I recently had the privilege of coaching two colleagues who are writing their dissertations. Both of these scholars had a strong sense of the direction of their projects, how they were evolving etc. They seemed to both benefit from talking through their work to an interested listener -a non-expert who could ask clarifying questions. While my questions may have pushed their thinking a bit, I think that the broader contribution of listening and asking questions comes from just creating a space in which a writer can talk about her work and sit in the “expert’s seat.”
When you find yourself in the midst of a writing project, great or small, consider finding a partner with whom you can bounce ideas. Or you can always drop me an email.
Happy Writing!
-Dr. Kirschner
