#i think i could write a masters thesis on this interview

[monkee-mobile]

Get ready for it…

Get ready for it…

!!!

[f1-disaster-bi]

Hey there. This is totally un-F1-related but I just saw your tags about the PhD you're doing and have a book recommendation for you: "Beyond The Wall" by Katja Hoyer. It's probably only semi-related to your subject but it's a fascinating and very well written insight into life behind the Iron Curtain in the GDR, with a lot of attention paid to Stalinist Berlin.

Of course, given you have to focus so much time and energy on the effect of that dreadful man on the Eastern Bloc countries, you might be thinking, "Please! Not another book about my PhD subject. I need FLUFF!!" 😏

That has actually been on my list!! The little collection of East and Central European history lecturers and PhDs have been trying to bribe our library into getting even one copy of it!

And it would definetly be a something worth reading for me and my studies! Especially for my literature review because it's always handy to have other research listed to show how you strutted your own. I was actually asked about this when interviewing for the funding I won. They asked me if they were any books from the 20th Century and 21st Century that could provide an outline towards how to approach my topic.

Two other books that I love and are a good read are: Unfinished Utopia: Nowa Huta, Stalinism and Polish Society 1949-1956 by Katherine and also Magnetic Moutain by Stephan Kotkin!

I can't say too much about my work because I don't want to dox myself, but this is right up my all. My dissertation is actually a comparative study of a city in the GDR and in Czechoslovkia!

My previous works have all been in a similar vein! My undergrad thesis focused on German citizens facing legalised terror tactics in the last year's of WWII and the concept of everyday resistance (coined by James C Scott) and my Masters was a study of grassroots movements among workers under Stalinism in the lead up to the 1956 uprisings in Poland and Hungary (can you tell I like a good comparative study? 😅)

I'm also actually (hopefully) writing a review on a book about the development of culture under Communism in a city in the GDR and in Poland 👀

[rhysintherain]

Sorry if this is a too random question but do you have any advice for how to choose a thesis topic when you feel like you don't have any real skill set or theoretical knowledge and none of the suggested topics really sound like anything you could reasonably write more than five pages about? And the mere thought of setting on a single topic to stick to for entire months is almost panic attack inducing

Okay, I'm going to treat this as a master's thesis, or maybe honours thesis, question. This sounds like a bigger thing than a class project, but correct me if I'm wrong, and I'll see what I can come up with for that.

First of all, you didn't get to the point of having to write a thesis without building up some skills and theoretical knowledge. You just aren't in the greatest position (inside your own head) to know what those are. I recommend asking someone who regularly interacts with your work (like a tutor or prof) to help you figure out what those are.

Second, do you have a thesis advisor? Are they assigned to you, or do you get a say in who? If so, focus more on picking an advisor you work well with before you settle into a topic. Ask the one you end up with about their study areas, and what gaps exist that you could build up with your work. You might not be particularly passionate about the topic they recommend, but knowing that your work has an important place in the literature could help you stay invested.

On a practical note, it never hurts to do some preliminary research into your potential topics. You want to make sure no one else has written the thing you want to write, but your life will be easier if there's a decent amount of source material in the field. You can't write a thesis with only 2 or 3 sources, but you also can't contribute to scientific knowledge by saying something that has already been said half a dozen times.

If you're working with some sort of primary source, there can be some wiggle room here. For example, if I wanted to write a meta-study type paper about bifacial blade cores in BC I wouldn't get very far, because only 2 people have written about that. However, if I wanted to write original research from my own hands-on analysis of those blade cores I could make that work, because the artefacts themselves are my primary source, and I know where to find a few in repositories.

If you have the time and access to go to geological formations, historical documents, interviews with Elders, '70s pop lyrics, etc, you can write about some pretty obscure things and make it work, because you're studying the things themselves. If you have limited time and resources, it might be better to stick closer to the well-trodden academic paths. You don't want to put yourself in a position where you need the primary sources but don't have the means to access them.

And as far as making a connection with recommended topics you're not that interested in, I recommend doing some preliminary digging here too. Is there a niche thing related to one of those topics you like better? Something related but a bit different? Really bad takes in the field you think need to be addressed? An epic academic debate you want to weigh in on? This part Is less about collecting useful data and more about finding where you want to be. This is the time to dig through the drama, follow the rabbit holes, and go off topic if you feel like.

