Thanks all - I have already spoken to my superviser about this, and was told it would be best to start with the lit review, so I just wanted some other opinions.
How many words did your lit reviews amount to??

What was the first section of your PhD that you wrote/drafted? Was it the literature review or a chapter, or does it depend on the nature of your subject?

This might turn out as one of those questions like 'how long is a piece of string', and it's also quite hard to explain what I'm asking, but I will try!
I am in social sciences and just want to know what sort of audience you should adapt your writing style to. Obviously I understand I am writing a postgrad level piece and all that, but what 'level' is the writing supposed to be aimed at? When I was an undergrad I was told essays should be aimed at an a-level understanding (don't know whether that's right or wrong, but that's just an example).
Also, how do you know when to start explaining the terms you use, what sort of level of understanding do you assume your reader will have? (your superviser/examiners etc. are probably the only ones who will ever read the whole thing, but, how much do you assume a reader will know?). Sorry if this is confusing!

SciFi - the only thing I can offer you is to tell you that you are not alone... i just started this year, and feel like it's all out of control already. I hate not having concrete things to do/write and finding it really hard to get into the mindset of literally going with the flow. Also, I dread my supervisory meetings because I can't even understand what my sup is talking about half the time, let alone the questions they ask!! It seems like they are on a completely higher level to me (I guess they are, they have had years and years of experience) I keep thinking that maybe they think I am really stupid, but from what I've read on this board it all seems a normal part of the (very weird) process! I also think that I will never be able to reach that stage.. who knows.
I think it's going to be a very tough few years! Sorry if my rant didn't really help, but in a strange way it's nice to see I'm not the only one going mad!;)

Thanks for all the advice everyone! A lack of targets or deadlines is definately a contributing factor to my demotivation... I will feel better once my superviser knows where I stand with the lit. review and all that, and has given me some concrete feedback. Thanks again!

I tried for about a year to get a lecturing job with just an MA - in the end I gave up and am now doing a PhD with teaching included. I found most job applications were asking for you to be in the process of writing up or having completed doctoral research.
On the good side, doing a PhD should open doors to get you the teaching experience if that's what you want to do eventually.

I would personally prefer to hear "that was good". "That was fine" would be a little bit more disappointing personally, with "that went well" in the middleish

In desperate need of motivation (or a kick up the...) to get back into work. As some may already know, I started my PhD this October after a year out of academia. Aside from finding it hard to get back into the general swing of things at uni after a year (I had no idea it would be this hard to get back into it), my motivation for my research has dipped quite low in the past week or so. I assume from reading other posts that this feeling is only going to get worse the more I do (!) but how do you guys kick yourselves back into it mentally?? Even if it's just a little idea for a pick me up, anything welcome ;)

Hi Pamw, I am in a similar situation to you - next term I am due to be teaching a topic which I am unfamiliar with... I am a bit apprehensive but pretty sure that I can stay one step ahead of most of the students by reading up beforehand (there always appears to be the inevitable one or two!) ;)
I find that another good technique to use if they ask a question you're not sure about is to ask the other students what they think the answer is...
Let me know how you get on :)

I mostly teach first years - and I agree that in the first year it is mostly about teaching them how uni works and how it differs from school, it's a big change. Would be interested to know how others go about communicating this to their new students...
They seem uncomfortable with the way that seminars work, they tend to sit and wait for you to feed the work to them. Sometimes they can't see the point of group work, after all, what's better than sitting listening to teacher and taking notes?! This is what I am currently struggling with getting across, so would appreciate anyones advice or experiences.

In my opinion, you have done a positive thing by agreeing to do more teaching. I am incredibly shy and used to feel extreme discomfort talking in front of more than one person. However, I too started teaching this year and can honestly say my confident grows weekly. I felt physically sick when I initially agreed to it, frequently thought of cancelling. Now, I know it was one of the best things I did. Yes, I have had slip-ups and embaressments in front of students but - so what, they leave that room and probably never think of it again (the embaressment that is!). They probably don't even notice half of it.
On another note, I have had most students say they enjoy the seminars and others who look as if can't be bothered- you really can't please everyone.

I have exactly the same feelings - I feel so stupid in front of my supervisers and I think sometimes they regret agreeing to supervise me! Having spoken to other people about it, I think everybody has this feeling at least once... remember that your supervisers have probably been doing this for years and they don't expect you to know everything at first.
I am hoping it will get easier the more I relax (I'm sure nerves are a huge part of it), and the more I get into my topic.

Just a question for all disciplines really (I am in social sciences)... how do you fit your PhD work into your everyday life? I am full time, and I try to work on my research as much as possible however I don't have a set timetable that I work within. I am thinking of setting up a more structured way of working.
I have a problem whereby I seem to work best at night, however I also have teaching to do which means if I work through the night it leaves me very tired and out of sync with the days that I have to go in and teach. If I am then awake for most of the daytime too, I feel guilty that I am not doing PhD related things. This is where I am guessing it is better to work to some sort of structured timetable.
Unfortunately, it's hard to fit in the rest of the little things you need to get done without going along with the 9-5 working day.
So basically, if you work to a timetable, what sort of hours do you spend on research? How do you structure your PhD/days/jobs?

Thanks for the advice everyone... I have been writing a small summary about everything that I've read so far over the past few weeks, and I have tried hard not to overly worry that I am just reading and seeing where it takes me (something that you will know I worry about if you have read any of my previous posts!). However, all those summaries I wrote are piling up and up and it seems to be getting on top of me. I seem hesitant to focus on one theorist at the moment (something which I am planning on doing) because I think that in these early stages it might be too soon - I know, it sounds ridiculous when I write it out like this! But not focussing is leading me into a vague mess.
I have tried to draw all the ideas out into a sort of diagram and it has helped a bit however when drawn out it looks like I haven't done much at all, when I have been working on it nearly every day. I have a report due in soon and I am worried that I don't really have anything to put into it.

I started this year and my superviser keeps saying I should start drafting my first chapter already. However, it seems to be really complicated to sit down and start writing on something specific because lots of other ideas keep coming to me.
How do you define your chapters so that you don't end up going off in tangents, or is that the nature of it? It just seems that my head is full of all different angles I can take my research (social sciences), and yet I can't pin point anything enough to let it settle in to one chapter. If I write about a specific subject within my broader topic, won't I be neglecting the other areas? Should I be trying to look at everything at the same time to see how it fits in?
This could all be hindered by the fact that I think I don't have a very defined topic yet, although my superviser must think that I have some sort of idea because otherwise they wouldn't have suggested I start considering my first chapter...