Thesis

[TerokNor]

Is it permitted to have a little Thesis-rant-threat?
Hope so...

I am SO frustraited! I sit here and stare at the monitor, but I manage to write like half a page per day (if at all)...and it all sounds plain stupid. My head feels chaotic, my rooms already chaotic, books and papers everywhere, mixed in with clothes and what not and outside, the sun is shining, the trees getting greener every day, the flowers are in colourfull bloom, birds are shirping, buildings nests, being busy with the important things in life... since months its one test after the other and now that stupid thesis. I don´t like scientific writing...especially not with pressure behind. If I don´t manage to get faster in writing my thesis I will run out of time. I´d rather run free outside, then being shut in with that thesis. I´d rather read some other books, then that Mount Everest of Books I have to read for the thesis. Some of the books I do read outside, but I cannot concentrate very well there, because there are just nicer things to look at outside than white pages and black letters with thing I have to read, if I want or not. But then I also can´t concentrate inside, because there are windows that let me see outside, but when I close the shutters its too dark, than I get tired and fall to sleep.
I feel so much enrgy inside me, but sadly no energy at all for the thesis right now and that worries me to no end, because I certainly do not want to fail it.
*sigh* Yeah, feel a bit self-pittyish right now, though I know all my study-mates are in the same boat and many many more are too. But what a strange world that is, making people learn through pressure. I personally under normal circumstances enjoy learning, but as soon as grades come along it takes away the fun.

TerokNor

 

[Jadzia]

Do you have a laptop so you can sit in the garden and write thesis at the same time?

Or a pencil and A4 pad? Is computer necessary to write thesis?

 

[Spot's Meow]

I was feeling very similar about a year ago. To motivate yourself you have to imagine how wonderful and magical your life will be after the thesis is completed. I made lists of all the things I wanted to do when I had free time again, and that helped me to get through the reading and writing more quickly so I could get to the fun stuff. My writing techniques probably wouldn't work that well for you since I tend to write nothing for a month and then push out tons of pages in just a day, and it sounds like you don't work like that. As for the reading, you just have to dig in and do it. It took me a full year to recover and feel like looking at any book again, but now that enough time has passed I have started to read for pleasure again.

 

[Goliath]

I hear you, TerokNor.

I just finished indexing my book.

And what's my reward for completing this Herculean task? This slaying of the indexical Lernean Hydra? This cleansing of the academic Augean Stables?

A pile of term papers and final exams to mark.

I wish I had some helpful advice to give you, but in my experience, there's just no substitute for gritting your teeth and forcing yourself to write.

The American crime novelist David Goodis once said that, "Writing is the art of connecting the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair." I had that quote taped to my computer monitor when I was completing my dissertation.

But I later turned that dissertation into a book. The same book I finished indexing today. So take heart.

 

[Mary Ann]

Urgh, it's bad enough being stuck indoors in front of a computer writing an undergrad paper (mine's due Wednesday) when the sun is shining, never mind a thesis. I really like Spot's Meow's idea of writing a list of things you an do can do when you've finished your thesis, but be sure to allow yourself the occasional reward while you're still working on it. Would it help to set smaller goals, such as a small reward after you've read a certain amount of pages? See what works for you, and remind yourself that all your hard work will be worth it, and the sun will still be shining when you've finished.

 

[TerokNor]

Thanks for the advices. Yes, I know all I can do is just...doing it and write it... maybe tomorrow is a better writing day than today. Hope dies last, huh?
Wednesday I will drive to all the institution that will take part in my reserach part of the thesis, maybe when thats on the run, I can concentrate better on the theory part.. Is that actually normal to have to do a research part? I though that first comes with the Master?
And I do write mostly on the laptop, but outside I am even more distracted. Well at least the laptop is not online, like this computer.
A list..hm.. yes, good idea I´ll do that. Thanks.
Good sucess with your paper as well and with marking the papers!

TerokNor

 

[Naira]

I feel you. I sat 11 hours straight in front of my PC today writing a paper. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do other than trying to concentrate. At least, the beginning is usually the worst part. After you get past the "staring at a blank page" stage, re-writing and modifying your text and re-shaping it is usually easier...

 

[sojourner]

I have a Thesis Monkey. Great help on these things and a fun pet too!

 

[John O.]

