On the business of writing: becoming a lean-mean-paper-writing-machine.
Its that time of the year again - I'm a lean mean paper-writing machine.
Our center doesn't offer a dissertation component in MA. Instead, every semester, at least half our courses have a term paper requirement.
Given I am close to writing perhaps my tenth term paper, I'm obviously a pro at this.
The process or the enthusiasm for writing really always begins at the first class. The professor throws some light on what the course requirements are. You find out that at least one, if not two, of the four credits will be fulfilled when you turn in a 2000, or a 3000, or a 5000 words long paper. Studying a subject that is very 'academic' and at a University where an 'academic' career is kept on a pedestal, writing a paper has a lot of potential. Apart from getting a good grade, a higher aim could be to get it published.
Ideally, you have about two or three months to submit the paper. So a plan would be to figure out your topic over a month perhaps, work on the paper over the next month and then turn it in. SOUNDS PERFECT!
Except, life happens. And it's weird how on that first day, at class, you forget to factor in this very important factor. And it is ironical, given how monumental a factor it is.
So you leave class, optimistic about making this paper the one. Perhaps, it will mark the beginning of your academic career. (Or maybe that's a lot of expectation to pin on a term paper). The prof gives you a tentative deadline by which you should have thought about your topic and discussed and/or informed the prof about it. It's do-able, in your mind. After all, you have a few weeks and topic-picking possibly cant take longer.
And then, you enter lala land.
Till about the time you see some of your classmates hanging outside of your professor's office OR you're wiser and your personal tentative date to start thinking about the topic comes along, it's all lala land. It's also about attending classes, chilling after class, thinking about thinking of your topic, about a plan with friends or an upcoming wedding in the family.
Then perhaps, you finally take a couple of broad ideas and decide its D-day. Maybe they say yes to the first idea and that's it, you're stuck with figuring out what you're actually going to do with it. Or, the discussion ends up becoming one-sided and you end up leaving the room wondering if you understood what you just got into.
Either way, honestly and unfortunately, your brain goes back to lala land till at the very least, two weeks before the deadline. Looking at the date suddenly reminds you that paper writing is imminent. Of course, during your stay in lala land the second time around, you do accidentally Google-search your topic. In fact, if the prof requires you to submit and abstract, you have more than just basic Google-searched it - you may have some articles to start with. And so, with a couple of weeks to go, you think you can wing it. A few articles in "New Folder (3)", soon to be renamed is a good start, you feel.
Of course, those two weeks will also remind you of further deadlines and presentations. [And this time around, we had a field trip welcoming us onto the onslaught of deadlines. Here, eat some organic food before heading on to mechanically produce some papers. So while you try to concentrate on the field work and beautiful surroundings and fresh air, the laptop lying unused in your backpack reminds you of what awaits you.]
Anyway, you begin your search for material to read (or skim through, as you please). You download as many as you can - sometimes fairly unrealistically. Sometimes, during this search period, you realise you need to change some basic terms in your topic itself because while it may have made sense before, the literature you're getting tells you otherwise. And you may feel the sudden urge to message people you haven't touched base with in months. You may additionally feel like watching House or Parks & Rec or 30 Rock or Gilmore Girls marathons. Junk food and lots of sleep feel essential to your thought process and brainstorming sessions.
As you get closer to the deadline, you start talking to your friends about their progress. Most of them seem to be on the same page as you, more or less on the same level of panic (which isn't too much at that point). We all know at least one person who is ahead of the curve and on the verge of submitting the paper well ahead of the deadline (i.e. maybe 1 or 2 days before the deadline). You wish you're inspired by that person. You really do. Then you give in to who you truly are and take a long nap instead.
Sometimes, it is possible that a WhatsApp Group/Facebook Group message/Group email is created. All so that we have another medium through which to channelize our procrastination. Fairly thoughtful of the person. It is also the time that an insane number of selfies documenting boredom or clueless-ness and other such feelings are taken.
And then, it is T-24 hours. Fueled by coffee and other junk food, you tell yourself its now or never. And you promptly take a 10 minute power nap. Strangely, that is when the strong cup of filter kaapi decides to not act. You wake up and begin typing. While cursing yourself in between for not writing this before when there was more time. The cover page is ready before most of your points become paragraphs. You curse yourself also for finding excellent information just when hit the word limit. And then, as you race against time, you come face to face with the most annoying part of it all - citations and referencing. Even though you had budgeted time for this, it always takes longer. Sometimes, during all of this, you don't have it in you to keep your phone away once and for all, and finish this. Sometimes, you actually spend time checking messages and replying with "I'm really busy right now. Seriously, can't talk.", without realising that you wasted time.
And then, with the final touch - when you've finally made sure everything is in the same colour, same font and size - *fist pumps in the air*.
