The first paragraph is always the hardest

Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 8:22 pm. 0 comments

I generally don’t have issues writing papers for class, but for some reason, longer articles and chapters are much harder for me. I think it has something to do with the fact that I have so many things swirling around in my head and I’m not exactly sure how it is all going to come together. How am I supposed to write a summary of something that I don’t even know what it is yet?

Instead, my dissertation strategy has been to sit down and write paragraphs or sentences that I want to include, even if the full idea isn’t developed yet. Academic papers are harder because you can’t just say what you want to say; you have to find an article or two that back up your point. That definitely slows down the process and makes everything a bit more tedious.

I’m currently working on my first chapter of my dissertation. I know the general points I want to get across, but it is definitely a long process. It takes me an hour just to get back to the mindset I was in previously, and then I can only give it a couple of good hours before I can’t stare at articles and the computer screen any longer.

I think I may have found a good sample though. I met a woman who heads a local non-profit entrepreneurship education program. They seemed interested an had good ties with their alumni, so there might be a good study there. I might even volunteer for the program at some point as well. I think it would be fun to work with kids who are creative and inspired. More info on that as things develop.