I am due to hand in properly in Feb 2010, but need a complete second draft by Christmas.

I have first or second drafts of my chapters, and some has been published in 3 articles and a future contribution to a collected edition - so I know some of it is of publishable quality . BUT I am having so many problems writing...I don't feel like I have a central thesis and some of the chapters are more nice stories rather than any argument per-se. I really need to sort this out as Christmas is only eleven weeks away!!!!

In addition to that I am lonely living abroad and just feel depressed at the job market when I finish, having been recently shortlisted and not accepted for a postdoc.

If I need help wth one thing - I need advice on how to just stop reading and trying to plug gaps with secondary literature and just accept my thesis as it is with all the limitations therin. :(

A bit of a pointless rant this - hmmm, file under : phd life . writing-up tantrums! :$

Hiya Chrisrolinski, I've had a crap day today, with barely any work done - feeling a bit burnt out. Like you, I have stacks of work to do, haven't seen any mates in ages, am critical of my job prospects (though I don't expect to finish on time) and just feel like crap. Doing a thesis is a lonely business - I just hope I don't become a recluse at the end of it and end up living in the woods somewhere. I was walking my dog tonight and saw a group of people about my age piling out of a Clio, all dressed up for a fun night (may as well have been a Clio car advert actually) and thought 'crap, I'm stuck with researching for and writing a thesis. Not an ounce of fun in my insular little life.' I think I'll file that under 'self-pitying rant', which is probably the drawer just below 'writing-up tantrums'.
I don't know what advice I can give, maybe because I haven't experienced your stage yet, other than to ask, does it have to be perfect? A thesis represents a journey, your philosophical and methodological development as a researcher - it demonstrates training, learning by doing. You'll find very few theses which aren't flawed to some extent; there are always going to be holes you can pick at, just like in any journal article you pick up. Have you discussed the issues you have with your supervisor? What does he/she say? Is there anyone knowledgeable enough you know, about your subject, to be able to give you their opinion. I do remember your work being about animal symbolism or something (apologies if I am way off the mark there)...so that could be a tough suggestion. It's your own work and you're always going to be super-critical of it - just like I am mine. And anyway, if your thesis does have limitations that you are aware of, won't that make for an even more interesting discussion chapter - self-critical skill is a very important skill that you're supposed to acquire and develop when you're becoming a researcher, and it seems like you have. :-)

My deadline (registration deadline, so absolute, barring extensions) is March 2010, so I'm in a similar boat. My thesis is virtually finished but I'm currently sorting out the chapters, making it all work as an overall argument, rewriting intros and conclusions to chapters etc.

My supervisor gave me a lot of help with coming up with a central argument. It was pretty important because my PhD throughout has been a pretty open-ended exploration, so tieing it down to a final 'argument' wasn't easy. And some of my chapters are still too much interesting journeys, rather than an argument. I've been advised to address this by rewriting the intros and the conclusions, and always thinking about each sub-section of a chapter in terms of 'so what'.

As for stopping reading: just do it! Your thesis has to be about your contribution. If you fill gaps full of references to other people's work it's going to look as though you don't have enough to say about what you've done, and why it's important. Focus on that for now and ignore the rest. Surely you have enough secondary material after all this time?

Good luck!

Hey there

Yep, this is a lonely business all right, and the job prospects are grim - but you got shortlisted for a postdoc, which is great! If you're being shortlisted, this means they think you can do it, so it should only be a matter of time before you snag one. I'm also in the writing up stage, and starting to think about how it all hangs together too. I think you're right, chapters should be arguments, more than descriptive stories. Have you done mapping of how they contribute to one central argument? I'm planning on getting a whiteboard and doing some mapping to tease these things out. And can't your supervisor work out the big picture too? This is really hard, and I also think 'so what' about mine - but suspect everyone does.

Yes, just stop reading and maybe think a bit more. Doodle on paper, throw ideas around, see what comes out for your main point.

You've also said in previous posts that living and studying in another country will look good on your cv - hang onto this thought! And really, altho it feels interminable now, it's not long and you'll soon be done. Won't that feel great?!!

I'm supposed to be submitting in March, but doubt I'll have a first draft done by Xmas - I think you're doing really well! Press on and good luck!

No advice - just solidarity. I am on a similar timeline (submission March) and have spent most of today in tears. We WILL get there but this last bit is damn hard. But I keep thinking that even though it is hell in the short term, whether I get an academic job or not, I think in the long-term this process will be the making of me. And you, and all of us!

I am going to stop reading and just cary on with writing - it would be sensible to assume that if there really are secondary literature gaps, then they can be filled as per examiners comments after the viva. I'll have dinnner and then sit down and start sketching out some main points. I spent most of the day hiding under the quilt, so with hope after a meal inside me I will have a more positive work attitude. thanks for you posts people.


Re: the clio advert - lol! I think exactly the same when I am on the underground here and see trendy twenty-somethings with their friends getting on for a fun night out! Whereas I am returning to work and mope! We sound so bitter! :p

I shall transform this into my accountability thread after reading some of the other postings on postgraduate forum. a space to mark off as I go along.

In 9 weeks time:

1) Redraft introduction
2) redraft chapter one
3) redraft capter two
4) redraft chapter three
5) redraft chapter four
6) redraft conclusion

The hand to supervisors before Christmas for comments.

9 weeks after that: hand over thesis to examiners to viva.

TASK FOR THE END OF THE MONTH 31: MUST COMPLETE THE REDRAFT OF CHAPTER FOUR.