I was always good at taking essay or short answer exams at school, actually they were my preference.
To put it mildly ... I am a good bull-shitter and essay questions are just a few facts with plenty of BS to fill the sheet.
I think I have mentioned that I am going to school towards my Masters Degree in Quality (see I really am a true Quality Weenie) and have completed all my required classess.
But it just doesn't end there ..... noooooooo
I had to chose the stupid degree that is the only Masters program with a Thesis requirement. Which is the only thing I have left to do for my degree.
I have been putting it off for quite few months, but have gotten my motivation back since being laid-off in December
So I have been working on it, doing some research, typing up my Abstract, cover page, and simple pages like that.
Today I started into the meat of the paper, the introduction ...
Who the heck thought it would be this hard to write an introduction .... I have been working at it for 5 hours now and barely have a full page ...
This isn't going to be as easy as I thought it was .... crap.
Posted by Quality Weenie at April 4, 2007 02:18 PM | TrackBackOnce you get the degree, you'll become a Quality Mistress.
I can just picture you now, clad in black leather, wielding a whip, and shouting "Keep it in spec, WORM!" :-)
Posted by: Harvey at April 5, 2007 09:30 AMHey sista-friend! Good for you that you're doing something positive with your time and getting your degree out of the way. Two of my jobs in Grad school was writing related.
1) Taught writing to Grads and Undergrads on Research Papers.
2) Which led to a job in the Grad Writing Center where I helped Grads & PhD candidates write, proof & edit their papers before submission. None of my students papers ever got rejected or
disqualified.
That's a long ass way to say 3 things:
(1) You should have 2 goals as you work on this paper: a)to keep you writing enthusiastically (b) to be productive without frustration and disappointment or any negative feelings surrounding the writing process.
(2) Try skipping the intro for now. Trust me on this okay. Instead, since you have a basic outline by now (at least I hope you do) write on some aspect or sub-topic that interests you.
(3) I'll be glad to help you with this process if you think it might help. I used to do it via email and over the phone with my students. So working with you in Canton would not be difficult.
Lastly a suggestion: Writing your paper should not be an exercise in torture. Spending 5 hrs on an intro, though amazing and commendable for your dedication & committment to your goal is not always a good idea because it probably has put a negative psychological crimper on this process. Lets test it shall we? What's the first thing you think of or reaction you have when I say: Okay, lets start working on your paper!
Let me know. : )
Hey, I got off my cell to come and comment and actually ask, how did things work out for you on Monday? Remember the luck thing. Well, I said a prayer instead.
Posted by: michele at April 5, 2007 09:51 AM