Murray (2002:72) in a useful resource ‘How to Write a Thesis’ encourages PhD writers to think about their expectations in terms of writing development in relation to their supervisors. Citing Brown and Atkins (1990) this resource distinguishes the following roles and relationships in the PhD supervision process. These roles have an important bearing on your writing development:

Relationships between student and Supervisor (Brown and Atkins (1990) cited in Murray 2002:72)
Director	Follower
Master	Servant
Guru	Disciple
Teacher	Pupil
Expert	Novice
Guide	Explore
Project Manager	Team worker
Auditor	Client
Editor	Author
Counsellor	Client
Doctor	Patient
Senior Partner	Junior professional
Colleague	Colleague
Friend	Friend

Murray (2002:72) continues to point out the influence of the supervisor/supervisee relationship by highlighting the following:

1. If you are cast in the role of ‘novice’ you will find it difficult to write with authority
2. If you play the role of ‘disciple’ you might feel the influence of your supervisor’s style in thinking and writing too strongly to find your own.
3. If you are cast in the role of ‘colleague’ you may feel that you cannot – yet, at the start – measure up to expectations.
4. What can you do if you are cast in a role that does not suit you, e.g. cast as expert when you feel that you are a novice, or as a novice when you feel you have some knowledge?
5. Will you act out the role assigned to you. Do you have the necessary acting skills?

By asking PhD writer how they can influence such ‘casting’ Murray says it will be useful to try and develop a common language about writing with supervisor, suggesting some useful points to discuss or to find about are:

• What is acceptable for early drafts
• What constitutes ‘good’ and ‘bad’ writing at this stage?
• What is required for each revision?
• How much and what kind of structure is expected in the beginning?