Posted by shar on January 24, 2004, at 0:55:38
In reply to Trivial but not so trivial to this OCd sufferer, posted by QuietHeart on January 23, 2004, at 23:33:31
I used to teach a class called "Making Progress on Your Dissertation or Thesis" because it took me six years to get mine done, and I knew others were in the same boat.
Here are some of the ideas:
You don't have to start at the beginning. Write that part of the paper that is most interesting to you, or that you are most jazzed about. Even if you don't particularly feel excited, there is probably some part of it that will be more interesting to you.
Do whatever is easiest first. Because you don't have to start at the beginning, you can do the easiest part first. And the hard parts take care of themselves.
I told folks you can't write a dissertation, but you can write a sentence, or a section, or a paragraph, or a page. So, don't think "paper" think more in terms of an idea you might want to convey, or what paragraph you might want to write.
There is no one right way. Whatever you need to do to get started, that's what you should do. We all have our little rituals (or big ones) or special paper, or pen, and for women a lot of them have to clean the house (or tidy up a bit) before they can sit down to write. It is good to have an area devoted to your work, even if it is a box where you keep everything together. Having a designated area also helps prevent stimulus overload. The area should not be your whole house; you have a life other than your work, and your life needs an area for it.
You should have at least one draft that is/can be simply awful. It may be an outline, random ideas, some sentences, some paragraphs, don't worry about grammar, spelling, form at this point. This is for your eyes only and can be as big a mess as you want, or neat (unless neat = perfect). Many students who have profs that publish a lot have the idea that the profs just sit down and write out this sterling stuff, and I can tell you it ain't so.
Outlines are good as you get further along in organizing your paper, because it's easier to change an outline than to change chapters or sections of a paper.
This is not going to be your greatest work (magnum opus), because we start at the bottom and our greatest work will come later in our careers. Your major goal at this point is to get it out the door; do well enough to receive a passing grade, and turn it in, and let it go.
Work at least 4 hours a week, and PLAY at least 4 hours a week. I used to have students report at every meeting on what they did in both areas. Since you are time-limited, you may have to work more, but also continue to PLAY so your mind can rest.
Tell the story. When you write, just tell the story, as it has unfolded. Try to limit embroidery in sentences, be as straightforward as you can, use a simple and comprehensible style.
Hope some of those help.
Shar
poster:shar
thread:304874
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20040120/msgs/304889.html