Seeing the obstacle as a gift
If you stumble across an obstacle in your writing, see if you can embrace it and incorporate it into your work;
Voice and tone
When you are attempting to find the correct tone as a novelist or student, study the tonal technique of the authors you admire - their words, phrases, sentence and paragraph structure.
Writing with empathy
Empathy helps you to understand and engage your readers. If you identify what drives your audience, you will have your readers in the palm of your hand.
Finding your voice
Finding your voice is as important for academic writers as for novelists. When writing on a subject about which you care deeply, your voice will come through loud and clear.
What’s your investment in your writing?
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.
To plan or not to plan?
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.
Just do it
If you find it hard to start writing, don't worry. Just start by scribbling down your ideas to get into the flow. You can rewrite and edit your work later to ensure it is accurate.
