On paper writing

In celebration of finishing my CTC paper, I present some musings on the process of paper writing.

Writing papers is the delight and bane of my academic existence. I love reading books and summarizing content, organizing ideas and making a logical argument, saying things with just the right word and producing an elegant, well-crafted paper that is interesting, accessible and edifying.
This, perhaps is my problem. When I'm in the midst of researching or writing and really excited, this all just flows and it's exhilarating to do. But reaching that threshold and pushing through seems to take me a long time, partially because objectively, it's a pretty daunting task to reach the standard I set for myself. So many things need to happen and there are so many ways to go wrong. Hardly a relaxing process.

That said I have observed several things about my own process of writing papers:
- I always go for primary sources if possible. They're really helpful.
- One of the benefits of computers is being able to "write" fast. So I take down every single quote that I think might be relevant to my topic. Then they're all gathered into one document, already typed up, and if I need direction, easy to refer to.
- This one is thanks to Regent: start with a good research question. Especially for this last paper, it's done wonders for keeping me on track. Every time I got lost in my ideas and asked "what am DOING," my question pointed me back in the right direction.
- I very rarely worry about the length of papers because I've developed a knack for picking topics that are the "right size."
- I have not yet mastered using outlines effectively--I need to just start writing and that process clarifies my ideas (or at least shows where they're muddled).
- Finally, and this has been the hardest thing to accept about paper-writing and the major reason I have such trouble with procrastination: my method of paper-writing is inherently inefficient and I haven't found any way around that. I will read books with information I don't use. I will redefine my thesis twelve times. I will write nearly three full drafts worth of stuff before I have my ideas under control and can bash out the final version. Not only that, but I have to write out the final version by hand--typing just doesn't work.

Well, that was fun. Now I need to clean up the wreckage that always follows paper writing--gather up all the loose papers and put them away, put library books in a bag to be returned, wash dishes...

democracy in action

So I'm writing a paper on the American value of the rugged individual and was skimming through Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America (which is uber-long) and found these section titles to be quite humorous.

- Why the Americans Have Never Been as Passionate as the French for General Ideas in Political Matters.
- How the Example of the Americans Does Not Prove That a Democratic People Can Have No Aptitude and Taste for the Sciences, Literature, and the Arts.
- Why the Americans at the Same Time Raise Such Little and Such Great Monuments.
- Why American Writers and Orators Are Often Bombastic.
- On the Gravity of the Americans and Why It Does Not Prevent Their Often Doing Ill-Considered Things.
- Why the National Vanity of the Americans Is More Restive and More Quarrelsome than That of the English.
- Why One Finds So Many Ambitious Men in the United States and So Few Great Ambitions.

Hahahaha. We've come so far in 200 years!

overheard in...

- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
"Don't you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn't marry a girl just because she's pretty, but my goodness, doesn't it help?"

Lady Beekman: "It's a tiara."
Lorelei Lee: "You DO wear it on your head. I just LOVE finding new places to wear diamonds."

- New Testament Foundations
"Dick and Jane. The ice cream people. No? Ben and Jerry's? I'm not up on my North American culture..."

re: Moses confronting Pharoah
"What does his staff turn into? Not a beaver, sorry Canadians."

- Christian Thought and Culture
"Mennonites rule! Calmly, peaceably, quietly..."

- in the Atrium, today, at lunch
"We're in charge of the US!"
Followed by
"We are gullible sheep!"

Re: the last two: A fellow student and I are organizing the United States contingent of Regent's "Taste of the World" aka international potluck extravaganza.

brief update

Christmas holidays were great, back in Canada, already behind, classes are awesome, and this has been my day...
Hopefully life will proceed without too much excitement for the next couple of weeks.

sailing into harbor

Well, I have navigated myself through the academic seas of Regent College and have emerged mostly unscathed! (Hopefully my GPA is in the same boat.)
Ah...I've loved my classes this term, but there is an undeniable release that comes with being totally done with everything for the term, especially when, for the most part, you feel like you've done your best work.
Now I get to return to the real world and all of those things that have been sadly neglected while I closeted myself away in academia-land. This means cleaning, shopping and mailing of Christmas presents, writing a Christmas letter, writing a family update, catching up on correspondence, and maybe a few more blog entries (lots of writing, you notice). Tomorrow I get to see Sarah and then on Sunday its down to Washington to visit Katie before heading home for Christmas.
It really is like returning from the high seas and needing to get all your shopping in while you're at port!

entering a new age!

My facebook status today: "Christina is no longer a prime age...and won't be for another five years." I thought it was rather witty. :)
So another birthday in another country. I must admit I'm suffering from a bit of the culture shock (and future uncertainty) blues so the day has been a little uneven. But! I've received many birthday wishes from friends and family, got to talk to my mom, got treated to coffee and also received this *awesome* pair of mittens.


Tomorrow...spice cake!

A thanksgiving top ten

1. My health. I have not needed to go to a doctor in...ages and Rita my dental hygenist tells me I have perfect teeth. :D
   


2. Provision of all I need--a warm, safe, and comfortable place to live; clothes to wear; access to good grocery stores; the time to prepare food. My jobs and how they have been enjoyable and managed to provide exactly what I need.
   


3. Being at Regent. Classes, lectures, chapel, community group, lunch in the atrium, working in the library, retreat, conversations, profs, peers, everything.
   


4. The chance to explore a different dimension of my gifts as a student by coming to Regent, with its goals and mission, as a unique person with a certain background and experiences.
   


5. Vancouver and its fantastic public transportation system. Also, currently, its snow.
   


6. So many opportunities--to make and hear music, to dance, to play soccer, to run, to be with people, to enjoy good food, to write and express myself.
   


7. Stealing one of Morgan's "thanks," books and the gift of literacy. There are so many great books out there with good words and beautiful stories and ideas. While my reading load at Regent is sometimes overwhelming, if anything, I feel like it's just whetted my appetite for good reading that edifies.
   


8. Putting down yet another set of roots--especially a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner tonight.
   


9. All my many many loved ones--family, old friends, new friends. My life has been and is now full of wonderful people who not only love me, but support me and push me and are half the reason I can stand wherever I am and be home.
   


10. And finally, a life in which blessings are abundant and obvious, where I don't have to work very hard to come up with a list of things to be thankful for.