And if none of that works? Talk to your advisor again. Tell them why this isn't working and what you're actually interested in, and maybe they can help you redirect your attention to a topic you'll connect with.

Your best resource for this sort of thing is your thesis advisor, which doesn't always work (sometimes an advisor is a bad fit), but if working with someone helpful who you respect is an option, that's the best way to set yourself up with something you can get invested in. If you don't have an advisor in this setting, see if you can reach out to another prof, colleague, or grad student who's willing to help. Doing things like this alone in your head is rarely the best option.

So some closing thoughts: lots of people have done this before and come out the other side. Most of them were also overwhelmed when they started, and you'll get to look back and go "well that wasn't so bad" eventually.

Your topic isn't on rails. You'll shape your goals and findings as you go along, and it will be a different story in the end than it looked like in the beginning. That's how it usually goes, and that's okay.

You don't need to know what you're talking about, just what you want to talk about.

Talk to people in your field. Ask questions. This is not a thing you need to do alone.

*just to be clear, I haven't actually written a master's thesis, although I've done training workshops on writing them, given advice to lots of people who were, and done a couple extended research projects. Lots of people who will probably see this are doing them, or have done them (you know who you are, I'm looking right at you) and hopefully will chime in with advice based on their experiences.

[overheaven]

hhnnnnn

MFA program interview tomorrow (it's almost 4am now so technically today but shh)

honestly. i think i’m more nervous about what will happen if i'm accepted this time than the interview itself. the interview... i've been through it once, & my interviewing skills are good if i say so myself. but idk until last wednesday i had more or less accepted the idea that an mfa wasn't meant for me in this lifetime. i still WANTED it but i accepted that i might not get it— who do i get rec letters from 2, 5, 10 years down the line, when i’ve likely been just in the workforce and not a community that could speak to my art & study skills? what do i put in my portfolio if i’m too disabled to get out & find studios & make the art i’d want to create a graduate thesis out of?

but now i've got this opportunity and like. yeah you can be cynical about it & say they're filling a quota or maybe this is their M/O every year to bait more applicants & inflate numbers… but idk i’m trying to stop those suspicious, paranoid thoughts because they’re based in insecurity & hurt.

when a dept. head emails me the day before the deadline and says 'we were looking at past applicants and invite you to apply again; just reuse your previous application' and they offer me an interview the day after i send that and a few new materials, i need to think ‘yeah there's something in my art that they want. that the world wants.’ i do make good art, art that does what i need it to do. and i have worked SO hard. i know what i’m doing and what i want.

plus i got waitlisted last time so i was this close 🤏 i’m not going to be cocky but it sounds like a have a good chance this time. i think about how i got into RISD for undergrad i just couldn’t afford it. i got into RISD! one of THE most illustrious art schools in the damn country! only about 17-19% acceptance rate!!! my portfolio was good enough for that!!!!!

so if given this opportunity i will seize it because i have to. i will be grinding myself to dust while i’m there, i’m sure. i’m still spent from the last 4 years, but i am a fighter and i will claw my way through with torn nails and broken teeth if i need to. i’d rather do that right now while the iron is not exactly hot but still workable rather than wait for a nebulous “someday” or never get it at all. if i get it done now, school can be completely totally DONE for me. there’s nothing above a masters for fine art.

and i feel really good about giving this second chance at this MFA program everything i’ve got, without over analyzing or second guessing because my gf has given me a really stable life and we have a whole plan of where we wanna be for the next few years at least. i have a job too! a pretty ideal one for someone like me!! there is a LIFE waiting for me if i get rejected. i’m not hinging on this for student loans to live on and a reprieve from work that was making me suicidal.

but like. yeah i’ve been having a cart before the horse thing. i'm really scared of the idea of 2 more years of study while being away from a more permanent home precisely because we are so ready & prepared for stability and being somewhere that’s not temporary. i don’t wanna be in transition anymore! i want a home and a place to rest!! i want to stay in therapy! i want to go to doctors and fix my body!

but if i need to, i will.