I feel you. I don't have a thesis yet (I'm a Masters Non-thesis) but I just finished up a huge photovoltaics paper that drained me, mentally and physically. I haven't slept in like 40 hours. I'm about to go pass out, actually.

But on top of that - I didn't forget, I just kept having things stack on top of it - I have a presentation in rocket propulsion on Friday on Flow SEparation, and I haven't done anything! I know a fair bit about it but.... I need to .... demonstrate modern methods for... controlling...stopping...manipulating... etc...

And after december it's PhD thesis time!

 

[TerokNor]

Oh wow. That indeed sounds stressful! Good luck for this way!

And naira..oh yes, the beginning is really hard, though what annoys me most are all the regulations and the quoting.

TerokNor

 

[Holdfast]

I just finished indexing my book.

Isn't there software that does this for you? I seem to recall a friend of mine who's had books published saying there was, but I can't say I was paying a lot of attention at the time so may have got the wrong end of the stick.

 

[galleywest]

Hah! This is so funny because I am here online trying to completely avoid writing a research proposal based on my thesis work. See? We're all in the same boat. At least you're not alone.

How to make it better, I don't know. If you figure that out, please let me know! What is your thesis about?

 

[Lookingglassman]

I am so glad I am no longer in school

 

[Gaith]

... and moi, that I never did a thesis.

 

[Goliath]

I just finished indexing my book.

Isn't there software that does this for you? I seem to recall a friend of mine who's had books published saying there was, but I can't say I was paying a lot of attention at the time so may have got the wrong end of the stick.

There may be, but if there is, I'm not familiar with it.

I will say, though--having the proofs in (searchable) PDF form made the whole thing much easier.

Indexing a book manuscript by hand must be a fucking nightmare.

I met British historian Colin Matthew shortly before he died, and he talked to us about all the work involved in indexing the Gladstone diaries. By hand. I can't imagine.

 

[TerokNor]

Hah! This is so funny because I am here online trying to completely avoid writing a research proposal based on my thesis work. See? We're all in the same boat. At least you're not alone.

How to make it better, I don't know. If you figure that out, please let me know! What is your thesis about?

Will let you know.
I am writing about a specific quality aspect of nursery education (0-3 year olds), has a lot to do with bonding, child development, Pikler paedagogic and interaction between people and recent political development concerning nurseries and the qualification of the people working with the young ones and such. My research project takes place in 11 different nurseries with around 30 nursery teachers...hope thats enough...never did research before. Though the Prof said it hasn´t to be representative.
What did you write about?

TerokNor

 

[Jadzia]

I just finished indexing my book.

Isn't there software that does this for you? I seem to recall a friend of mine who's had books published saying there was, but I can't say I was paying a lot of attention at the time so may have got the wrong end of the stick.

There may be, but if there is, I'm not familiar with it.

I'm sure I could make a program which does that.

 

[TerokNor]

NO! Now I am near PANIC! I have 2 professors, my main one and the second one. My main one isn´t there right now, so I went to the second one and she said what I want to put in my thesis is more like at least 4 thesises. Now I have no idea what to do, that plan how to write it that started to form in my head is destroyed and nothing works out!!!!!

TerokNor

 

[Finn]

Is there a rubric or guidelines for it? Yeah, different profs would tell me different things.

 

[Goliath]

Isn't there software that does this for you? I seem to recall a friend of mine who's had books published saying there was, but I can't say I was paying a lot of attention at the time so may have got the wrong end of the stick.

There may be, but if there is, I'm not familiar with it.

I'm sure I could make a program which does that.

Well, then--you should do so. I'm sure there are authors that would buy it.

Ideally, such a program would do something like the following:

If the index has an entry for "shrimp, plate of," I input the search term "plate of shrimp," and come up with six hits, on pages 2, 6, 7, 13, 23 and 56.

I check each of these entries, and delete the entry on page 13 for being a "mere mention".

Then when I click "OK," or something, the program generates an index entry: "shrimp, plate of, 2, 6-7, 23, 56". This is then added to the index document, in alphabetical order.

It should also have the capacity to cross-reference. If my index also has entries for "shrimp" and "plates," it should allow me to add the pages for "shrimp, plate of" to both.

Now that I think about it--that sounds like exactly the kind of task that these newfangled computing machines are designed to perform. Funny that it never occurred to me to check and see if I could purchase some software to save me some labour.

Oh, well--I should really harness up the horses, and drive my buggy to work.