I should have written this post back in December but I have been suffering from an inability to articulate myself for a while. In the last few days I have climbed over the wall blocking my way and put some tentative words onto the screen in the hope that they will make sense. I think they will eventually with some editing and poking about.
My supervisor used the phrase ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ during our last meeting to describe where I should be starting my research. The phrase has really stuck in my head. It is daunting, but I picture myself climbing up these academic giants in a Jack and the Beanstalk kind of way. Having looked up the quote (embarrassingly I hadn’t realised its significance until recently) I can see why this is appropriate. It does not make it any less daunting though.
This is where I feel like I am at the moment.
My problem before my last meeting was that I was going about things all back to front. I didn’t know where I was in my field or who my giants were. I also didn’t have an end goal, such as writing the beginning of a literature review or article. I was floundering and felt like I didn’t know anything at all at one point. But I do. I realised that I even know my giants and have met them in person in some cases. So I feel a little like I started again in December, I have get a routine back, I have organised my reading lists and notes. I have a system. But I still had a mental block when it came to writing.
Last night I decided I needed to type something into the word document that had been sitting minimised on my screen for over a week. I have the notes, I have a plan, I have further reading to do as well, but I needed to put my finger tips to keys and type something. So I did. I managed 200 words. I felt better for it. I had to come out of my comfort zone of reading and note taking, and I found it wasn’t all that bad.
I don’t know if on track is the right phrase, but I definitely feel that I am making progress.
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