opportunities have always been stolen from me, by circumstance & finances, having no support. i’ve never been in control of my life. i want to capture this one if it lays down in front of me. i really do deserve it.

and tbh i think it will be somewhat easier because it is just art and some TA stuf. undergrad was agonizing because i was trying to put together senior projects and manage portfolios while also having to fucking write busywork 1-2 page essays every week in each of my other classes and writing manuscripts and being the one to manage group project email chains and scheduling because the 18-20 year old students don’t like to just get shit done. i don’t want to say i’m better than students who went to art colleges but i am built different LOL

[dionyrtal]

I have graduated this year. Studied English. I wanted to do masters but my grades were not enough for it. I feel so empty and I need to earn money. How was your process of finding a job after graduating? I feel like I am so limited. I want to pursue my career in literature but Turkey is not really paying attention to its individuals. Thank you for answering my question 💌🦢

My process was basically awful... I started applying to internships, part-time positions during my final semester (while I was writing my senior thesis and tutoring other students which tells you how fucked up the system is) and the audacity of some employers is just sickening. I applied to internships/part-time positions thinking they were paid but they told me during the interview that it was unpaid and based on volunteering (Specify it then??) I applied to jobs that did not even offer minimum wage, etc. Some employers did not show up to the meeting, some showed up very late.

One thing that I learned that they did not respect me, my time or my effort. Which is a bitter pill but once I experienced that I became more vigilant to see "red flags" in job descriptions or interviews and started to establish a boundary.

I remember having a breakdown in my dorm room because I couldn't find a job before graduation. I started applying to marketing positions (which I thought I wouldn't be qualified) but landed a full-time job eventually! I did not "network" during my time in undergrad because the word only makes me feel so calculating and greedy and fake, if that makes sense. It was basically just me an LinkedIn lol

But if your uni has a career page where they feature job postings, I'd definitely suggest taking a look at that! Also, talk to your friends and ask them to send stuff your way (but also talk to them to get mental support!!). My friend sent me the job posting, the one that landed me my first full-time job.

Also, I'm sorry you're going through this. Yes, Turkey is a very cruel place with abysmal opportunities for its youth. I wish I could do more but I hope this answer makes things a bit more bearable for you. Sending my love <3

[pantalaiimon]

Talk about your thesis! What was it about?

Thank you kindly for taking an interest! My blog has been dead for years, I must say I'm surprised I still get anon asks :)

My thesis (not sure if it's the right word in English? in this case, it's the research project one has to pursue to get one's master's degree) was in clinical psychology.

My theoretical frame of reference was psychoanalytic in nature, but doubly so, as I tried to use both Freudian and Jungian perspectives and have them not only coexist but also answer each other, for some extra fun. That means it's theoretically quite dense, especially for the profane. I'll try to make it more accessible here.

I applied those psychoanalytic theoretical models to perinatal psychology, in which I've specialised. The subject matter was differences in psychological functioning right after having given birth, when one is a first-time mother vs not so. A number of very specific and seemingly abnormal phenomena take place in women's psyche surrounding pregnancy and childbirth - which are actually not abnormal at all when put in that context. Still, that mental upheaval is quite something, lots of stuff from early childhood can come back up, and women are more vulnerable. It can actually help bring about a lot of change in their general mental health, and doing psychotherapy in that time period can be very beneficial and effective. So I was basically trying to map out various unconscious dynamics in mothers and how they differ between it having been their first pregnancy or not.

I found that after just becoming a mother for the first time, the unconscious mind is quite busy trying to deal with the new layout of transitioning from daughter to mother, and that there is little availability for relationships, and sense of identity is quite hard to maintain. For second or third time mothers, that upheaval is less massive, they've already gone though those changes the first time around, but they now deal with even older stuff as well as figuring out the ins and out of sibling rivalry. Outside of those very specific topics, their sense of self is stronger than first time mothers, and they have more psychic energy to invest in relationships.

On the more Jungian side of things, I've found that pregnancy appears to be potentially quite initiative and transformative for the feminine psyche, and that symbols emerging from the unconscious at that time can have a significant impact in furthering one's knowledge of oneself, and could be useful in therapy around that time.

I think that about covers my almost 200 pages long dissertation in layman's terms, and I sure hope I managed to make it understandable!

