I need to get better at writing, and maybe you can help? Or perhaps you can learn from my triumphs and mistakes!
I am a PhD student in Food and Nutritional Sciences; I have gotten to this stage by largely ignoring writing as a skill. I felt as if my skills in science (maths, physics, etc.) were the most important aspect to improve, so I spent most of my time working on science-related skills. As a consequence my writing skills are very low relative to my other skills, hence this blog.
My idea for this blog is to journal my progress through a Ph.D., as it is probably one of the most interesting things I will ever do. But mostly, it is to practice writing and eventually get good at it.
As I am writing this I have already written several months worth of posts; originally, I was not planning on posting them, but I think that there is no downside to me publishing these posts, as the worst thing that can happen is that I get bad feedback. In this instance, it still helps me improve my writing, so it is win-win as far as I can tell.
As I have previously mentioned, I am several months ahead of this initial post and only plan to release one a week. Because of this, my writing has already improved massively, and I am embarrassed to release some of the earlier posts. However, I believe that the journey is much more important than the end so I will release all my posts un-edited.
I intend to write about more than just my thoughts on being a PhD student such as nutrition, finance, books I’m reading and general thoughts on life. So, if you would like to help me out and provide some feedback, I would greatly appreciate it.
I will remain anonymous for now.
Go here for an example of my first attempt at a blog post and here for the most recent.
You could check this post out, on my experience with WordPress, it was my most popular!
If you’re still here maybe we should connect on Twitter!
What a great idea and ambition. I really like how you can track your own progress and share it at the same time. And to be fair, your writing is not bad at all! I wish you luck in your studies and career. Keep it going 🙂
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Just swinging by to say hi, and thanks for dropping by and visiting my blog.
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Society never gave me a phd, I had to forge my first one.
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What an amazing idea – you are an inspiration to us all
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Soldier on man ..i wish you success in you education
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What a great idea! Good luck on your phD work!
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Hi!
Feedback here 🙂
1. “I am a PhD student in Food and Nutritional Sciences; I have got to this stage by largely”…”have got” should be “have gotten” to be correct.
2. “I intend on writing about more than”…”I intend on writing” should be “I intend to write” to be correct.
3. Great spelling 🙂
I was a science major myself, although writing was my first passion. I found it to be very common that my fellow science students struggled with the writing part of our education. Science papers can be grueling and complex and BLAND. I enjoyed being able to add good writing that made a science paper flow instead of falling flat and merely cerebral. I thoroughly believe that where I lacked the memorizing and recall skills of my fellow science majors, and the calculating skills in the lab, I made up for with the ability to translate that knowledge into well-crafted synopses, notes, and papers.
What you are doing is very smart. Writing can be a bridge or a roadblock. What you are doing is deciding that it will be a bridge.
I look forward to following this your journey and I wish you the very best!! KEEP WRITING!! With practice, any skill improves. Helpful feedback along the way and a receptive attitude will help tremendously.
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Thanks for the feedback and sharing your background. I have implemented the changes. I think that in the world of publish or perish having a passion for writing must be a huge advantage.
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Hallo you. I’m the worst writer ever. I write straight from my confusion! It’s all about putting it out THERE. Bad writing or not, its about your experience in life. You don’t know how many times, I have to decentralize and re-re-edit! Still haven’t got it WRITE! The Bloggersphere must just deal! I can’t type, can you imagine my trauma?
Citizen_josh
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The term “gotten” is largely American and not much used in the UK so not strictly “correct”.
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The premise is so cool 😌👌
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It was science writing – in particular science paper writing – that gave me the writing skills I needed to write radio and TV comedy. In both areas it is vital to say exactly what you mean to, and do to it with economy and precision. In science writing you follow a logical train of thought to explain a result and in the construction of a sketch you do the same thing – with added gags along the way. Both lead to a pay-off though! Good luck with the science – and the writing!
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I think the early Simpsons writers also had the same pedigree as you. I wonder what it is about writing scientifically helps with comedy.
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Strange you should mention science. I took a course in research and writing a scientific paper once. We had to come with some esoteric thing we’d seen, research it, and then write a paper on it. One girl in the class tackled the age old phenomena where you can put socks in a dryer and come out with one. She postulated and proved mathematically that the tumbling motions of the dryer coupled with the electrical magnetic effects of the motor (she said it happens more often in electric dryer rather than gas), created a momentary hole in the space time continuum just big enough for a sock to slip through. She then continued by stating someplace, somewhere, there was a universe haunted by lost socks. The entire paper was a joke, but boy it was fun to read. Oddly, she’s the only one in the class that got an “A.”
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Wow that is fantatstic, I wonder how good she is a writing now!
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Last I bothered to check she was writing political speeches. Guess her content and research was full of you know what then, and it still is.
