The Quick(ish) Descent to Thesis Insanity: Game On
Friends, I'm not exactly well.
I'm reaching the critical thesis crunch time and I am NOT in good
shape. My advisor, having read a second draft of the ms, has informed
me that the book needs "serious work" and she needs me to "work very
very very hard" for my thesis to "matter", I have an ending that
doesn't--on its face-- make any sense, and several of my chapters
have the gaunt post- Castle Greyskull Skeletor look: just really the
bones, a blue body and some purple makeup.
Today is March 18.
I need to turn in a copy of my thesis on April 10.
I can't do math but that seems like it's at the most three days from
now.
I am (almost) officially freaking out.
So I find this a good time to start the official My Quick(ish)
Descent to Thesis Insanity portion of my blog. From now until the
manuscript is in the hands of whomever controls the graduate student
office (or wherever we turn this in... crap, why don't i know
this??!) I will be offering a deep, insightful dive into a place no
one wants to go: the mind of an MFA student about to turn in and then
defend a thesis that he's not entirely confident about to a group of
professors also not entirely sold on said student. If that doesn't
sound like a non-stop fun rollercoaster or at least Thunder Mountain,
then I'm afraid you're probably being logical.
Everything else, at this point, seems like it will take too long.
Working on anything outside the thesis, going to the gym to wail on
various parts of my body, text messaging, using emoticons or the
restroom-- all of these things would take too much time away from my
characters, especially the one I've almost entirely based on Ramsey.
And while I have no problem doing it to Ramsey, I can't let Ramsey's
pseudo character down. I need a creativity IV, some sort of diaper
system, and at least three hippies worth of granola if I'm going to
make it this three week period without losing myself in the
(insanity) music. I assume this will involve whiskey.
Anyway, this will be the channel I'm playing on until our April 10th
deadline. As we get closer to the TD (thesis drop) day, blogs might
get more frequent or deleted by my editor, depending on my coherency.
But there will be at least two a week. And some pop culture. And lots
and lots of the music of 1998 to guide us home.
And for those of you who want nothing to do with the QDTI, fear not--
like most of the relationships on Saved by the Bell-- this portion of
my blog will only last three(ish) weeks.
I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve. I have a history of
taking off my shirt.
ps- Oh yeah. We've switched the address of the site on the Interweb.
It's now at blog.writersdigest.com/writerslife/ You can still get to
it from the old address, but why make it harder on your computer?
Please adjust your Internets accordingly.