I'll just copy and paste the abstract I had to write in English, to give my answer that extra scientific and pompous flair, but feel free not to read any further lol:

"The aim of this study is to analyse the differences in psychological functioning between primiparous and multiparous parturients in the immediate aftermath of childbirth. To this end, qualitative methodology was employed through the projective TAT test, which was administered to six primiparous and multiparous parturients, following a semi-directive pre-interview. Formal analysis of their TAT narratives revealed a greater emergence of the primary process in the primiparous women, who regressed to a paranoid position in the face of representations of oedipal triangulation and the maternal imago. Their identity and object markers are confused, unlike those of multiparous mothers, who nevertheless regress more easily into the archaic. Dream analysis should enable us to preferentially investigate their collective unconscious."

[saucerfulofsins]

phd student here (just advanced to candidacy): i honestly feel like academia is meant to break us. my first advisor bullied me into almost committing suicide, and it's been ROUGH... but that said? i think you finishing your degree in spite of everything matters so fucking much. both on a grand scale (academia needs more people from "untraditional" educational and life experiences) and a minor scale (proving something to yourself and to the people around you who've played a part in breaking you). i believe in you because i believe in me. fighting is hard, but sometimes things turn a corner when you least expect it—networking at a conference i didn't even want to go to accidentally solved a big gap in my advising situation.

sending all the best vibes in your direction. you are smart, capable, and will end up in the right place eventually. academia destroys souls, and you're not alone. ❤️

Hey ❤️❤️

I like seeing it from that side. Maybe not doing it AS well as I could have if I'd have the circumstances other ppl write theirs in (I started mine first with a rejection of my initial topic,then switching to a topic I had taken NO courses or associated courses on, and all of this while I had the very real concerns I might have cervical cancer as a trans man... the day I found out I didn't was the day I found out my supervisor would be leaving, leaving me with about 10 weeks to write a MA thesis which obvs didn't happen and then shit REALLY hit the fan). I wouldn't consider anyone else's grade under my circumstances a true reflection of what they're worth, either. I should add that my MA program is a research master, preparing you for academia and after which you'd move on to a 3-4 yr PhD program in my country. If your grades and project are good enough, of course. Mine? Aren't.

I applied to some PhD programs last yr but only major/big name unis and I think that might have been a mistake too. I had an interview and everyone there sounded so smart, had so much background, and I'm from the countryside with parents that barely finished their high schools (with levels that wouldn't get anyone into uni).

But yeah. You're right. In the end this is one grade, and it's a passing grade, and I... I mean I won't get into a big name uni with this rn and I don't think I wanna pursue a PhD rn anyway just because of all the pain but also the backlog I have compared to everyone else there. I just really wanna figure out a way to stay involved in academia without ending up in this locked down situation where, as you say, there's an attempt to break down everyone that doesn't fit the way the established order thinks we should.

It's just super difficult to keep believing in yourself when you're turned down and turned away at every junction in your life. After so many years (I'm 31 now) it's just. There's a point where it feels too much. At the same time I took an entrance exam to uni at 21 which I failed, and which I took to be a sign I shouldn't pursue uni at all. Clearly I was wrong there. I just.

I just wish there were more ways of learning than just the one specific kind universities (and high schools for that matter) dictate rn.

I also wish you the best of luck in your own degree, now and in the future! I know a PhD is another step up from a MA and I cannot imagine how rough it must've been for you especially with your first advisor. You don't deserve that (and lbr no one does). If you ever want a listening ear abt what you're working on, even if it's something I know nothing about, feel free to contact me!

[notanotherinfjblog]

Do you think keeping a diary might not be a thing a lot of INFJs are likely to do? Every time I hear someone say they like journaling they don't come across like an infj. Do you also keep everything in your head and visualize and have an aversion to journaling dates, times, feelings, events?