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I absolutely love your philosophy on Gravatar “Spend less than you earn, Invest the surplus, avoid debt” so concise and should be adopted by everyone in this overtly material society.
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Thanks David, it has been working well for me lately!
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“I have a simple philosophy: Fill what’s empty. Empty what’s full. Scratch where it itches.”
— Alice Roosevelt Longworth
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I like that enthusiastic spirit in you…Keep going!
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Hey, there! I did notice a marked improvement between your first and last blog entries. You have a lot of courage to post older work you’re not necessarily proud of. Also to use your authentic voice. Keep writing, and good luck with your PhD work!
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Thanks for that, It was quite embarassing to be honest!
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Don’t ever be embarrassed to try…only ever be embarrassed not to!!! Have you tried Grammarly app? That’s good…or the good old fashioned way that my elderly clients tell be about…”doing lines” which is not what it means today….they would sit and write out 10 pages of the English dictionary as punishments. They all say that it was horrible but they know a lot of words and definitions now! 😂 X
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I had to do lines in the earliest years of my education! I do have a Grammarly account now, and i find it very useful.
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Great plan! Hope it works out for you! There’s something fun about getting feedback on posts. Even if it’s just a “cute post” 🙂
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Awesome. I am recent master’s graduate and my degree really woke me up when it came to writing. It is something I am purposing to get better at not just professionally but creatively. Good luck with everything. The fact that you are here already shows that you are moving in the right direction.
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Hello Jake/Louis?
I think that’s an interesting blog, and quite a humble and positive attitude to be in such a learning mood, it’s rare. If you like poetry and painting too, as a pastime beyond your phd and your other occupations, I invite you to check out our blog.
Best,
Erannza
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Love this idea! 👏👏👏 Not only are you improving your own writing skills, but you’re motivating others by example too. Keep it up!
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Thanks for noting my ‘Builder” sketch.
BTW great idea for a blog! In the end I think it is practice in writing that works best. After science A-levels and an engineering degree I finally shook off my fear of writing by working for a while in patent law – needed to write very precise (and long-winded) english in that role! After that my DPhil thesis was a doddle – well at least the writing up bit …
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Awesome idea, and from the little I’ve read so far, your writing skills seem pretty good. Best of luck in your educational and other endeavors!
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I like the way you present your view. It is straightforward and your writing skill is good 🙂 It is nice looking through the lens of how you view life with the knowledge you have from your study
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English teacher’s son and writing enthusiast. Love your style. Drop by anytime if you want to bounce off ideas or proofreading. Cheers!
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English teacher’s son. I always thought having teachers as parents was unfair! How can we compete.
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This is so inspirational! Thank you for sharing it with us all.
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This is a great step and I hope we get to see your blogs more often.
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Thank you, it’s a blast of hot/fresh-air, helps ease the flow of negativity. Yypee
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It is good enough that you ventured out into working on your writing, you are not the only one, as I am in the same situation. I already see you as my role model.
Carry on, Bravo!!!!!!
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Okay, well I answered my own question about your PhD topic. Anyway, what a great way to become proficient in writing a new language! Your English writing skills are excellent! Keep it up!
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You might consider learning an additional language, because a major benefit of doing so is that you inevitably learn your own language better. Which language to learn? Any will do, but the propaedeutic value of Esperanto is legendary.
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Wonderful idea! Good luck!
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Write on! You’ll discover how therapeutic it is as your writing improves. Then you’ll keep writing for the sheer joy you find in doing so. You already have a captive audience, so why not keep it going?
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Nice Work…Keep writing and reflecting….Writing is the reflection of the soul, heart and the subconscious mind…Keep it free flowing like the great rivers…Stay in touch…
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Thanks for taking time away from your writing to visit my blog!
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Honestly you encouraged me quite a lot. I am also a international student but I am at first degree. Whenever teachers or classmates mentioned my bad writing skills, I just tried to conform myself and pray I can do better next time. I mean basically you have courage to accept feedbacks, and your progress proved thats a good approach to improve writing skill. Hopefully my writing skills will improve a little bit as well 😀
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I am sure it will! Just like everything else it just takes time.
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I like the idea. Honestly, when I began writing, I wasn’t very good at all ,but like any practice it’s a skill you learn through constant repetition. I truly don’t try to chase perfection because there are just so many ways you can communicate an idea in writing. There is no format I believe, unless your trying to write business plans, and diet plans. That could be a little different, but the whole key is to communicate your idea to where people can understand. I just started blogging and to be honest, I don’t know what I’m doing. But I do know how to write just as you probably know how to formulate a healthy nutrition plan for a person. I liked your blog.
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Hey Louis, I’m actually starting my blog to gain experience in writing and editing. I was an English major and love anything involving grammar and syntax. If you’d ever like some editing or writing tips feel free to hit me up. Good luck on your PhD!
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