I’ve learned a lot about writing since I began work on my thesis way back in August. Long before I settled on Architecture in the Anthropocene I had ideas about fun thesis topics floating throughout my head. Spatializing Social Networks, Adventure Sports and Deep Ecological Ethics, Tiny Homes, etc…
In a way, I was waiting for a topic to catch me, when in reality I was the one holding the fishing pole. When the call came to cast/float a proposal I tossed up the idea I was swimming with at the time. What I reeled in was a keeper, but perhaps I could have worked with any topic. My point is, beginning the thesis journey wasn’t about waiting for the right topic, but engaging and applying the ideas I was working with at the time.
Throughout the writing process I found I needed to make an effort to overcome ‘writer’s block’ instead of waiting for inspiration or external motivation.
I’m faced with a lull now and need to make decisions that I believe can be informed by the same thinking from above. I’m “waiting” for feedback from my Honors Committee readers, but feel a need to keep working on my paper in the mean time. I took last week to get a bit of distance from my thesis, in the hopes of refreshing my perspective on the darn thing. I have a set of areas of my thesis that I think need work, and have been getting books and reading articles that I hope will help me tend to them. However, I’m hesitant to write all that much while I wait for feedback from two individuals who I greatly admire, and who have guided my academic endeavors in the past. What if I work a bunch on a section only to get feedback suggesting I rework it differently or omit it altogether? I know these fears are unfounded and that waiting is not a viable option. I’ll keep reading, certainly, but might hold off on more writing until I get feedback from my readers. This strategy will help me feel like I’m not just waiting around, but also not changing things that might not need changing. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!