A nod to Jenny's sagacity
It helped about a year ago, and it helps now:
I've been totally useless today. I just can't seem to get anything done. But I am looking at maybe finishing a draft of my second chapter by Monday. That's the good news. Of course, we'll see what the comments are like. No matter. I just keep writing. It might not be great--might not even be pretty good. Nevertheless, it is fifty pages of words with quotations and paragraphs and subheadings. If that ain't a chapter, then I don't know what is.
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Sounds like a chapter to me
I myself am meeting with Prof. Scary and Important Person for lunch tomorrow, and will be up all night cramming so I have a good answer to "what have you been doing all sumer" =P. Drop me a line, we should hang out soon!
Journey to Ithaca
I met w/Professor Scary
Just met w/my Scary today--learned I can't take my exams when I wanted. My wife is going to f**king kill me. Keep plugging.
Double Weird
Working Blue
Funny to see this, Clancy. It's unreal to think what happens in a year. I just spent my day getting keys to my office for my JOB. And a year ago, I felt like the idea of pulling my hair out wasn't sounding all that crazy.
As it turns out, the dissertation is now sitting in a box that I moved upstairs today. Is anyone on my committee reading it? Nope. Has anyone eagerly asked me for a copy? Nope. Have I re-read it? No way. Of course I'll have to return to it it revise, but that's just the thing--THE DISSERTATION IS JUST A FORMALITY. You write it to get it "okayed" by your committee. And you write it so that you have some solid ideas to talk about in job letters, interviews, etc. But don't get hung up on the diss's importance. I thought mine was a mountain. Turns out it wasn't.
It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be DONE.
thanks for this.
I'm in the midst of a meagre thesis, and it's good to know I'm not the first or last to lament the process of it all.