There can be a common misconception amongst PhD students that the writing process is, at least in part, linear.
That is to say, it can be easy to think that chapters are written in a linear order, starting with the foundational chapters, and then, once you have the data, the core and synthesis chapters.
That would make sense, right? But the reality is much, much messier.
There is of course a logic to starting those foundational chapters first. You can’t collect data until you know what it is you are studying, and what methods you will be using after all.
But that doesn’t mean that, once you have finished those chapters, you can put them to bed.
You’ll find yourself going back to them over and over again, right up until the submission deadline.
That’s because, as you collect and become more familiar with your data, you’ll learn more about your literature and more about the theoretical approach you’re using. You’ll also likely refine your methods somewhat as you progress with your fieldwork, meaning you’ll have to go back to the methods chapter.
Think of it like a game of ‘whack-a-mole’. When you start to get a handle on one chapter, you’ll find that something in another chapter needs re-working as a result. As you work on those edits, you’ll find other things that need tweaking.
All of this means that your writing process will be far from linear.
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