can be very daunting to sit down and start to write something It but with the of computers and the wonderful ability to cut and paste, delete and rewrite endlessly and painlessly, we can build up a written piece methodically, in stages, starting with the things we are sure about and want to communicate in a free what Becker (1986) calls freewriting writing style, for yourself, without stopping to check references, spelling and grammar (Wolcott 2001). A title, or even a passage or two sum marising what you are saying, can really help. You will be surprised how many times people try to write something when they don't really know what they are writing about. If you can summarise what you want to say in a few words, or sentences, it will help keep you focussed as you write. As you go along try to establish what it is you are doing. I know these are difficult to distinguish exactly, but you should try to separate description from explanation, if only to keep you sane as you write. You will often, as I said in the previous chapter, begin analysis with some description of your setting, your group, the individuals and some background infor- mation, and then move on to look at some of the themes more closely, using concepts and theories to help you organise and make sense of it all. However, sometimes the actual act of writing can help you decide what you want to say, so don't keep putting it off until you are completely organised. Think and write about what you want to communicate and organise it all afterwards if it suits you to do it that way (it is certainly how this book got written). Don't forget that most effective writing goes through a substantial number of revisions (Berg 2004, Walker 1987). Many first-time writers are unaware of how many times a piece of work