READ:

RESUME

     Research on a topic already under way, deepening your thought and research. But you must be ready to...

MARRY:

      Your topic, i.e., you are going to spend a lot of time, energy, thought -- a lot of YOURSELF -- on this topic, so might as well choose an interesting one you can live with intimately without getting tired of it or bored with it, so get a topic that excites you, that you will become emotionally involved with, psychologically compatible with and excited about, and do not even think of a divorce in the near future, though some marriage "adjustments" may well have to be forged, then once sure about your topic, immediately...

FIND:

      A good, modern secondary book that deals directly with your topic and scour this book, using its notes for Interlibrary Loan, if not for the Library, for you must move RIGHT AWAY on Interlibrary Loan items because who knows when these items will show, or even if they will, but this excellent book will no doubt cover your topic so well that from it you can begin to...

      A Chronological Outline which keeps the facts straight and you confident, given that these annals of the topic may well suggest cause-and-effect or some other relationship that otherwise would hide in your notes and subconscious, and since you are already noting down dates and happenings, you might also...

LIST:

     In a phrase the Issues which are related to your topic and interests as you become sophisticated in the Important Issues, then...

      The bibliographic search to bring materials to you to deal with this question -- primary and secondary works, surround yourself with books like you would a warm, comfortable blanket, and when you emerge from the blanket, NOTE everything seems important, always  MAKING BACK-UPS REGULARLY  for all your computer work since it saves time later if, when ideas come to you, to...

LET:

      The Proposal's Thesis keep you focused because It is the soul of the paper, and if you lose your soul, then...

NOTE:

      Your thoughts as they arrive and your Thesis changes, especially while reading, include a full, accurate citation with page numbers -- using either note-cards which will be helpful because you can spread them out in front of you, making convenient re-arrangements, or using a word processor which makes writing easier since ideas and citations are already typed and can be copied from the Note file to outlines, text & endnotes, remembering that....

     The Note File can be so useful as a "Trash Bin" where you store your uncertainties, i.e., material you are not sure about or a historian who wrote something about something or some piece of evidence, topic or issue that seemed important some time ago for some reason that now escapes you -- when any of that happens, store it and go on for the 'going on' MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT (given the alternative...), so ...

    As you write, here is the storehouse to come to for your quotations, citations, experts, issues, evidence, historiography, and besides notes on your constant reading, two other activities that help if included in the Note file are:

TRACE:

    All mentions of primary/secondary source material which may be helpful, keeping all these highlighted in the Note file, but be SURE to follow up on every one of these mentions since you never know where gold is until you have found it, so ...

     All evidence from primary sources with a photocopier, unless you are sure this is unnecessary, e.g., if copying quotations, etc., by hand, is accurate, then write notes next to, or underline, important passages and integrate each important entry in the Note file so that throughout the process of research, you continue to ...

READ:

    Again all books that you started with, since living with your thesis, like a lover, you get to know much more, much more deeply and DESIRE more contact, and those first books may hold useful material which you missed first time through, although, of course you already thought ahead that you would be sure to...

      Notes to your files as you re-read the important primary and secondary works and Subtract what is not useful if your notes are getting out of hand, but always THINK about what you have, where you are going, what is interesting, what is important, what is more important than other bits and why it is, and when you are not sure about this, that or the other thing, the remedy is that you can...

        GET:

       More books -- primary sources, secondary sources, articles especially as you use book reviews to help sort out the secondary sources, particularly historiography articles or books (or Introductions) which are so useful for showing your contribution and orientation in the field, as well as helping order the Literary Review along with approaches to your evidence, because soon, when you know the time is right...

       Breaks from this research and gain some distance, sleep while mulling over things all of which helps creativity, freshness, sanity, but also, take breaks from breaks and get back to work, and when you do,  try "squinting" at your project in order to see the main OUTLINES which you will

BUILD:

     E.g., the Long & Detailed Outline directly from your notes, that is, go over every note you made while the outline is in progress, insert everything pertinent to the paper into the Detailed Outline, arrange each entry as part of a plan, follow each entry with the next logically, be prepared, even happy, to re-arrange until the bare bones are clear, and each sub-heading is clearly related, but...

     If you are unsure of some idea or book, let the Note File be the trash-bin where you jot down this uncertainty (then you are FREE to forge forward), Letting the Detailed Outline hold what you KNOW might be important, being careful that nothing important is left out, and remembering that ...

     When you write, there are times -- many times -- that you sit and stare, times when you wonder what to do next, what to write, where to go.... and when these times come, the outline is your savior in this: it will tell you where to go..., and very clearly too, especially if you...

