Dissertation Diaries: Why it’s Alright to Rewrite

Hello! Long time no blog! I apologise for my lack of posts recently, my attention’s been elsewhere with uni work, society duties and still having a personal life whilst everything’s going on. It’s times like this that I wish I could switch my worker-brain off, recline and enjoy a lemon drizzle muffin (though other baked, or healthier, treats are available).

Alas! The horrible thing about uni is that you are more or less always in work-mode. Third year, as I expected, is no different. I’ve chosen to take two modules this semester (and three next semester), with my dissertation popping up in sneaky little intervals.  Whilst it’s nice to be in two days a week, my chosen modules are still incredibly demanding: with plenty of assignments and reading you actually have to read AND remember quotes, secondary material and what the books are actually about…

(I need a nap just writing this post).

Of course whenever I get the chance, I write something for my dissertation (which I’ve documented in my Dissertation Diaries,   Dissertation Diaries: What to do once you’ve finished your proposal, Dissertation Diaries: Making a start, Dissertation Diaries: Getting there and, most recently, Dissertation Diaries: Chapter One), whether it be a source, a chapter or even just ‘I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT I’M DOING’. What I’ve found, though, is that with writing comes rewriting.

Rewriting happens, to me at least, when I spot something wrong grammatically (or Google spots it, when my eyes fail to do so!) or when something just doesn’t flow right. This whole thing used to annoy me so much, as I’d get attached to words and not want to get rid of them. That’s why I’ve written this post, to assure people (and myself) that rewriting isn’t a bad thing!

Why?

Well, you can write over your mistakes. If something doesn’t flow well on first read, or first glance, you don’t have to keep it. Plus, rewriting even just a small bit of an essay might change the way you think about an essay as a whole, leading to new ideas and possibly a different conclusion than you first thought.

Though rewriting feels like effort, it’s worth it.

In other news, I am 2,086 words into my Dissertation. That’s an intro, an abstract plus one and a half chapters- something I didn’t think I’d even get close to so soon. My dissertation proposal has been marked and, last Friday was supposed to be the week I finally got my feedback. Due to circumstances beyond my control, this feedback has been delayed but (I’m hoping) it’ll be some point this week. I’m worried about how this small part of my final project will be received, and the first mark is always the most brutal. That being said, it’ll either encourage me to work harder when it comes to the dissertation and the draft chapter or I’ll know I’m on the right track and there’ll be no sweat.

Word count: 2,086 words