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May 26, 2006
Getting Back on Track
I had a funky insight today as I was driving home from library work and dinner with Tim before his night class. I can write my dissertation like a blog! Not meaning that I can be as informal in the dissertation as I can be in the blog, but that when I write on the blog (or in our not-high-tech chronicles), I feel like I have a story I'm trying to communicate. Now despite the fact that I use more formal/academic language in my dissertation, the main point is that there is a story that needs to be told, and I want to tell it.
I'm hoping my new insight will help keep my dissertation from being too dry! Someday, I would love to be one of those scholarly writers who's beauty of prose keeps readers fascinated and engaged with the material at hand. Maybe this will help my find My Voice!
When I got home, I wrote out two pages (still rough) introducing my current chapter. I've been trying to find some direction (a story to tell!) and I think I've finally found it. Actually, there are several stories to tell, but I think that I have found a way to weave together the narrative threads.
I've also been interviewing--through e-mail a couple of real composers. One of the composers has shared his life experience as it relates to shape-note hymns. I've been in a happy sort of glow most of the day. It's a nice not-an-ivory-tower feeling to engage with an interesting person, who's kindly shared his life with me. And now I have the opportunity to help tell his story through my dissertation.
Meanwhile, I'm going to do a bit of searching and try to find out how other scholars have successfully incorporated interviews into their dissertation or other research.
And a last little dissertating bit New Kid on the Hallway blogged about a fun writing resource--you can make word count goals, analyze your writing style, or even just generate a random word for inspiration.
dissertation | By Tim and Jo | 01:00 AM
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Comments
Cool. Cool. Cool.
I remember when trying to get over a writer's block in my SIP, my advisor said, "just write the story of x, don't worry about anything else, just tell its story, then we'll talk later." That bit of advice totally made my SIP, and I've never felt more My Voice-y.
Yea, I saw the Word Counter on NK's blog, too. The only problem for me, though, is that it would expose how little I write. :-P
Posted by: Jeannette at May 29, 2006 11:33 AM