LIFT:

      A One-Page, Short Outline DIRECTLY from the long, detailed outline, including the Four Parts: I.) Intro and Thesis; II.) Literary Review; III.) Evidence; and IV.) Conclusion, which, while you do have the IV Headings, bear in mind that the heart is in III while detailed direction is in II, and

You can copy the Detailed Outline with a new name, then delete relentlessly until down to bare bones, to One Page ONLY, resulting in two outlines, one which now is breaking down the work into small, do-able amounts, and put each amount in order, so that when you finish one and are lost at the next step, simply turn to the outline and find that next, do-able, step and always

Reading over BOTH outlines AND the notes when you first finish the paper to add in the things that were missed during the writing of the First Draft, and using these Outlines to see the discreet, manageable parts To Do before you, and thinking about the...

ORDER:

      of each of the IV Headings in front of you in the Short Outline, i.e., have a sub-thesis that governs each Heading and sub-heading, or some idea to develop within each and have the entries' order respond to that ordering principle, whatever it is, of course, these sub-headings and sub-theses must refer DIRECTLY to your overall thesis,  so that when nearing the finish, you can ...

CHECK:

     All past notes, photocopies, and when necessary, all readings for any more useful info that needs to be dealt with, but be sure to enter this stuff in the note file all along, and into the long outline and the short outline as necessary, but unfortunately, missing a step here could result in research that does not get written, and so does get lost, and wasted, so, the process of re-reading and checking Notes, etc., also gets the main divisions arrived at in the Short Outline in your head solidly and it closes the circle of research, and does so accurately, but...

CRAFT:

      These tools fully and well, and keep thinking of this segment of research as Tool-Making which is always more important than building something WITH the tools, and when using precision tools, the job almost takes care of itself, pressure will build as these outlines/tools are crafted, but it is worth taking the time because this is "Positive Pressure" which will help carry you through when you WRITE the first draft, and when you...

WRITE,

      Use notes and outlines, the Topical Intro with thesis, the Literary Review, present your evidence with your evaluations of each piece, your arguments on the topic, your approach and your conclusions, so that...

   When writing one part, other ideas or citations concerning other part will constantly come to you, thus putting your current work on hold, then do that other thing immediately, then return to what is on hold and push onward, but, do not put off these moments on other parts because they are so important that your unconscious mind had to break through your conscious and your concentration, to bring it up, so note it down right away, and   BEFORE you begin to write, it is a good idea to...

    That all your tools/research have really come full circle, i.e., that enough hard evidence is at hand:  Think about it -- at this point, it would be wise to...

RANK:

     The items on the Short Outline once again so that you have the clearest idea possible whether an item needs a sentence, a paragraph, a page, or whatever since this makes for tighter development in your work

When you get to the end of the First Draft, then, take a break and go back over outlines and notes to add in what has been missed: the First Draft is meant to put the skeleton of the research into prose while editing is meant to make a beautiful, elegant thesis as you...

     Or refine grammar, spelling, transition sentences, paragraph development, style, notes, and approach (following a line of inquiry can be dramatic, but there should NOT be a surprise ending, so check all transition sentences too as you...

    critical responses to the paper, bearing in mind that negative responses are aimed at your paper, not at you, they judge current quality (which you will no doubt improve) not  person, that is, if they do really merit your attention, then dealing constructively with criticism may be a most crucial lesson to learn in this thing called Life because it helps to

    Cut out any and all unnecessary sentences, paragraphs etc, so do not hesitate to remove sentences or sections, even if it was YOU who wrote them, but instead, spend words like a miser, and

FIGHT:

     The temptation to call the paper finished, i.e., keep reading sources missed from earlier days and work that evidence into your draft and Also Fight the Fear that you may turn up something which negates your thesis because if your groundwork is done well, conflict only adds interest, and then your continued reading will be more interesting if not a pure joy -- as an expert who integrates with all necessary abilities at hand, but

There is a time for every season, and a time to cease adding to Notes and Outlines and instead to

That is, to read your paper backwards, (this is a heritage thing) paragraph by paragraph, to see if it all holds together, and more importantly, to make a very short outline from your paper by reading it forwards, but do not use any other source, then check that new short outline with your other materials and ask yourself: Did all your arguments end with appropriate conclusions, and if so, then

FINISH:

Read it, re-read it, edit as necessary, then stop, copy it, turn it in, take a well-deserved rest, put on a name-tag and re-introduce yourself again to your loved ones!