Is it me or PhD programs not prepare you to *write* the dissertation? Plenty of theory and method courses but nothing on what a dissertation looks like and what it’s supposed to do

I think some people are confusing *what* a dissertation is with ways we have made do without a guide. Writing groups do not layout how a dissertation is different than 5-6 journal articles, for example, and why that difference matters.

This is not to say writing groups are not helpful for writing. They are. It is only to point out that instead of reaching around in the dark alone, the writing group allows you all to reach together in the dark