the writing process remains a fluid embodiment of evolving critical thought and creative output. This means that proofreading can never be worked into muscle memory, but must constantly be attacked at all angles methodically and carefully. The use of a checklist can be liberating, providing the writer with a strategic plan of attack. A sample proofreading checklist can be found here, provided by Southeastern University’s Writing Center.

We hope that you continue to hone your skills as a writer, editor, and proofreader! If you’re new to the proofreading game, these seven tips should jumpstart your proofreading process. If you’re a veteran proofreader and you have additional tips or tricks to the proofreading process, please share below!