One tip from Garner's Legal Writing in Plain English (paraphrased from my memory):
If they are short paragraphs, consider setting some of them up as numbered bullet lists. It gives more white space and solves the problem of First, Second, etc.
Consider getting this book from your library or even buying it if you think you will be writing a lot. It has some really good ideas for how to change things around. And no, I have nothing to do with law. You just have to figure out the generic information that you can transfer into your writing style(s).

Hi Timefortea, unless it was originally a written quote, I don't think that it's vs. its matters as far as what you write. It could have been a simple transcription error. If it was originally written, you might consider the [correction] trick?

Thank you so much :-)

Could anybody get me a copy of either of these articles, please?

Is CSR Counterproductive In Developing Countries: The Unheard Voices of Change. by JAMALI & SIDANI in Journal of Change Management, Mar2011, 11(1) P 69

Citizenship narratives in the face of bad governance: the voices of the working poor in Bangladesh by Kabeer Naila in JOURNAL OF PEASANT STUDIES 38(2) P. 325

I am doing a qual. based project and have a fair bit on reliability and validity. One of my advisers was pretty hung up on that notion, so that is probably a factor in the 3+ pages that I have covering that issue.
Just a thought for you to chew over, if the examiners need to know about it, don't you have to write about it? The thesis is supposed to be able to (more or less) stand on its own merits.

Awesome job KB! (up)

I agree with Pink, she is just trying to get into your head. Don't worry about her deadlines unless they are critical to your viva prep and blame e-mail/computer/not caring for the delay in your response.

I would try to find out how firm the 5k word limit is. For my upgrade report, I went well over the limit and nobody cared. Learn the rules and then push them to just before they break. If the 5k is firm, write the other bits first and then see what you have left to play with (I am assuming you are talking about the Introduction).

I usually work with the "Tell them what you told them" idea. Recap what went on. Then again, I always start to ramble on when I do that. I don't stop the random musings of my mind until I just stop typing "what I told them". Then I set upon editing it to make it sound neat. A lot gets chucked out, but some of the things in my random writings make the cut as they expand into explaining why the reader should care, not just rehashing info.

Awesome job Corrine, well done!

This doesn't really pass the "sniff test" (or B.S. test if you prefer) for me. Check the regulations at your school. I know that at mine, I can submit my thesis without my supervisor's approval. It is not advised, but it is possible. They should have a copy online and also with the administration team.

I had a similar situation for my upgrade report where it crossed 3 topics that are seen as independent by those on the board. I just pulled out the major points, why they were the major points and then said something to the effect that 'this will be covered in more depth in the literature review'. I then flagged the rules and threw in a copy of the current draft chapters that the supervisor had approved at that point in time. I still don't know if they read the chapters or not, but figured it couldn't hurt unless they tried to lift it with their back instead of their legs.

Hi Shell,

first, it sounds about similar to my first year. Took forever reading and getting a literature review typed up. (I am not lab based, so the reading was about all there was to do.) It felt like groping in the dark for an object that may or may not have been in the room. That of course led to feeling that I wasn't doing anything. Don't worry about comparing yourself to the work of others. We all move at different paces. Some people are more sprint for short bursts and some are more 'slow and steady'. Reality is that you will probably do both at times. You just have to see which actually works for you.
second, take the 'what exactly do you do' comment as more curiosity on their part. Who cares if it is. You can either train them to not ask that again by giving them a long, detailed, boring rendition of what exactly you do - or - you could take it as a chance to lay out what you know by talking through it out loud.The second option is rare, and it becomes more so as time passes and you are conscious that others are just not as into your thesis as you are. (BTW, if people are dumb enough to ask that of you more than once, let them have it in gory detail, not just the 5 minute version.)
Last, you might just have a quick talk with the b/f. You both know it is a joke, but it might be contributing to your state of mind. Just let him know you would appreciate a bit more support as you are having a tough time with motivation lately. He will likely try to 'solve the problem.' Let him do that, pretend to listen and then hope that he realizes the problem is the lack of encouragement.
Just have to find what works well for you. Find time to do some sort of extra activity, whatever it is you enjoy. Too much mental and not enough physical probably isn't good for anybody.

Good luck with the research!

I agree with the 'do it yourself' method. I ended up having to do all of my interviews solo. There were times that it did prompt memories of other things that were surrounding the interviews and potentially useful. Also, hearing the voice inflections, changes in the rhythm, etc. helped to cement them in my mind. I found that as I (re)read over them for the umpteenth-million time, I could hear their voices and how they tried to bring out important points that plain text just didn't reveal.
As far as tricks go:
Get some software that allows you to slow down the playback. Being able to cancel out background, high-frequency noise (e.g. air conditioners) is another helpful feature. I am not an insanely quick typist, but I found I could keep up with 50% playback speed pretty easily. Also, coming up with symbols/shorthand for important moments (laughs/pauses/etc) helps LOADS.

Awesome job, congrads!