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

Hello! My inspiration to blog has sort of wavered recently, as I’ve got uni and other things to focus my time on, so I apologise if my content is lacking a little recently.

Anyway, I hope you’ve all had a pleasant weekend. I went on another (fancy gin fuelled) date where I more than likely did something to embarrass myself (so, again Date, I can only apologise 🤦🏻‍♀️) and spent my Sunday shopping with just a little bit of uni work sprinkled in (completely forgot I had reading to do for Monday, which is always great).

(Catch up with my Dissertation Diaries posts: Entry One| Entry Two| Entry Three| Entry Four| Entry Five)

I’m happy to report that I’m now well over 1,000 words into my dissertation! A 2,000 word draft chapter is due next month and, compared to in my earlier posts, this actually doesn’t make me feel terrified beyond belief!

Of course, I know this is by no means my final outcome, there’s going to be a lot of tweaking and changing before I’m happy with it (and it abides by pesky “English Style Guide” regulations) but I’m incredibly happy with how it’s going so far.

This wouldn’t be a Dissertation Diaries entry without me giving some advice, though.

1. Reading: Read all the time. Read as you work, read when you’re not working, read around your subject. It’s boring and annoying at times but, who knows, you might find that breakthrough idea you’ve been looking for.

2. Sources: Harvard Referencing is a bitch. If there’s one thing I’ve hated all the way through this course it’s the constant need for every source to be referenced correctly. I know it’s so undeniably simple, but I’ve found referencing so difficult. So, here’s some ways to get around it. Keep a note of sources as you go along (with names, titles of the work, year, publisher, place of publication and page numbers) so, when you get to the dreaded Bibliography, it’s less of a nightmare. If, like me, you are shaken to your very core by the idea of referencing: get someone else to do it. I’m not saying pay someone else (although that’s tempting), but there are plenty of websites that will do the hard work for you…I won’t tell if you don’t!

3. Take breaks: The temptation with any assignment is to cram the word count into a given time frame then smash it out in one go. Though it’s incredibly tempting to cram, don’t. Yes, your proposal and actual project have to be in at a certain date, I get that. Just respect that you need time to do other stuff, too.

4. Say it, out loud: I’m not asking you to out your vampire lover with this one, don’t worry. This is just some advice I’ve fully taken on board after a dissertation presentation. Reading aloud is horrible, I get that. Of course, looking at your work in this way is good, to see how it flows and for picking up any errors you definitely miss from scanning over. If reading aloud isn’t your thing, print out your work and skim over it. Sometimes seeing it off screen you pick up those glaring errors we all miss.

5. The library is lovely: Libraries are disgusting. Not very good phone signal, busy and no food/drinks allowed in some parts, sounds like a nightmare! I think every student (or maybe even every person who’s had to go to one of these in their lifetime) has thought this about the library. I mean, yes, it’s not always the ideal place but the library is full of resources, can be quiet at times and (more often than not) you end up actually being productive. So, libraries are lovely, really. If they really aren’t your cup of tea though, coffee shops or book shops are perfectly fine too. Just find the best study environment for you…(it can even be your bed 😂).

That wraps up today’s entry. I don’t really know what the other content on my blog is going to be so…if anyone has any clue what they’d like me to write about, let me know! I know this blog is for me, but it’s also a space for me to talk about things people actually want to read.

Hello! I hope you all had a great week and a fabulous weekend. I went on a date (which was full of laughs and strange conversations, so I apologise profusely, Date, if you’re reading this), got an assignment checked off, did some reading and spent today with family (and prepping myself for uni tomorrow after a long, tiring Reading Week).

If you’ve been keeping up with my “Dissertation Diaries”, you should know that, every Sunday, I try my best to get somewhere with my dissertation and- every Sunday- I post my progress (or lack of) just for you!

(Lucky you).

In my first post , I was in the dark. I was terrified at the prospect of writing so much on a topic of my choosing and it just felt so horrible and so unknown…eek! In my second post, I was getting somewhere and- honestly- I was hoping to get passed the planning stage. In my third post, I talked about what to do once you’ve stopped planning (which, in short, is to actually write).

In my most recent post, I spoke about making a start. It’s scary but, eventually, you have to rip the planning plaster off and get started. So today, instead of spending the day binge watching Netflix or, well, doing whatever else to avoid working, I got stuck in.

I’m 1000 words down!

All it took was putting the “Hold” app on my phone (which is free to download and rewards you with points for every 20 minutes you spend off your phone), putting on some tunes and powering through it.

I’m feeling a lot better than I did at the start of the dissertation, more sure of my topic, my writing and the dissertation.

Now, here’s a question. What should I post on Wednesday? The Great British Bake Off finished a while back (my thoughts on the final are HERE) and I tried out posting about books, but what would you like me to write about?