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Eviatar Zerubavel
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The Clockwork Muse: A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Books Kindle Edition

by Eviatar Zerubavel (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 117 ratings
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For anyone who has blanched at the uphill prospect of finishing a long piece of writing, this book holds out something more practical than hope: it offers a plan. The Clockwork Muse is designed to help prospective authors develop a workable timetable for completing long and often formidable projects.

The idea of dashing off a manuscript in a fit of manic inspiration may be romantic, but it is not particularly practical. Instead, Eviatar Zerubavel, a prolific and successful author, describes how to set up a writing schedule and regular work habits that will take most of the anxiety and procrastination out of long-term writing, and even make it enjoyable. The dreaded ‘writer’s block’ often turns out to be simply a need for a better grasp of the temporal organization of work.

The Clockwork Muse rethinks the writing process in terms of time and organization. It offers writers a simple yet comprehensive framework that considers such variables as when to write, for how long, and how often, while keeping a sense of momentum throughout the entire project. It shows how to set priorities, balance ideals against constraints, and find the ideal time to write. For all those whose writing has languished, waiting for the “right moment,” The Clockwork Muse announces that the moment has arrived.

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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0674135864
  2. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  3. Publisher
    Harvard University Press
  4. Publication date
    March 15, 1999
  5. Language
    English
  6. File size
    903 KB
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Zerubavel (sociology, Rutgers), the author of seven books, shares his strategies on getting writing done, no matter how busy or how blocked the writer is. The answer is to make a writing schedule and then follow it, staying slightly flexible, writing outlines and drafts, and writing to deadlines. Written in a light, breezy style, this small book offers little new information. Large libraries may want a paper copy, but a better choice for dissertation writers is Joan Bolker's Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day (LJ 8/98).ALisa J. Cihlar, Monroe P.L., WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Zerubavel understands that the writing mind is inherently perfectionist and that writing is a strangely and dangerously self-engrossing process. His advice ranges from simple time-management schemes--so simple yet so hard to observe--to important tips about how to exploit the computer. The computer, however comfy for those wild writings beloved by the Camerons among us, is essentially an editing tool: a tool of self-criticism. Zerubavel emphasizes that the writing life is actually a life of self-editing, of revision. That is why it is hard; that is why it is exciting. Not just for academics, The Clockwork Muse belongs on every real writer's desk. (Tom D'Evelyn Providence Sunday Journal)

Eviatar Zerubavel takes issue with books on research and writing that imply that checklists and synopses of resources and literary texts are all the equipment a writer requires to start a research project. In The Clockwork Muse, he assumes that writer's block is natural, pervasive, and tends to prevail regardless of an individual's ability, ideas, and resources. He argues, therefore, that any writer's first task is to insure himself against this paralyzing condition by commanding the 'procedural', not the 'material', aspects of producing a manuscript. The basis of his philosophy is 'temporal organization': self-disciplined planning--'methodicalness and routinisation'--result in manuscripts written well and on time. (Gregory LeStage Times Higher Education Supplement)

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00L9XW71C
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Press (March 15, 1999)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 15, 1999
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 903 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 124 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 117 ratings

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Eviatar Zerubavel

Eviatar Zerubavel

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
117 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

R. F. Williamson
5.0 out of 5 stars Regiment Your Writing
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2011
Verified Purchase
I attended a lecture on a university campus on "Finishing Your Dissertation on Time," and this book was mentioned over and over again. It's a small volume, but it packs a big punch. The sections are really well-organized, and the prose is concise and clear. My colleagues all swear by this little book; it provides practical and logistical advice for making writing a habit so that you can tackle large/long projects efficiently.
3 people found this helpful
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Gil Franke
5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful guide for organizing a project
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2016
Verified Purchase
Not only helpful for organizing a writing project, The Clockwork Muse gives suggested procedures for ordering a writer's life for effective output. Self imposed deadlines and methods to meet them provide structure for the discipline of writing seriously and opportunities to encounter your Muse when you have time to listen and to transfer that communication to the printed page. This book is especially useful for those who have difficulty with the principle that to be a writer one has to write.
3 people found this helpful
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Kevin D
4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the cost.
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2012
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This book was recommended to me by my dissertation coach. It is an easy read and provides concrete advice on how to manage the always difficult task of writing. While there are many choices for writing self-help books, this one is certainly among the best.
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Ginger Redshoes
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Process of Managing Thesis Writing
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is an easy to read guide to the more practical aspects of managing a large writing project, such as a thesis or dissertation. Aspects of personal discipline, time management, and how to write on a schedule when the inspiration is slow in coming. Plus, I love the clever title.
2 people found this helpful
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Nikol G. Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars Important resource
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2021
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I had the good fortune of reading this when it first came out. I was in grad school then. Since that time, I return to this book for its critical insights. It always teaches me something new.
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Elizabeth Thorne
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2017
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Ouch. It is a book about writing, but it is some bogged down reading.
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eeeee
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best of its Type
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2015
Verified Purchase
Concise with honed down basics on how to get organized and how to maintain and revise the organizational plan all the way to the final draft. In the past I had ordered other books of this nature and found them to be too wordy (they included extraneous materials such as advice on style, and psychological stuff, and were often cluttered with folksy advice on how great writers wrote their works). You can read this book in a few hours but it will take a few days to draw up the plan. Once you do however the writing project will be in manageable units with intelligent targets for each phase of the process. This at least has been my experience.
8 people found this helpful
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Sylvia
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for Practical Advice on Time Mgmt
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2012
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading this book. The author has some good practical advice about allocating time for a big project. I'm embarking on the writing of my dissertation proposal and this has helped me put it all in perspective. I think this book contains useful advice for anyone embarking on a large writing project.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

🐈
5.0 out of 5 stars This came highly recommended by my PhD supervisor and I found it immensely ...
Reviewed in India on January 30, 2017
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If you are writing a thesis or book - buy this now!

This came highly recommended by my PhD supervisor and I found it immensely useful.
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Aaron Peeters
3.0 out of 5 stars Useful but not new
Reviewed in Australia on January 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
The author did a good job of breaking down his writing process in order to share it with the reader. I believe if we follow this process we can learn to be more productive writers. The process as I understood could be summarised as:
- block your weekly activities and schedule time to write
- experiment with optimal writing session length
- experiment with optimal writing session time (identify productive times and days)
- block in 'b' writing times for tasks which are important but not as cognitively demanding as actual writing eg. Bibliography
- break down the manuscript into chapters and segments
- over estimate page numbers for each segment
- underestimate pace for each segment (pages per day)
- now create a timetable with concrete deadlines
- redraft your thesis several times, but only after completing the whole- don't redraft or reread as you go

I liked the way I could connect the advice in this book with others I have read about producing journal articles- but I similarly disliked that this book did not add much new information to what I had already read.

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in becoming a writer, anyone with a writing deadline, or anyone looking to improve their writing productivity.
One person found this helpful
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Andrea
5.0 out of 5 stars A book very interesting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2013
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This a book very useful for PhD students and general writers because you can learn to manage your time wisely
One person found this helpful
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D. Gold
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 29, 2013
Verified Purchase
Having started editing my second novel this was a good book to read, even if I didn't completely follow his detailed suggestions of mapping out a schedule. It inspired me though to get on with it and I have been pushing myself to edit for at least an hour a day with a goal of finishing draft 2 in a month. Anything that gets one going is a good book!
One person found this helpful
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