Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Evolution of a Thesis

Constructing a thesis is a grueling job.  Anyone that says different is trying to fool you, or him/herself.

I have been "working" on my thesis for 5 months now and I have not written one complete page.

What I do have is an approved prospectus that I am no longer happy with and an outline that has undergone "construction" several times and is currently undergoing "expansion."

I have entertained the idea that I just simply suck at this.  That I should have gone for the optional "reading list" instead of attempting to tackle an 80-90 page thesis.

But as I sit here with my novels in front of me, with the research piled up in another room, with my desktop crowded with articles on the 3 topics I will (eventually) write about, I realize that this is part of the process. That I am where I should be.

I realize that I chose these novels to talk about because they mean something to me.  That I chose to write a thesis because I have something to say about what they mean to me.  And finally, that I am having so much difficulty committing words to paper because of how important it is to me that I say it right.

This will be the first body of work written by me, left for virtually anyone to read, and it will represent me, who I am and how I think at this point of my life, for the rest of my life.  (That's scary!)

I think I'll take my time

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