{"id":312,"date":"2020-07-30T15:01:12","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T15:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/academicskills\/?p=312"},"modified":"2021-02-04T15:47:13","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T15:47:13","slug":"the-1-hour-writing-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/academicskills\/2020\/07\/30\/the-1-hour-writing-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"The 1-Hour Writing Challenge!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo by Kaitlyn Bake<\/a>r on Unsplash <\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In\nneed of some writing motivation? Try our 1-Hour Writing Challenge!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you spending your summer working on that\ndissertation, project or thesis? Are there times when you just don\u2019t know where\nto start, or when you can think of at least 900 things you\u2019d rather do than\nwrite?! Never fear, our 1-Hour Writing Challenge is here to help you get\nfocused, avoid overwhelm and make some progress with your writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step\nOne: Setting Writing Goals (5 mins)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re more likely to lose focus if you don\u2019t specify a\nclear writing goal. And you could end up putting yourself off if the goal you\ndo identify is too ambitious. So let\u2019s spend the first 5 minutes of the session\nensuring that your goal is SMART.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S<\/strong>pecific:\nthe specific idea I will write\/section\/paragraph I will work on is \u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M<\/strong>easurable:\nI will write _____ words<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A<\/strong>chievable:\nthis will be a rough draft\/quick bullet points for me to work up later\/polished\nfinal version\/edited final draft<\/p>\n\n\n\n

R<\/strong>elevant:\nwhere this section will fit in is \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

T<\/strong>ime-\nbound: I will write for 1 hour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step\nTwo: Freewriting (8 minutes)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You wouldn\u2019t run a marathon without warming up first\n(well, you\u2019d be unwise to!). Similarly, diving straight in to a piece of\nwriting can sometimes feel a bit daunting. Freewriting is a great way of\nhelping you settle down, get focused and think a little more about what you\u2019re\ngoing to write. For instance, you could use this time to plot out how you might\nstructure your ideas in the section you\u2019ve chosen to work on. Or you might use\nthe time to help you decide which of your ideas to work on and develop further\nin the upcoming writing session. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freewriting can be particularly useful if you tend\ntowards perfectionism with your writing, as it gives you permission to write a\nmessy first draft. This, in turn, can really help you capture your ideas\nwithout worrying that they\u2019re not \u201cacademic enough\u201d (you can develop your ideas\nand polish your writing style in the editing stage). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rules of freewriting are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n