"So, what do people DO with their time when they're not writing dissertations?"

[rivka]

This evening I planted some flossflowers and some impatiens in our living room window box. Our landlords brought them over, along with some hostas for our courtyard. I'm a little dubious about the hostas - they're transplanted from the landlords' new yard, and they look kinda weedy - but the window box looks amazing.

Today I also did some brainstorming for the West Wing fanfic story I've been promising to write once the dissertation was out of the way. It's supposed to build off the same general concept as the vignette I wrote for therealjae's Secrets Vignette Challenge. I have a central conflict, I even have the vague germ of a plot... but as I played around with ideas, I realized that I just have no idea how to write fiction. How does an idea turn into an orderly set of scenes? No clue whatsoever.

Comments

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

I realized that I just have no idea how to write fiction.

But you know have time to hang out on rasfc...

Congratulations on your dissertation - fantastic work. She says, slightly enviously, not having gotten that far.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

She says, slightly enviously, not having gotten that far.

I'm dead serious about this: If I can do it, anyone can do it. Anyone in the world.

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

Don't underestimate your own achievement.

I have, in a drawer, getting more out-of-date by the minute, a three-quarter finished dissertation that never got to the point of finishing and handing over, much less being approved by a supervisor.

It died of a combination of things, with choice of wrong supervisor and not being the dissertation my supervisor would have liked to see being high on the list, and was killed by a combination of not being able to afford to put any more time into it and a total inability on my part to cope with what was not, for me, a healthy situation to be in.

It took me far too long to realise b), and by that time I had clocked up far too many years without a) teaching experience and b) publication, meaning that I'm now well and truly unemployable in the academic field. and, thanks to a) not able to start over again.

I don't regret having started the PhD; but I very much regret how I went about it.

So. Congratulate yourself on your achievement. I do.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Oh my God. How horrifying! I'm sorry that happened to you.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Hostas are astonishingly, oh what is the word? they can tolerate a lot of bad treatment, uprooting, lack of sunlight, etc. Even if they look like crap the first year they will probably fill out.

And when they come up in the spring they look totally bizarre for a week or so - like some alien life form or fungus with purplish bits.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Our back courtyard is very, very shady. The landlords cut down one of the magnolia trees to let some light in, but still the only things that will grow there are hostas and lilies of the valley.

On the other side of the house, we have the opposite problem. Our bedroom window boxes have Mexican roses in them, because they thrive well in baking sun and drought conditions.

[therealjae.livejournal.com]

I would love to talk to you about your story. I am now home. Come find me? :-)

-J

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I am now home. Come find me? :-)

*patiently hanging out in IM*
...
...
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*for hours and hours*