I think that depends on what you mean by 'journaling'. I'm not a native English speaker and had to look it up, and apparently it's not just writing a diary, but some specific methods with leading questions and instructions like 'write about what makes you happy' or 'name 10 things you did well today' etc. Is that what you mean? Because I think keeping a diary that you write in occasionally to process your thoughts and feelings is not something INFJs would be really averse to. Can actually be very helpful because Ni is a very subconscious function and high Fe users often have trouble knowing their own emotional state until they articulate it, so writing a diary when they feel they need to seems sensible. I did that for many years, but often with very large gaps between each entry. And it can be nice to look back on something you once wrote because you completely forgot how you once were or what happened to you, especially considering that NJs in general are quite bad at remembering their own life, but since they also don't care much about it, I doubt they'd be so keen on journaling dates, times etc.

The thing is though, as soon as there are leading questions and page restrictions etc., the defiance kicks in. I don't know if that's the case for every INFJ, but it certainly is for me. Once someone or something gives you instructions on how to do something for your own good, it feels like they've put you in a cage. I recently talked to an ISFJ about her struggles in university because she felt like every lecturer had their own requirements and methods for her to work by and it made her feel overwhelmed because she needed one line of requirement, not several, and couldn't adjust to them all simultaneously, but nevertheless she felt like she needed these requirements and guidelines to function, which is why I think that the biggest fans of journaling would be SJs. But this problem that she was describing is nothing I have ever experienced because whenever I'm given instructions on how to work and how to think, I'm like "go to hell" and do my own thing. I wont let a notebook dictate me how many pages I have to write and which form my thoughts have to take and how many lines they are allowed to fill. The way I wrote my Master's thesis, for instance, went absolutely contrary to what my ISTJ supervisor recommended (I wrote all chapters in parallel because everything is interconnected and I can't keep everything separate). I once tried to do a research project with an ENFP and you could see how her low Te kicked in when she made a detailed (albeit completely unrealistic and chaotic) plan of action like first writing an application for the ethics committee, then taking 3 months for literary research (first on topic A, then B, then C), then 1 month of setting up an experiment etc. and my brain immediately left the conversation. That was the moment I realised I'm not cut our for teamwork. My Ni simply does not work like that.

But as we're talking about journaling, let's take a look at how writers work. For instance, I've heard some NP writers say that they write incredibly detailed outlines before they start writing their stories, which seems counterintuitive considering how Ne constantly generates ideas, but I suspect that that's exactly why they feel like they need to restrain themselves this way in order to not get carried away. But this form of restraining is not how I can work. I remember watching an interview with writer Markus Zusak (an ENTJ) while collecting interviews for my interview collection with all types, and it was literally the first (and only) time I've ever heard anyone talk about their writing process where I was like OH! YOU GET IT!!!!!! Honestly, I find that interview extremely illuminating if you want to see how Ni works (and I also consider it quite funny how he answers questions exactly the same way I answer asks on tumblr). What he basically says in that interview is that he explores the story while he's writing it. He knows the characters, he knows what the story is about, but he has to let it breathe. He wrote a story about Nazi Germany before doing any research on that topic (except for knowing his parents' stories who grew up during that time) and then did the research in parallel to writing and afterwards to fact-check. Sometimes he cuts out characters, sometimes he takes a character or an idea from another of his stories and inserts them in this other story instead. Because that's exactly the thing: you have to allow Ni to make connections. You can't put it in a cage like you would with a bullet journal or whatever. Interestingly, this need for making seemingly random connections between things is also the key characteristic of Ni humour. My favourite example for that is this song, where the story of the song progresses from "did you know that you can control your phone with a piece of potato?" to "maybe the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, is secretly a potato disguised as a human who's worked his way up into the boardroom and he keeps trying to pitch features that are specifically geared towards potatoes." That's peak Ni. But you don't get to see Ni at work when you give it a specific frame to operate in, which is why I guess INFJs might be rather averse to journaling.

[lifesfeelings]

