I'm in the process of writing an article that I *hope* will one day find publication. The subject matter is academic and derived from portions of my master's thesis on selected plays by Samuel Beckett. But, therein lies the rub. It's damn difficult to figure out how much of the thesis introduction to use, especially since I am pulling the article out of a section that is nestled in the middle of the thesis. I started working on this last summer, shortly after my defense. However, after spending nearly a year writing the thesis, by the time I was ready to begin pulling an article out of it I had gotten so close to the work that I felt like I could no longer "see" it clearly. After struggling with the material for a few weeks, I decided it would be better to take a step back from it, and let my brain decompress from the pressures associated with writing the thesis.
Ultimately, I took this hiatus a bit further and (deliberately) weaned myself off of the rather maniacal all-things-Beckett diet I had restricted myself to during the semesters in which I wrote the thesis. I even had the good fortune of participating in an independent study course in modern/contemporary drama throughout which, as my professor suggested, I could take a break from reading so much Beckett. I planned on returning to my article writing endeavors just as soon as the academic year let out.
Of course, when I made that plan (it was a good plan), I did not know that my landlord would decide to sell the house I'd rented for three years, thrusting me into a summer-long house hunting/packing/moving/unpacking frenzy. During the crazy month leading up to the move, I was able to get some creative writing done, but academic writing was pretty much out of the question. My ability to concentrate on anything as complex as research based writing was non-existent. Once the move was complete, I still had to organize my office space. Now that I have gotten that out of the way, I feel like I can finally breath enough to get back to work.
Today, I dusted the cobwebs away from the initial draft of my article and managed to etch out a the beginnings of a beginning (I think). I also jettisoned five pages, bringing the remainder to a more manageable and sane length of twenty-five pages. I still have a great deal of editing to do before I'll let anyone read this hot mess. Honestly, though, the best remedy for this paper would be to have another set of eyes on it. At some point, I will need to beg one of my professors to take a look at it to provide feedback and suggestions.
After working on the article for a few hours, I pulled up Ye Ole Library Database (because I hate the new one) and started along the journey of researching journals and publications I might query once this article is finished. I found a few drama/theater journals that might be good prospects. Of course, it will be some time before I send off any queries, and before I do I'll need to seek the advice of my professors.
I wouldn't call this a highly productive writing day, but I am glad to have taken my old project back up. I've missed writing and thinking about Beckett. While I'm still in what I've come to describe as "introduction HELL" I am kind of at peace with that. Taking a break from the article has renewed my enthusiasm. I feel like I have a better vantage point from which to view my work because I stepped away from it for a while.
And the irony that this behavior is not altogether unlike one of Beckett's characters has not eluded me. I am well aware of the circularities I am continuing to navigate. If I did not think that a propensity for tracing back over one's steps is part of the scholarly process, then I might be worried. The process of doing this kind of writing might best be described by a line from Beckett's Endgame: "You must learn to suffer better if you want them to weary of punishing you -- one day."
