How to Write A Major Paper: The Paul Method

1. Read the assignment instructions carefully
2. Re-read the instructions
3. Have you written anything else for this professor? If so, read the comments from that paper.
4. Choose your topic
5. Choose an appropriate number of sources. Make sure you use some current sources. Check JSTOR or some other academic database for online access to current journals.
6. You need a break. Watch TV, or even better, download an episode of your favourite TV show onto your computer
7. Make an outline
8. You need a break. Go for a walk
9. That outline doesn't look any good. Rewrite it
10. Re-read the assignment instructions
11. Write your first paragraph
12. That looks great! You're on a roll!
13. Update your facebook status to tell everybody about your great success so far at writing this paper
14. That first paragraph sucks. Rewrite it
15. You need a break. Surf the internet for awhile
16. Write steadily for 20 minutes
17. You're doing great! This is an easy paper to write!
18. How many pages?
19. Three! Awesome! That's practically done!
20. Wait. How long does this paper have to be again?
21. Re-read the assignment instructions
22. THAT long!?!?
    
23. Panic
24. You need a break. Go buy some junk food, and eat it while staring at a blank page
25. Write a paragraph
26. That paragraph sucks. Delete it.
27. Update your facebook status to show that your previous enthusiasm is waning
28. Re-read one of your sources
29. Stare at a blank screen
30. You need a break. Watch another episode of True Blood
31. Okay. Focus.
32. Man, it's late. You'd better get to bed
33. Next day: re-read what you have so far
34. Update your facebook status
35. Write for 20 solid minutes
36. Wow! You're amazing!
37. Update your facebook status
38. You've earned a break. Surf the net for awhile
39. Update your facebook status
40. Re-read the assignment instructions
41. Re-read what you have so far
42. Check the time
43. CRAP! The paper is due first thing tomorrow, and you're only halfway done!
44. Panic
45. Update your facebook status
46. Write steadily for 20 minutes
47. Re-read what you have so far
48. ... I guess it makes sense if you move THAT part over HERE
49. Now just add a conclusion
50. Conclusion...
51. Stare at your paper
52. Update your facebook status
53. Re-state your introduction
54. Go to bed
55. Wake up
56. Shoot! You need a bibliography!
57. Panic
    
58. Assemble and write your bibliography
59. Print your paper, and hand it in
60. Update your facebook status
    

Stuff, things, and junk like that

I recently submitted an application for a SSHRC grant. For Canadian arts students, SSHRC is like a holy grail. It's a giant $17,000 grant that everybody applies for an few people actually get. But it's possible to get it.

It's important not to get one's hopes up too high, but on the off chance that I got this grant it would mean that I wouldn't have to work this summer--I could just work on my thesis instead. It would mean that the money I've been saving for tuition could either go toward my PhD in two years or could go toward something else. Like, say, a car.

It's quite the prospect.

In other news, yesterday I finished my last small assignment for the year. I managed to get them all done relatively early, so now all I need to focus on until Christmas are two major papers and two major projects. And my thesis.

For my Bibliography major project, I'm thinking of doing a comparative study of the history of early print culture and the history of early comic book print culture. Should be fun, unorthodox, and enlightening.

I have no freaking idea what I'll do for my final project in my other course.

Classes

Classes began this week.

I'm taking two courses this semester, which is still considered Full Time, because of the amount of work expected in those courses and the other work (researching and writing a thesis, for example) that goes with being a grad student.

Both of these courses (like virtually all graduate courses) are seminars, which means that instead of the professor telling us everything about book history, the professor assigns books which everyone reads and then we have a lively, three-hour-long guided discussion. Typically each student leads at least one of these discussions, which means that on your day to lead a seminar you need to really know the text so that you can ask all the important questions.

My first class is Bibliography, taught by my advisor. Bibliography, for those who don't know, is basically the study of books as objects. I took a course a lot like this at CMU, called "History of the Book" (Hot-B).

This class happens in the back of the library, in by far the nicest classroom I've ever seen at U of M. The chairs are all cushy, with wheels, and the arms move up and down.

It's going to be an interesting class, in both good ways and maybe bad ways too. I'm very interested in the way the material, physical object of a book affects the way we think about things, so that will be cool. But the first class we had a discussion that to me felt more like "Man, kids don't write letters anymore" than anything academically worthwhile. Which was a little frustrating.

The prof, is brilliant, friendly, encouraging and gentle. And maybe that keeps him from saying "No, you're wrong and dumb." Or maybe not, we'll see.

My second class, is called "Writing the City", and it's a Canadian Lit course about cities and the way they get portrayed in literature, and how that affects the way they are in the world. It is going to be an fascinating class, if a little unorthodox.

The professor is a semi-famous Winnipeg author (famous enough that Jan, working in the library had heard of him, not so famous that I had). He's hairy and witty and full of stories about Winnipeg.

For instance, I learned on Wednesday that the first mayor of Winnipeg was the founder of Harlequin books, the largest publishing label to this day. Who knew?

One of the assignments for that class is to take a walk around an area of Winnipeg, and then write about it.

Neat.

Changes

Inspired partly by Laura, partly by the vast changes that are about to come upon me, and partly by the deep state of stagnation and inactivity that has befallen this blog, I am changing things. This is stage one. There may be further stages.

I am also making an amendment to the general purpose of this blog. Although I will still post about other things from time to time, I'm going to try to make the main focus of this blog LIFE in GRAD SCHOOL. Kind of like the Furnace of Doubt.

Good News, and More Good News

I got a letter in the mail yesterday from the University of Manitoba, with a list of M.A. courses I can choose from for next year. And then I looked up my U of M online account, and found that my official status is now written as "Grad Student, M.A.", where it used to say "Special Student, Extended Education". So it looks like I'm still accepted.

Now I need to decide how many courses I'm going to take next year. I need to take a total of 18 credit hours complete a Master's, which means six courses. I had originally planned to take most of my coursework sooner rather than later, but since we're going to have a brand new baby in September, maybe it's better to do a lighter course load at first. But on the other hand, Jan will be home at first, so maybe it's better to do heavier coursework early, before she goes back to work at the liberry. Decisions, decisions.

In other news, I went off to a job interview today, for a place that installs and repairs swimming pools. They're looking for someone to work full time, but only for the summer, which seems just about perfect. The interview consisted basically of him telling me about the job, asking if I had any questions, and then asking if I could be in by 8am tomorrow morning. To which I said that I could. So I am officially employed, and expect 40+ hours a week. Woohoo!