Noticing. Seeing. Wanting to know ‘why’ and ‘how’. Key questions: Why, How, So what?
Try reading journals of good writers to get a sense of how much the world offers us. The Weight of the World by Peter Handke for instance is a good place to start. Karl Ove Knausgaard has a series of works named after seasons. Summer, Autumn etc. which are collections of observations about things. Amitava Kumar has a work called The Green Book (subtitled The Observer’s Notebook). Also read In Step of the Stepmother by Mario Vargas Llosa to see how sharp an observant eye can be (or Foucault’s reading of Las Meninas). Consider also Marcel Proust’s first few pages of In Search of Lost Time where he describes the act of going to sleep. Also try Object Lessons series brought out by Bloomsbury to see how much can be written about seemingly mundane objects. For an extreme example, read An Attempt at Exhausting A Place in Paris by Georges Perec, especially the translator’s note. (I hate doing this) but Shaju V.V., a poet who writes in Malayalam, has a bunch of short notes which showcases an exceptionally sharp eye (books, also on social media). One might also want to read the (academic) work on Rilke and seeing, titled The Poet as Phenomenologist.
Thinking about this in connection to autoethnography.
For a classic ethnographer’s point of view, read Malinowski’s Diary (on Monoskop) or the description of Balinese cockfight by Geertz.
But also think about how literature and authoethnography come close in works such as Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being or in Anand’s novels or in Taslima Nasrin’s Lajja.
Isn’t autoethnography also about observing and recreating experiences through evocative language? In that sense isn’t it creative nonfiction in form? Can one apply the principles of creative nonfiction to write an autoethnographic text?
How does one start?
BA. Read everything, notice what matters, take notes and build habits.
MA. Narrow down, read papers in your interest area, do a full project (from idea to product), begin thinking meta (-ology)
PhD. Tiny push to the field’s boundary. What does it add to the field? Why do it at all?
How to find things to read.
JSTOR, Google Scholar, Scopus for searching.
Sci-Hub, Anna’s Archive, LibGen, Journal Homepage for locating.
Bibliographies to find related articles. (There are also AI tools such as Research Rabbit these days which do it for you.)
Browse widely (Be interested in everything, generally.)
How to read.
Store everything you consume in Zotero (or any reference manager).
Well-written academic texts follow conventions. Scan the text first, pencil in hand.
Read front matter and back matter.
Abstract and keywords.
Table of Contents, Index.
Then read the main text.
The very first para, the very last para.
Section headings and section map (typically towards the end of introduction).
First and last paras of each section.
Introduction.
Look for the word(s) that form(s) the text.
Scan fast, read slow. Take words at face value.
Take notes, include context. Revisit and make it retrievable.
Why write?
The only deliverable is dissertation/paper/text.
Writing is thinking. (Ideas and structure emerge during writing.)
How to write?
Grammar (tinkering with language), punctuation (and how to insert them on a computer), typesetting basics (What does ‘flush left’ mean?).
- [ ] - Type A (exploratory; no more blank-page anxiety) vs. Type B (polished; functional) writing.
Write often, know your tools (Digging, Storing, Retrieving).
Imitate other theses (Take a chapter, write down the schematic. Take a sentence, take it apart.)
CLARITY! CLARITY! CLARITY!
Method and Methodology
BA Learn method (close reading, archival research, field work, digital archives, data crunching).
MA Think about method (methodology is meta-thinking).
PhD Situate your method in a field, defend it.
Theory and Text
Move from text to theory. Inductive reasoning.
Using theory (application) and building theory (theorising).
Sharing and Publishing
Peer review.
The UGC CARE list.
Journals, conferences, collaborations. (UPenn and H-Net)
Getting in.
Things you can control
Proposal
Choosing a supervisor
Writing Sample
Things you cannot control
Supporting Practices
Cultivate habits and side interests that nourish your thinking. Consuming literary/visual artefacts is the best one.
These can be related to the three key moves: digging, storing, retrieving.
Few examples: text analysis with python, proficiency in tools, book as an object (publishing), reading the Chicago Manual of Style etc.
What to keep in mind along the way.
Feeling lost is normal (Inevitable. Especially when dealing with a new field/body of scholarship).
Persistence brings clarity. Show up everyday, read, write, edit. (Find a place and establish routines).
Write often, revise often, edit your peers’ work. (Your keyboard, pen, paper, text editor are your friends).
Take care of mental health (Crashing is okay; try not to burn).
Autoethnography
Embracing embodiment, situatedness, thrownness.
Narrative turn
Let us also ask ‘What is it that differentiates autoethnography from other types of writing?’ and ‘Why are these factors considered as THE differentiating factors?’
Resources
Learning
Chicago Manual of Style (the style book) and their publications (available for free).
Roget’s thesaurus and Merriam-Webster’s online thesaurus. Wiktionary for etymology. (available for free)
Style guides such as Elements of Style
Helen Sword’s works and the like. (Way too long of a list to fit here)
Thesis archives from various universities (ProQuest and Shodhganga)
Stanford Encyclopedia, Oxford Bibliographies Online. (the latter has limited preview)
Programming Historian (if you want to develop skills)
Online communities (Subreddits such as askliterarystudies, askphilosophy etc.). Stack Exchange, especially the ones on English language and literature, Philosophy.)
Writing (the act)
Text Editor (Zettlr is tailored for academic writing. There are hundreds of text editors. Keyboard-centric ones are beautiful.)
Word Processor (MS Word is standard (but paid). LibreOffice, OpenOffice are alternatives. Google Doc.)
