This Winter Quarter (2023-24) I have been working on my senior thesis research paper. This paper is expected to be 20-40 pages long and is the longest project I have ever worked on. I have done plenty of research for classes but it was very different to write about a topic I was seeking out independently. I decided to track my progress by noting what strategies worked or did not work for me. I think every person has an individual writing style and it is important to try different strategies! It is both useful as a writer and as a tutor to know what support is needed for bigger papers, such as a thesis.
I made appointments with three different tutors throughout the course of eight weeks to review my thesis. Here are some notes I took along the way of what was working and what was helping me complete this longer project, both inspired by the appointments I had and my own insight as a tutor!
Outline EVERYTHING!
- There were many moments where I had so much to say but figuring out when to say it came as a struggle. Something I enjoy suggesting in tutoring appointments is creating an outline. It can be extremely helpful to bullet point what things you would like to say and proceed to find an order for when to say them. While writing my thesis, it was very easy to feel like there was an overwhelming amount of information I needed to address. Having an outline for my sections and the points I wanted to make in each section was a lifesaver!
Speech to Text
- Two of the appointments I had this quarter simply consisted of me thinking out loud. It is very normal to feel like the things you are writing are not reflecting exactly what you mean. I found that the best way to remedy this was to explain an idea out loud to someone else and have them explain back what I said or even take notes of what I’m saying. My senior thesis addressed some really dense philosophical texts and it was beneficial to have another set of ears decipher it with me!
It’s okay to need a babysitter!
- Writing is a very personal thing. Sometimes writing comes very naturally and other times I have to push myself to write any words down. In moments where I had some writer’s block or simply needed to be held accountable, having a tutor to guide and support me made a huge difference. I’d specifically like to give a shout out to the best tutor and friend, Genesis C. She sat patiently with me as I took time to write and in moments where I hit a block, she guided me through by talking about my points and making such helpful suggestions! Although tutors are not babysitters, they are a wonderful resource for making writing feel less scary. Sometimes all you need is a listening ear and a guiding hand.
Write first, revise second
- Something I struggled with as I was writing my thesis was the constant need to revise. If a specific word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph didn’t sound “right,” I was automatically making comments on the document about how to revise. Although I think it is useful to reflect on your own writing, this can be more harmful than helpful. To combat the constant need to revise, I would time myself for about 10 minutes and write until that time was up. This would give me room to just type and it helped calm my own anxieties. A set schedule, such as 10 minutes of writing then a few minutes for revising, made sure that I wasn’t being too critical of myself.
Overall, writing my thesis was a new experience for me as a writer. Every tutor that worked with me did a wonderful job at listening and engaging with my writing. The Writing Center was a crucial resource in my writing process!