Thinking Writing QMUL Thesis Boot Camp – 10th–12th November2017

Drop and give me 20,000 words!

  • Are you a PhD researcher struggling with the writing-up battle?
  • Do you put off writing tasks with creative procrastination?
  • Are you finding the writing-up journey isolating and exhausting?

Thinking Writing has just what you need – the QMULThesis Boot Camp! Dedicated solely to getting words down on paper (or a computer screen), this program is designed to help doctoral students get over that final hurdle, or to kick-start their writing progress if it has stalled. The goal for this weekend is to help you generate words.

Sign up to join other PhDresearchers in a no-excuses, no-time-for-procrastination, intensive writing weekend. Not for the faint hearted, Thesis Boot Camp recruits will battle through PhD blues, writer’s block and thesis fatigue to achieve significant progress on their manuscript.

Introductory sessions will include motivational talks, goal setting and strategies for writing quickly and well. Support staff will be on hand and catering will be provided to ensure an encouraging, distraction-free environment. Attendees will be required to complete pre-program planning activities and to commit to their own tangible aims for the weekend, such as completing a thesis chapter draft or similar.

Are you up for the challenge?

More about Thesis Boot Camp

There are many ‘boot camp’ style writing programs at universities around the world, though the award-winning Thesis Boot Camp — designed and developed at the University of Melbourne in 2012— has proved a winning formula for hundreds of PhD and research higher degree students.

Since the first program, the original Thesis Boot Camp team have been working in partnership with other universities to introduce the program to new cohorts, and Dr Peta Freestone coordinated the first UK Thesis Boot Camp at QMUL in April 2015. Building on this model, Thinking Writing have now made QMUL Thesis Boot Camp a regular part of our postgraduate research writing support and plan to run them twice a year.

Who can attend Thesis Boot Camp?

Thesis Boot Camp is open to QMUL PhD researchers and a limited number of external PhD researchers. You are eligible for the Thesis Boot Camp if you are:

  • A PhD researcher in any discipline at QMUL (see note below for external applicants).
  • Able to produce a significant amount of writing in one weeked. That is, you have completed data collection (in whatever form is relevant to your project and discipline) and reading and are ready to get writing. The ultimate aim of Thesis Boot Camp is to write 20,000 words of first draft material. It is not for editing, revising, preparing presentations or grant applications etc. In other words, you must be able to identify the particular chapter or chapter(s) of your thesis that you will specifically write as part of your Thesis Boot Camp goal.
  • Able to clearly identify how you would benefit from an intensive weekend of drafting a particular section of your thesis.
  • Willing and available to attend all sessions and to commit to the ethos of dedicated writing required at Thesis Boot Camp.
  • Able to provide details of an academic referee to support your application (for example one of your supervisors, a senior member of your research team, a more senior academic colleague).

The event is limited to 25 QMUL participants and we expect to receive more applications than there are available places. Please note that due to this, we cannot guarantee participation for all eligible applicants. This also means that you should complete all sections of the application in full, with the above eligibility criteria in mind. We may also accept a small number of non-QMUL participants. If you are interested in this option, please contact Thinking Writing for more information.

Costs

The cost of the Thesis Boot Camp includes dinner on Friday and Saturday, lunch Saturday and Sunday, and tea/coffee, snacks and refreshments throughout.

QMUL PhD researcher – £50

Non-QMUL PhD researcher – £140

(If you are a QMUL researcher with financial constraints please contact us. We do not want anyone to be unable to attend because of costs).

Dates and times

The next QMUL Thesis Boot Camp will take place from Friday 10th November to Sunday 12th November, 2017.

All sessions will take place in the Graduate Centreat the Mile Endcampus. The program outline is as follows:

  • Day 1, Friday 10th November 2017, 4.00pm - 8.30pm
  • Day 2, Saturday 11th November 2017, 9.30am - 8.30pm
  • Day 3, Sunday 12th November 2017, 9.30am - 8.30pm

Applying

Applications open on 22nd September 2017 and close on 6th October 2017 at 17:00.Find the application form at. No late applications will be considered.

Successful applicants will be notified by 10th Octoberif they have been accepted into the program.

Contact Thinking Writing () if you have any questions.