As I wrap up my Ph.D., I’m going to share thoughts about the process of writing a dissertation.
3/3/26 • 2 min read
I plan on blogging about my dissertation process, and I figured I’d start with something basic — my choice of writing tools. I wanted to use some less traditional tools when writing my dissertation. When I’m writing for myself, I write in Markdown, usually in an app like Ulysses. I considered something more robust like Scrivener. But neither Ulysses nor Scrivener works easily with Zotero, my chosen citation management program which already contains years of sources and notes on my topic. I was intrigued by Essayist, a new academic writing tool for Mac, iPad and iPhone. It looks well-designed, but has its own built in citation manager. Theoretically, I could export my Zotero Library in a BibTeX format and import the entries into Essayist, but I’m just not confident it will work.
That leaves me with two options: Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
I want to be able to write on my Mac or iPad so honestly, Microsoft Word is the better option for me. Google Docs is frustrating to use outside of a desktop browser. Subscription cost isn’t an issue since the University of South Carolina is a Microsoft school and we’ve already got an Office 365 subscription. It’s a boring choice, but given my requirements, it’s the right choice.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
1/1/26 • 1 min read
Each year, I set a theme for the year. Last year was incremental progress. I did write a lot during the year, and I released some new typefaces, but I wasn’t able to reach my health goals and organization is still something I want to continue to work on.
For this year, I’m excited about a fresh start. I start an exciting new job (that’s really a completely different career). I’ve finished all of my Ph.D. classwork, so I’m just focused on my dissertation now. With those two clean slates, I’m going to focus on building a healthy routine and organizational plan to support it. I’m optimistic about the year ahead.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
12/27/25 • 3 min read
I was thinking this morning about goals and themes for 2026, but as I thought through my plans, I realized that 2026 is going to be a big year for me and my family.
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New job. I have a new job, and it’s a massive shift from what I’ve done for the last thirty years. I’m excited, but I have a lot to learn. Thankfully, I have a supportive team and I’m still at the university that I love. I officially worked a week in the new job in 2025, but I hit the ground running on January 2. Excited for the fresh start.
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Dr. Wertz? I’ve finished all of my coursework for my Ph.D in Mass Communications. The only requirements left are my comprehensive exams and my dissertation. In theory, I should be able to accomplish everything in time for a December hooding. That’s the goal, but we’ll see. With everything else going on in 2026, I may need to push things back a semester and finish in early 2027.
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Another grad. My middle child, Jill, will graduate from high school this year. Lots of traditions and celebrations ahead this spring, and then, late this summer, we move her into college. (She was just accepted into the University of South Carolina Honors College, which was really her first choice. One or two other schools out there that are a possibility, but hopefully, she’ll be on campus with her sister Norah next year.)
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Lacrosse. My youngest, Ryan, is an 8th grade lacrosse goalie. He’ll either be playing junior varsity lacrosse, or be on a C team. He’s reached the point where he’ll be playing with a travel team in the off season. So we’ll be shuttling him to and from practices, and traveling to games. It will be fun and I’m looking forward to the season, but it’s a lot of scheduling and logistics.
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Everything else. In addition to all of that, my wife is continuing to fly through her Ph.D. program and our oldest is getting closed to finishing her art education degree. We want to get healthier. I’ve got some projects to complete around the house. I’m still doing some type design and consulting.
So as I am thinking through my themes for next year — which I typically post on New Year’s Eve — I need to place them in the context of what all is going on in 2026. I’m excited for the year and really think 2026 will be an incredibly rewarding year for me and my family.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.