P.S. - To all my teachers who read this, I think you may have partly suspected this. Then again, lets make 'partly' the operative word here. :)
Our center doesn't offer a dissertation component in MA. Instead, every semester, at least half our courses have a term paper requirement.
Given I am close to writing perhaps my tenth term paper, I'm obviously a pro at this.
The process or the enthusiasm for writing really always begins at the first class. The professor throws some light on what the course requirements are. You find out that at least one, if not two, of the four credits will be fulfilled when you turn in a 2000, or a 3000, or a 5000 words long paper. Studying a subject that is very 'academic' and at a University where an 'academic' career is kept on a pedestal, writing a paper has a lot of potential. Apart from getting a good grade, a higher aim could be to get it published.
Ideally, you have about two or three months to submit the paper. So a plan would be to figure out your topic over a month perhaps, work on the paper over the next month and then turn it in. SOUNDS PERFECT!
Except, life happens. And it's weird how on that first day, at class, you forget to factor in this very important factor. And it is ironical, given how monumental a factor it is.
So you leave class, optimistic about making this paper the one. Perhaps, it will mark the beginning of your academic career. (Or maybe that's a lot of expectation to pin on a term paper). The prof gives you a tentative deadline by which you should have thought about your topic and discussed and/or informed the prof about it. It's do-able, in your mind. After all, you have a few weeks and topic-picking possibly cant take longer.
And then, you enter lala land.
Till about the time you see some of your classmates hanging outside of your professor's office OR you're wiser and your personal tentative date to start thinking about the topic comes along, it's all lala land. It's also about attending classes, chilling after class, thinking about thinking of your topic, about a plan with friends or an upcoming wedding in the family.
Then perhaps, you finally take a couple of broad ideas and decide its D-day. Maybe they say yes to the first idea and that's it, you're stuck with figuring out what you're actually going to do with it. Or, the discussion ends up becoming one-sided and you end up leaving the room wondering if you understood what you just got into.
Either way, honestly and unfortunately, your brain goes back to lala land till at the very least, two weeks before the deadline. Looking at the date suddenly reminds you that paper writing is imminent. Of course, during your stay in lala land the second time around, you do accidentally Google-search your topic. In fact, if the prof requires you to submit and abstract, you have more than just basic Google-searched it - you may have some articles to start with. And so, with a couple of weeks to go, you think you can wing it. A few articles in "New Folder (3)", soon to be renamed is a good start, you feel.
Of course, those two weeks will also remind you of further deadlines and presentations. [And this time around, we had a field trip welcoming us onto the onslaught of deadlines. Here, eat some organic food before heading on to mechanically produce some papers. So while you try to concentrate on the field work and beautiful surroundings and fresh air, the laptop lying unused in your backpack reminds you of what awaits you.]
Anyway, you begin your search for material to read (or skim through, as you please). You download as many as you can - sometimes fairly unrealistically. Sometimes, during this search period, you realise you need to change some basic terms in your topic itself because while it may have made sense before, the literature you're getting tells you otherwise. And you may feel the sudden urge to message people you haven't touched base with in months. You may additionally feel like watching House or Parks & Rec or 30 Rock or Gilmore Girls marathons. Junk food and lots of sleep feel essential to your thought process and brainstorming sessions.
As you get closer to the deadline, you start talking to your friends about their progress. Most of them seem to be on the same page as you, more or less on the same level of panic (which isn't too much at that point). We all know at least one person who is ahead of the curve and on the verge of submitting the paper well ahead of the deadline (i.e. maybe 1 or 2 days before the deadline). You wish you're inspired by that person. You really do. Then you give in to who you truly are and take a long nap instead.
Sometimes, it is possible that a WhatsApp Group/Facebook Group message/Group email is created. All so that we have another medium through which to channelize our procrastination. Fairly thoughtful of the person. It is also the time that an insane number of selfies documenting boredom or clueless-ness and other such feelings are taken.
And then, it is T-24 hours. Fueled by coffee and other junk food, you tell yourself its now or never. And you promptly take a 10 minute power nap. Strangely, that is when the strong cup of filter kaapi decides to not act. You wake up and begin typing. While cursing yourself in between for not writing this before when there was more time. The cover page is ready before most of your points become paragraphs. You curse yourself also for finding excellent information just when hit the word limit. And then, as you race against time, you come face to face with the most annoying part of it all - citations and referencing. Even though you had budgeted time for this, it always takes longer. Sometimes, during all of this, you don't have it in you to keep your phone away once and for all, and finish this. Sometimes, you actually spend time checking messages and replying with "I'm really busy right now. Seriously, can't talk.", without realising that you wasted time.
And then, with the final touch - when you've finally made sure everything is in the same colour, same font and size - *fist pumps in the air*.
P.S. - To all my teachers who read this, I think you may have partly suspected this. Then again, lets make 'partly' the operative word here. :)
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