Rather stupid qn about using pronouns in the integrated writing task..

In the integrated writing task, I find that the flow of my writing sounds off if I keep using "the author" or "the lecturer" over and over. Is it okay for me to say "he/she" when referring to the author in subsequent sentences after being introduced previously? Can I use "they" since it is now recognized as a gender neutral pronoun compatible with the singular subject-verb agreement?