Writer’s Block
Okay, okay! Maybe laziness isn’t quite the same as writer’s block. I’m home in beautiful North Carolina, struggling to pick up my thesis books.
The senior thesis is a capstone project that allows seniors to pursue an original research project under the guidance of a faculty advisor. While it is a semester-long or year-long process, many students use research or coursework from previous summers/semesters. My own essay, on the ethics of resentment, grew out of a short essay from a course with Professor Jill Stauffer.
I sometimes work in Magill Library with a friend who has been translating interviews from Spanish to English for use in her work on street children. Another friend and I chatted over lunch about whether he could secure funding for expensive software for a thesis on the correlation between GPA and physical attractiveness. Another friend finished her thesis on Ghanaian music in December. Me. Jealous? Never.
Here are some things I’ve enjoyed about thesis:
- I’m re-reading a work for the third time, and I’ve taken something new from it each time. It’s nice to (re)read a work closely.
- Meeting individually with my advisor reminds me of Oxford’s tutorial system, which I really enjoyed.
- It’s nice to be self-directed.
- I’m glad I’ve been forced to write a little each week, because I’m further along than I thought.
- Subject librarians are INVALUABLE! (Shout out to James Gulick!) He has found more resources in an hour than I could find in a week. He raised questions that I’ll need to grapple with in my work, and also pointed me to sources that may help me tackle them.
The following things are not so great:
- I don’t usually have the time to read things as closely as I’d like.
- I hate to write a little each week, because…well, it’s work.
- I hate to present rushed writing to my thesis advisor each week!
Let’s hope this “writer’s block” let’s up soon!