Packing for my stay in Mexico, I realised something: aside from the fact I’d have to pick which shoes/dresses/hair products to bring, I’d also have to make a tough decision regarding which literature I could fit (carry) in my two suitcases. Yes, hand luggage was still an option, but my bag was already bulging with my laptop, charger, camera, passport and important documents, a couple of packets of sweets (no Percy Pigs in the airport), my over-filled diary and more clutter I care to recall. What to bring? How do you pick between Molière’s dramatic comedy, Ruiz Zafón’s page-turning novels and Pratchett’s sarcastic fantasy? What about all the other loves in my life, the Arabic classic literature, the socio-economic tirades of South America, the sharp wit of America’s finest authors, or the Renaissance literature of Britain?

Although the word 'dissertation' has no poetry about it, we're here to help you inject some much-needed tempo and lyricism into your work. We're not going to get all Keats and Rimbaud on you, but here are a few pointers to get you writing something that has a) a clear point to make and b) structure.