Technical Writing

As for the technical writing job, I haven’t necessarily started it yet so the story is more so about just landing it and what it seems. Per the last post, I was SO interested in this job off the bat because my work in undergrad on grant writing. I also have been wavering on getting my Ph.D. because of job prospects and pay and stuff, and technical writing has been kind of my way out after my masters. So, I wanted this job to really trial it but also to start a resume with work like this on it. But, so I applied in REALLY high hopes for it. I knew for a fact that I was the most qualified person in the English department. I feel like that sounds cocky, but half of us specialize in creative writing, and the rest of us really focus on hyper-specific type work (literature, education, etc.). I felt like my specialization in rhetoric really is the only one that is about how we write in professional capacities and the more like “practical” side. With that, I also knew I was the only one in my discipline specifically that cared about technical writing and had experience. BUT!!!! Then it hit me that the communication department would also probably be fighting me for it and I might be FUCKED because they have a Ph.D. program at this school whereas the English only goes to masters here. But, nonetheless I got an email back about an interview and sample. I had to submit a set of instructions to them that I had written for “something complex or related to technology” which I did NOT have on hand at the time! Wrote a fake ass set of instructions for creating inventory sheets that the bookstore I still (semi) work at and submitted that. I went to the interview itself and felt pretty damn confident which isn’t normal for me after an interview. I just was able to improv SO many great examples of how my previous work gave me skills for this job. ALSO, realized mid interview that my thesis topic is basically researching how we navigate professional communication between disciplines which I think really solidified it. I ended up getting the job offer and start on Monday!! I’m scared because I really haven’t like “officially” ever done ANY type of work like this and have kinda loose faith that I can do it, BUT I also know that I really will be great at it and it is something I am passionate about and understand decently even if I haven’t “done” it. The job itself is basically gonna be me writing and instruction manual for some website the Dean, Provost, department chairs, and faculty all have to use. They said they had extreme difficulty with it across the board the previous semester and wanted to have a place that they could all turn to when they need help. It feels scary because other than the president this is literally the highest up people in the university, but it’s also SO cool to me that I get to interview them all and use their sites and ultimately guide them on how to do things! Teaching the Dean and Provost!?!?! are you KIDDING me!? We’ll see how this goes coming up 😅

06.12.24

[ricardotomasz]

Such is life! Behold, a new Post published on Greater And Grander about The Dancing Rabbit; Derek Carranza

See into my soul, as a new Post has been published on https://greaterandgrander.com/the-dancing-rabbit-derek-carranza/

The Dancing Rabbit; Derek Carranza

Raised in Southern California, Derek attended the Mae West Drama school at age 15, now defunct, where he found representation with Todd Turzo at Encino Talent, an also now defunct agency. Over the course of that year Derek auditioned for big brands like Nike, adidas, Nintendo, Dr. Pepper, and Quaker Oats cereals, to name a few.

Once 18, after deciding acting wasn't for him, Derek attended Cal Poly Pomona, where he obtained a bachelors and Master's degree in Biological Sciences and even taught Human Anatomy there for four years. Always a fan of films and fiction novels, plus with the added experience of thesis writing and teaching, this influenced Derek's attitude toward conveying information, and storytelling.

A few years ago, Derek made the decision to return to the entertainment business, in a different capacity: screenwriter and director.

Since leaving his job as a Professor, Derek has dedicated his time to writing several scripts and making films, which is how Derek got his first work - PEPPERBOX REVOLVER - optioned by producers. During this time, and before, he also worked on several videos for GIER PRODUCTIONS, in many capacities.

Furthermore, Derek is also an alumni for Jimmy Lifton at LIMSLA, where he took part in several productions that have included talent like Viveca A. Fox, Adrian Paul, Joe Montegna, and Nichelle Nichols.

He continued writing other works until eventually making his first feature. The low budget I FEAR NO BEAST, which opened at the IFS film festival to great response. Currently, he's in pre-production on his second feature.

What are you working on now that you’re excited about?

I’m currently working on a few projects, but the one I’m most excited about at the moment is a small contained crime mystery thriller called CAFÉ MONTEVIDEO. This is the one I’m working very hard on to get made at the moment. We’ll see it soon.

Why did you get into the entertainment industry?

For me it started back in 2003 with Kill Bill Vol. I. I was 21. Before that, I was in college, trying to make my way into Dental School, then I went to the theater on the Friday it opened and it was like holy crap! I knew from that point what I wanted to do, which was to make these commercial auteur vehicles that were all written and directed by me. As soon as the picture started, I was in on it. I got it instantly. I knew what Tarantino was trying to do in a way I hadn’t noticed before. He was paying homage to everything he loved and cared for, including himself. Before that, I didn’t think that was a thing. I certainly didn’t think you could make a profession out of directing movies like that. I said, I think I can do my own version of that. I want it to be funny and exciting and tense and engaging. Definitely pay homage, but go entirely my own way. That’s how it started for me. Now, I didn’t necessarily know what my own style would be, I just knew I had to work hard to find it. It took years, but it was worth it.

