Writing is hard. Anyone that tells you otherwise is a dirty, dirty liar and you don't need that kind of negativity in your life. Or maybe I'm just super envious. I recently reopened my GoogleDrive to figure out where I left off on my PhD and other academic tasks before stepping away for health/life stuff, … Continue reading My First #remoteretreat Experience
I’ve often found myself in the library late at night, feeling unproductive and guilty about leaving. I often will have gotten a late start and done a fair bit of procrastinating. Even if I’ve gotten quite a bit done, it never feels quite like enough. It leaves me feeling like the day has been wasted … Continue reading When Enough Is Enough: Meeting goals and staying motivated in your PhD
I finally took some of my own advice a few days ago and took a day-trip out to the Isle of Arran. It was going to be one the last nice days for some time according to the forecast and so I thought I’d hike the Goatfell. It was when I started struggling a bit … Continue reading Walking on Arran and Writing: The Struggle is Part of the Process
I wasn’t surprised when my writing came up in my annual review. My supervisor and I had identified my writing as an area that needed work. I was less nervous going into this year’s APR, but just before it began I was still going over my ‘proof’ that I had done my due-diligence in addressing … Continue reading Writing and Public Engagement: Finding your voice
I sat in my supervisor’s office, staring out the window lost in my own thoughts. The words, “we need to improve your writing. It really needs a lot of work” still replaying in my mind. Not because they stung, but because they rang true to me. My supervisor and I have a good relationship and … Continue reading Rethinking Bad Writing: Five ideas for improving your writing
I’ve been writing a conference paper and it felt like being in Plato’s allegory of the cave, but in reverse. Strapped to a chair, but instead of shadows on the wall it was 18th century works and journal articles on philosophy, law and history in the dim light of a desk lamp and the Scottish … Continue reading Public Engagement and Plato’s Cave
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been blogging with SGSAH for almost six months. Next week I’ll compose the monthly round-up and after that I’m handing over to a new blogger who is sure to offer a very different perspective on the experience of being an Arts & Humanities PhD student in Scotland. I’ve loved … Continue reading My final SGSAH blog post!
Today’s guest post comes from Lisa Nais, who is a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen. She holds an MA in English and Linguistics from the same university. Her doctoral research focuses on American writers in Venice in the late nineteenth century and the intersection of publishing practices with the creative process. Part of … Continue reading Archives & Pseudonyms
Research in the Highlands & Islands What do you think of when (if?) you hear about PhD research in the Highlands & Islands? Perhaps you think of the University of the Highlands & Islands (UHI), with its 13 campuses across the region. It’s possible that images of desolate, unpeopled and beautiful landscapes spring to mind: … Continue reading Rethinking Remote: PhD communities in the Highlands & Islands
SGSAH are recruiting a new blogger! On Friday I spoke briefly about my experience of blogging for SGSAH at their annual Welcome event at the National Museum of Scotland. It was lovely to have the opportunity to do this, as last year’s SGSAH Welcome event had a hugely positive impact on the first year of … Continue reading Blogging for SGSAH
SGSAH Blog 