Step by Step

Step by Step: I am always amazed at the power of such a "small" saying...Yes, determination and "step-by-step-ed-ness" are really key attitudes to get my dissertation done, I strongly believe. I used to be more of a "binge writer" writing huge amounts one day and staring at the page/screen without nothing to say for weeks. Life (and my mentor!) and books I have read have persuaded me to do otherwise...In particular, I found the book How to Write a Lot particularly encouraging: something along the lines of "the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," if you know what I mean.

Yes!

Ah, the beauty of feeling that something major has indeed been accomplished! I have finished a big chunk of writing and you cannot imagine how good it feels. Hopefully the rain we will have tomorrow will be conducive to more productivity just like it did a couple of weeks ago.

Rainy Day, Productive Day

When spring sticks its lovely persona out and we are blessed with warm, sunny days, I get so excited after a long, dark, and snowy winter that I can hardly keep myself in check. It thus becomes really hard to get anything done on my dissertation. This weekend is definitely not the case: we are cursed with a rainy, rainy, rainy day after the other and I am blissfully typing away my review of the lit!

Off Topic But...

Hey CyberTrotters! Check out this irresistible strip by Roz Chast! It's totally off topic, but it's so good I thought I'd include it here. Well, maybe, it's not so off topic after all.

The First Version Update

The First Version writing technique is doing miracles! I expect to finish the dissertation in a week or so. Just kidding. Maybe not completely.

The First Version

In an attempt to plunge into the cool part of my dissertation writing I am experimenting with the First Version writing technique that Peter Elbow talks about in his Writing with Power book. So far it seems this technique has really unleashed a whole bunch of exciting thoughts and ideas. Peter is a saint! And so is my friend Barbara who recommended his book!

Philosophy

I started re-working on some introductory statements about the nature of suicide. I was reading some philosophically oriented text and the questions that were raised there were quite profound and unsettling: Is it cowardly? Is it sick? Is it a symptom of mental illness? Is it an expression of freedom? ... ... Quite a bit to ponder...

(Death and) Life

It is slowly dawning on me that, by focusing on death and self-inflicted deaths in particular, this project is actually giving me a chance to gain a better appreciation of life in all its various facets.

Speaking of Light...

...at the end of the tunnel, I was just thinking about "Ciaula Scopre la Luna" by Pirandello. I was introduced to it in 6th or 7th grade. Every time I re-read this piece the emotions are quite overwhelming...Wonderful!

Reading, Reading

I am reading and re-reading some general material to try to get my review of the lit. in shape. Will I ever see the light at the end of the tunnel?

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog about my dissertation! I'm a little anxious about it (understandably so, I guess), so I hope something good will come out of this!