Reference Manager (Zotero is widely used. Mendeley is a paid alternative.)
Reader (Use any. Annotation feature (notes, highlights) is a must.)
ChatGPT or any other syntax/grammar/style checker. (iAWriter, Hemingway App, Grammarly)
Peer reviewer/editor.
Habits and Practices
Pencil. Read with a pen(cil) in hand.
Dig well. Shadow Libraries, British Council Library access. Advanced search, Boolean search.
Store well. Enter everything you consume (text, video, whatever) into Zotero. Take notes and cite as you go.
Retrieve well. Go back to notes often. Write notes in context (tags or some such).
Read for structure. Write for clarity.
Routines (write till the cup of coffee is over; write for two hours a day)
Writing groups (fixed timings)
Don’t get stuck in tools themselves. Nothing beats skill.
Motivation
Hendrik Erz (sociology researcher and developer)
Hendrik is a researcher and a software developer. Check his website for his blog and a collection of resources.
Katherine Weiss (history researcher)
Katherine Weiss has a YouTube channel where she talks about her research at OSU.
The Paris Review Interviews.
Interviews with writers and editors since 1950s. Paywalled, but collected editions are available for free.
The X review of books. (London, Los Angeles, NY)
Search for stuff on JSTOR, Scopus, ProQuest etc.
Some interesting people who are into knowledge-work (Andy Matuschak etc.)
Old List (2017)
Tools for the English Studies student
Update 2025: There are inline updates next to each tip. txti.es went down a few years ago.
Update 2020: This is an old txti.es page made in 2017, when I was a student at IIT-Madras.
Hi, this infra-website is an attempt at creating a tool-space for the English Studies student. Web & Print. :)
Books on Writing
The Elements of Style, by Strunk & White. Concise and organized instructions on manufacturing beautiful and precise text. (Update: This is still a common suggestion. There are many other style guides around.)
Roget’s Thesaurus for Writers, by Peter Roget.
Chicago Manual of Style. There is a PDF edition with hyperlinks which makes finding things easier. It is a huge book. Examples illustrate the rules quite well.
On Writing Well, by William Zinsser.
On Writing, by Stephen King. This one is a memoir, discussing the craft in detail.
Eats, Shoots and Leaves, by Lynne Truss.
More ‘Literary’ Works
The Analytic Dictionary of English Etymology, by Anatoly Liberman.
Terry Eagleton. Literary theory: An Introduction is one of his books.
A Glossary of Literary Terms, by M.H Abrams.
History of English Literature, by Edward Albert.
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers, by John Gardner.
Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, by J.A Cuddon. Very similar to M.H Abrams.
Update: I’ve found Helen Sword’s work an excellent archive for learning to write.
Online Resources
Libgen. This is the ultimate resource. Illegal. Link: libgen.io alternatively, try: gen.lib.rus.ec (Update: LibGen is down as of 2025 August. Use Anna’s Archive instead.)
Project Gutenberg. Link: gutenberg.org (Update: Try Standard Ebooks website for better formatted texts.)
The Paris Review. Available in both print and web. The interview series they run is famous all over the world. Link: theparisreview.org
Subreddits. There are many.
LitHub. This place has articles on books and their relatives. “The Best of the Literary Inernet.” Link: lithub.com
Electric Literature. Link: electricliterature.com
Brain Pickings. Link: brainpickings.org (Update: The site is known as The Marginalian now.)
MIT Open Courseware. Hosted by MIT, this site has downloadables of various courses offered. You should be prepared to attempt some serious ‘searching’ moves.
The New Yorker. Carries articles on culture and frequently, on books.
Bertleby. Online poetry, articles, quotes, prose, anthologies, speeches and more.
Websites as Tools to Aid Writing
Hemingway Editor. This is an online tool to check the quality of your writing. This helps to refine the text, but keep in mind that there are no rules to good writing.
Readability. Similar to the Hemingway Editor, but gives detailed reports. Easy to use. Link:
Three related websites. Describing Words website helps you find adjectives. Reverse Dictionary website helps to find words by searching for their definition and Related Words website helps to find… related words. Links:
Phrontistery. Is a shelter for sparsely used words, and other obscure vocabulary. Link:
Miscellaneous (Web & Print)
Asbury & Asbury. copywriting. Link:
Steta. Indian copywriting consultancy. Link:
Maptia. Storytelling+photography. Link:
The Book Lovers’ Anthology, by R.M Leonard.
The Groaning Shelf, by Pradeep Sebastian. Book about books.
‘This is Not the End of the Book’. Conversations with Umberto Eco. Recommended for bibliophiles.
Websites like Aeon, Scroll, Quartz etc.
The Art of Fiction, by David Lodge. Explores themes and devices through illustrations from great works. His other works are amazing; try reading The British Museum is Falling Down.
Casual Optimist. For people who judge books by their cover. Link:
The Great Discontent. interviews. Link:
Ambient sounds. Keeps you focused or distracted. Link:
Loeb Classic Library. Old works in Greek or Latin. The verso contains original work with the recto having its english translation.
The Whole Earth Catalogue. Very insightful. Go click the tab titled ‘articles’. Link:
q10 editor. Clutter-free workspace.
JDarkRoom. Similar to q10, but cooler.
Calibre. Converts text formats. Excellent mate for kindle.
Books by Michael Dirda. This person was writing a literary-horoscope in many publications, and ‘Browsings’ is a collection of his works. An entertaining read. Browsings gives a good idea of the world of books.
The Times Literary Supplement (TLS). There is a website. Link: