Writing Center Writing an Honors Thesis

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To succeed at the challenge of writing a multi-chapter thesis, an informed approach to the writing process may be helpful. Your advisor will guide you through this process in your discipline, but many thesis writers find additional support, guidance, and motivation in the Writing Center.

• Early in the fall, you might learn about integrating your research and writing processes, get support in setting deadlines, talk through your ideas, or get feedback on early writing.
• As you move towards completing your first chapter, you might aim to develop your revision skills, find an effective writing process, and improve your writing more generally, so that drafts of subsequent chapters are even stronger.
• If you find yourself stuck, we can help you get going again, whether that means sorting out your ideas, structuring your time, avoiding procrastination, or discovering new strategies for writing.

Writing Consultations

Consult with a writing associate to talk out your ideas, get "unstuck," start writing a new section, get feedback on chunks of writing or whole chapters, organize your approach, or discuss any aspect of thesis-writing you'd like.

Schedule a consultation

You might start by completing the Thesis Intake Form, both to facilitate your thinking about how you might use the Writing Center, and to help us support your individual process.

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Writing While Researching

Rather than moving abruptly from researching to writing (and being faced with a blank screen), write throughout your research process. You can use writing to plan your project, gather evidence, record other people’s arguments, respond to readings, develop your own ideas and distinguish them from others’, and reflect on where you are in your project and where to go next.

• For examples, models, and prompts, see this handout.

To move from writing for yourself to writing for an audience (or from note-taking to something more coherent), try:

• Writing weekly narratives of your research
• Submitting regular informal papers to your advisor
• Writing an exploratory draft that tries out ideas but doesn't claim certainty

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