Last Thursday we turned in the first FULL draft of our thesis, and now that a few days have gone by I'm feeling very relieved. I know it's not completely done yet since the paper still needs to be revised and a couple of things needed to be added, but it feels very final now that the deadline has passed. In a way though, I also feel weird not having this paper hanging over my head now. I've gotten used to thesis being part of my life since August, but now that the paper is written it's not anymore. It's a nice feeling, but I also feel like I have a lot of free time now and nothing much to do.
My plan for the next few weeks is to finish my poster draft, and then go back in probably a week and start revisions on my draft. My mom has this writing advice that if you can, you should let a paper sit for a few days so you can "mentally divorce" yourself from it, and be more critical when you go to edit. The final final draft is due in a month, so I think taking a week or two to not think about it and then going back would be really good for the revision process. Overall though, I'm relieved that it's done, and proud of myself for getting it done.
Hi Lizzy — Mom is right - take some time away from the writing and go back to it with fresh eyes - that's great advice and really useful. Not only do you have a mental break, but you can also develop an affection for portions that you thought were horrible — with distance, you'll find they are less bad than you thought! Congrats!!
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