To find your voice as an author, whether you are writing a thesis or a novel, bring your own subjectivity to your work: the filters that colour everything you think, see, remember and value - and your curiosity. This is your investment in your writing.
One of the most successful tools for doctoral students is to envisage the role and nature of the protagonist: that is to say, the character (or discipline; or theory; or interpretive paradigm) that undergoes the most profound change during the course of the work.
Are you a 'constipated' or a 'splurge' writer? Although there is no right or wrong way to write, if you are embarking on a long piece of work such as a dissertation, it is advisable to devise a tight structure before you start drafting.
If a paragraph refuses to flow, underline the essential parts that must be included, work out the best order and add only enough words for the paragraph to make sense.
If you're struggling to maintain the focus of your argument, get back to basics and identify the main point that will take your reader from a position of open-mindedness towards being full persuaded by your case.
It's hard to analyse your own writing but there's a simple, straightforward way to check how your writing will come across.