Something that helped: asking questions

A few days ago, I read Clarissa's basic rules for scholarly writing and found a couple of things worth thinking about. In particular, I found the following section most immediately useful:

Create a specific question you will be answering. The question should begin with an interrogatory word (why, when, how, why, etc.) and end in a question mark. "I'm going to write about Cervantes" or "I'm going to write about Galdos's modernity" are not good essay topics. They will confuse you and create a very watered down, imprecise piece of writing. The best thing to do is to come up with a specific question, write it on a cue card, and stick it in front of the computer screen. Then, every sentence you write should be aimed at answering this particular question and not spread out into other topics.

I realized that I could not answer a specific question about my chapter because I didn't have it boiled down to that point. Since then, I've worked to come up with the right questions that really reflect what I'm doing. And you know what? It's really useful. The chapter organization seems much more logical and imperative, and I have a clearer vision about where it's going. I have a feeling that it will also pay off in the writing itself, but that remains to be seen.

Blogging through the pain

Okay, so the summer was bad for productivity and the fall wasn't much better. And, yet, here we are. With the prospectus passed, I have a momentary feeling of hope and a commitment (once again) to work. To writing. My new deadline is April 21. Chapter One must be in excellent shape by then so I won't feel like I'm submitting complete crap to my co-advisers. They do not like crap. They do not deserve crap. Thus, I will be writing crap and then revising it into something slightly less so. But that means that I need to have it fully drafted into something manageable within about a month. So, March 21, watch out! Here I come...

The work starts tomorrow with some reading and note-taking. Then with some outlining and some planning. I will work in tiny chunks: 1250 words a day is all I need to do to get somewhere. I'm pretty sure that four days a week of 1250 words each day will get me to someplace fairly decent in the span of four weeks. That would mean I could achieve 5000 words a week and 20,000 words in four weeks. If 250 words is approximately one page (double-spaced), then that means I'd have 80 (double-spaced) pages by March 21. Then those 80 pages can be trimmed down to a much sleeker and more stylish 50-60 pages, which hopefully will be met with praise, or at least positive critical encouragement, from my brilliant co-advisers.

But is this a reasonable goal? I don't know. I'll take it one day at a time. Tomorrow is Friday, my first work day of the week after a kind of crazy week with my sister, work, and way too much socializing. Time for some books and quiet and my little happy typing fingers. I still can't believe that all that lies between me and a PEE-AITCH-DEE (and that silly hat) is a bunch of writing. Just me, my books, my laptop, and my advisers. Hoo boy. I feel excited and scared and happy all at once. Lots of positive energy right now, actually. But how long will I be able to ride this wave? I don't know. I'm counting on the blog to help alleviate any pain that arises. Don't fail me now, nonexistent readers. I need you.

And, so, this entry concludes with a brief celebratory moment. Cue confetti! Cue the streamers! Cue the noisemakers! Loud horns of exclamation for Jeff! Raucous banging of the drums for Anne! We're off to the races, folks, and we will be blogging the revolution. Stay tuned for further castle-storming.

My prospectus is done

Yes, it has taken me months, and my high-productivity summer wasn't highly productive. But all is not lost, no friends, all is not lost.

Indeed, I have hurdled the final institutional hurdle between me and full-time dissertating and have successfully submitted my prospectus and have already put it out of my mind. It's like the dream that seemed so real while it lasted, but then dissipates before breakfast.

It's done, so perhaps the less said the better. It was a step of institutional necessity but not one that really provided me much value (to be frank) (maybe I'll change my opinion later, but I'm not banking on it), and I'm glad to be through with it.

But now I feel some (little) exhilaration that is giving me some temporary momentum. I wish I could say it was real momentum, but history has shown me that usually this kind of burst is short-lived. So with that realization, I'm going to do my best to translate as much of it as I can into something more substantial.

And I'm setting ambitious goals. My first goal is a little crazy: I'm going to have my first chapter organized and roughly written by the end of next week. It would be crazier if I hadn't been putting together notes and (rough rough rough) rough draft work for the past six months or so. It will be mostly the work of doing some organization (so I tell myself; we'll see how I feel in a couple of days).

Mostly I need to say welcome back to the blog. Welcome back, Anne; welcome back, Jeff. Now we're off to the races.