FRANCESCA LYN
  • Bio
  • CV
  • Writing
  • Research
  • Comics
  • Blog
  • Contact

Stress, Academia,and Writing

11/7/2017

0 Comments

 
I have been struggling with my own feelings of inertia. I feel like everyone I know is moving, learning, and growing.  I had a few major problems that severely impacted my progress on my dissertation. Unfortunately I had to make a significant change with my dissertation committee. I am lucky that I have a great advisor and have had a lot of other support. I made the right choice and I am proud of myself for getting out of an untenable place. However, this has set me back in a few ways. 
It was an incredibly stressful situation. This process has caused me to lose self-confidence. It also took a lot of time. Time I can't get back. It took me awhile to realize how angry I was about this.
I am incredibly grateful that my current committee is in place but I still feel like I am struggling to put myself together. Imposter syndrome? Maybe. It's hard to say. I know I put a lot of pressure on myself. 
I was talking to a friend about exactly what I want out of my dissertation. We identified three components: quality writing, creation of new knowledge, and depth of mastery. Each of these components. has some overlap but I separated them out because I see them as goals I want to achieve. I view quality writing as writing precisely and with a bit of style. A lot of dissertations I have looked at are so dry that they are lifeless. Creation of new knowledge means not just regurgitating existing scholarship. I think it also means being a bit daring. Depth of mastery means demonstrating that I can engage with my primary sources and the existing scholarship. 
So, where does that leave me? Writing is actually going fairly well. I am in the middle of the third chapter of my dissertation and I know I have to start writing a bit faster to get done. However, being mindful of these components might make it a bit easier to keep everything in perspective. I hope! 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Francesca Lyn

    MATX @ VCU

    Archives

    February 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    October 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014

    Categories

    All
    Branding
    Conferences
    Digital America
    FAQ
    Introduction

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Bio
  • CV
  • Writing
  • Research
  • Comics
  • Blog
  • Contact