Monday, December 20, 2004

You'd think I'd be happy to have another week to work on this proposal, but I'm really aggravated that now it's going to drag out over Christmas, too. Advisor wants me to get it a lot more finished before I send it out to my committee. And it needs to be a lot more complete before I can begin to think about polishing it. She also suggested some reasonable changes to the structure, which is good, except that I had just begun feeling like I had a handle on how I wanted to present the literature. Now I feel all confused and inchoate, like the whole thing is suddenly a pile of random data bricks again instead of a brick data box.

She pointed out that it is hard for me to write out the thoughts she knows are in my head. "Writing is hard for you." And she's right! What is my deal? Why is this so hard for me? I know the research I want to do, and I know why, but I am really sick of looking up someone else's research to cite after every single statement I make in order to convince someone else of my research design. Like this:

One graduate student mentioned that she was really, really tired of writing (Lizardo, 2004; 2003; 2002). Others have also stated this (Colleague and Coworker, 2003; Student, 2004, 2001). This seems like an obvious point, but one must find sources for every single bleeping sentence in the manuscript (Fedup, 2004; Headachey, 2003, 2002). Otherwise, the paper will be immediately burned in the trash can (Garbagio, 1987) before being flushed down the toilet (Crapper, 1886) by one's committee.

What this means is that when I write even a smallish 20-page document, it takes WEEKS just due to my having to stop at every sentence and make sure someone else said it before me. Assuming I can find a text that does say it, of course.

5 comments:

brainhell said...

Good luck on your proposal and your doctorate.

Andrew said...

Walt: Dad, what's gradual school?
Garp: Gradual school?
Walt: Yeah. Mom says her work's more fun now that she's teaching gradual school.
Garp: Oh. Well, gradual school is someplace you go and gradually find out that you don't want to go to school anymore.
-- The World According To Garp

liz said...

Well, *I* think of good ol' Wretched every time someone tries to give out unwanted massages in the workplace.

argotnaut said...

I HATE citing for absorbed knowledge!

Try using these:

"Everybody knows that . . . "

"It's obvious to me (and anyone with half a brain) that . . . "

"I read an article somewhere once that said . . ."

Liddy said...

And just why does someone else saying it make it more true than if you say it yourself? I've heard a lot of good gossip in the scholarly literature of my field, thanks.