It feels like I have been away from my project since February!
Camp Goal
My goal is to write 20 pages in two weeks--that is quite a lofty goal for me, but I will set it as a reach for the stars kind of a goal. Throughout this process, I have found it a bit hard and a bit demoralizing to set page goals, but certainly, ultimately, I need to write a chapter, which I will call 35 pages, and breaking that down into smaller segments can be helpful to start to fully conceptualize my writing practice.
A goal I feel more comfortable with is to show up M-F during the camp and work on chapter 3 and trust that important work will occur that will get me ever closer to a draft of chapter 3.
Week 1 GoalIn terms of a goal for the week, 10 pages is one way to think about working toward my overall goal.
Day 1 GoalI would like to read two chapters of secondary material, and re-read a short story I am writing about. I would like to write 1 page today.
I read two articles about South African literature, which was helpful to get my head back into the game. I bought one book that was checked out at the library and plan to read that at the end of June, which is good because now I have to focus on writing rather than reading because I am waiting for the book. One of my big stopping points is wanting to read, read, read and never getting to the writing piece. I wrote six sentences today. Not two pages, but I am happy. I started with a blank page and now I have something that looks like a working chapter document. I have a working title, and epigraph, a paragraph, and two quotes. I am writing about the setting of the short story, which requires some basic setting up of the location and historical period. That is the kind of research that is straightforward and fairly nonthreatening. So now I have a trajectory, an idea of some of the information to set up, and a place to go. Right now, I need to lay out the significance of the 1820's Settler Monument in the Eastern Cape in South Africa. Yay! And away we go!
2 comments:
Great job setting up defined goals! Twenty pages in two weeks is a lot, but definitely possible. You can do it!
~Miranda
Showing up and trusting that something useful will transpire is really important and I think we, as dissertators, often have to take that leap of faith. Just starting from that place opens you up to good things and, also, is kind, in that it doesn't burden you with huge expectations or strict deadlines. I love what you got done today - we have to start somewhere and starting is so often the hardest part. I'm always having to remind myself to make the task simpler, smaller.
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