Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Checking In (finally)

Hello, everyone. I'm such a bad, bad blogger and bootcamper. [hangs head in shame] I haven't posted anything in quite a while, but I have been reading posts, and I've been peeking in on your blogs. You all rock so hard!

Over the past few months, I've just focused as much as I could on the dissertation and really, very little else. Over the span of three months, I worked on the thing EVERY DAY. In some ways, that's a good thing, but in others . . . well, not so much. It exhausted me. And I'm not sure I got as far as I thought I did originally. I drafted a lot of material, but not a lot of it made sense, and it needs a lot of work to get into a quality that's acceptable. But I guess that's just my process.

Now that school's back in session, I'm coming up to a more manageable schedule . . . not marathon writing sessions, but sessions that are shorter and clearly more productive, an hour here, a half hour there . . . that sort of thing.

I read the post about job search costs and just about fell over. Crap. I really thought that I might do a limited search this year (full blown next year), but I'm really not sure I could afford to do it twice. Egads. Thanks for posting that, Meagan.

How are you all doing? Where are you in "the process"?

4 comments:

Meagan said...

Billie- I'm so impressed that you've been getting writing done every day. That is a wonderful accomplishment, and I hope that you're proud of yourself for doing it.

Now keep doing it.

:)

I've taken a step back from writing-- I'm doing a little more reading on Discourse analysis (hello, Gee!) before I finish my data collection. I'm not writing right now, and I feel some guilt about that, but I am doing useful and productive diss work, so I keep reminding myself of that.

Unknown said...

I am composing exam proposals, although I have been fortunate enough to get the bibs approved. So, right now I am just beginning to think about HOW I need to read all of this stuff. I am excited, though. And I am beginning to feel like a "real" scholar, so that's good, right?

Will you be joining us this year at CCCC's? Tamika and I will be there with bells on!

Fish-Stick said...

I really hope I get through this month of two conferences followed by my last comprehensive exam. I think I have enough time. I think I have enough discipline. I think I'm a little choo-choo train.

Now that I'm done with my tons of comps readings, I am starting to regret the cryptic and acrostic notes that I uselessly took from so many books.

Does anyone have good methods for efficiently and effectively getting the good stuff from a good book...or not forgetting about the measly ones so that you don't try to "efficient and effective" them again in some unmemorable way?

Abby said...

As for where I'm at: not writing everyday. I wish that weren't true. My writing sample continues to be a struggle. A struggle and a half, really. Not sure why. Too much pressure, maybe. On the up side, I've applied to 20 jobs so far (those that don't yet want a writing sample!) and, as soon as two of my letter writers get their letters posted, I can apply to about 20 more (if I want). So that's all going okay.

To fishstick: I'm bad at effective notetaking. I wish it weren't true. But it is. So I concur -- if anyone has some good advice, I'll take it too.