What was the first project you worked on?

It was an original screenplay I wrote called Pepperbox Revolver. It was a low-budget heist film. I wrote it with the intention of directing it myself, but when I got offered to get it optioned by actual producers, I couldn’t resist. I let it go. Well, I was actually talked out of it, but I didn’t resist much, because I knew I wasn’t ready to do a serious one yet. I was still developing my own signature. In the end, they paid me to rewrite it and optioned it for two years.

How did you find the optioning experience?

I saw many crime films, noirs, westerns, behind the scenes interviews and documentaries and decided that I needed to write something low-budget that had some punch to it. At the time, that was the best idea I could come up with. Thank God I let it go. Now, I look back on it and I realize why. It wasn’t that good. It was primer of who I wanted to be. But, at least it got me noticed.

What were your goals when you started Pepperbox Revolver?

My goals at the beginning, whether I knew how to articulate them or not, were to find my signature style. My personal niche. Define my uniqueness if you will. Even before writing that thing that sold for a lot of money and got recognized. I knew I didn’t want to be like everyone else, that much I did know, even when I tried to. I also wanted to learn and socialize with others who had similar goals in order to learn.

What are your future goals?

At this point, I have several screenplays in several stages of development, including CAFÉ MONTEVIDEO. I would really like to get all of them made, maybe not direct all of them, but certainly putting them in front of an audience. I think this is gonna help direct my original objective within the industry, which is to be that auteur director whose work is seen by lots of people.

What kind of school did you originally go to? And do you regret not going to film school?

I went to a polytechnic school where I majored in Biological Sciences. The plan was to go to Dental School and follow in my dad’s footsteps, but that really wasn’t what I wanted. Then I thought I’d be a teacher, which I eventually did for a few years, then I just decided to stop kidding myself and dove into the entertainment business, which is what I really wanted for myself.

Well, I think people should do what they feel they’re ready for with no pressure. If you want to go to film school and build yourself up, then by all means do that, but if you feel ready to play along with professionals and learn by doing, then I think diving into the industry is the path for you.

What advice would you give to a prospective student who is applying to film school?

Learn all you can, but definitely make your own movies. It never hurts. I did. No one’s gonna make them for you.

I always wanted to write and direct my own films. That’s still the goal.

What difficulties did you encounter in Hollywood?

Well, first of all, this is an industry (entertainment) where you really have to know people. A simple resume won’t do it. Moreover, it’s an industry where no one wants to help you get ahead. And no one wants to pay you for anything. Everyone wants you to help THEM get ahead and pay THEM. I mean, I understand it. Everyone has dreams. We’re all selfish. The challenge is that you have to be persistent and make things happen for yourself. Keeping that energy up. Waiting around for others to help you is a bad way to go about it, I think, here or anywhere. But especially here. If you want something done, you have to really sell yourself along with it.

What did you do for a day job while looking for showbiz work?

I’ve been a teacher, an insurance broker, a busser, a courier, a waiter, cashier. I’ve had lots of day jobs.

When did you decide to stop working for free?

As soon I got my first work optioned. That script wasn’t even that good, yet someone was willing to pay me for it. Why would I go back to doing free work? My writing would only get better, I thought.

So far all the scripts I’ve written have been on spec. It’s the only way I know I can write exactly what I want. But hey, look, I’m not opposed to working on assignment, it’s just that if you’re not into the project you’re writing or the direction it’s going, or the people with whom you’re doing business, then why get involved? Money only provides so much motivation.

I’m currently working on CAFÉ MONTEVIDEO. This is a confined crime thriller with elements of mystery, suspense, romance, character study and comedy. By confined I mean that it all takes place in a steakhouse. It’s an odd little duck, but a very entertaining one that I think is far above average. I think this is exactly what I always wanted to make with my first optioned work - Pepperbox Revolver - it’s just that I didn’t know enough and wasn’t refined enough as a writer at that point. I mean, it’s a completely different story and has completely different characters, but the energy of what I wanted drove it, I think. It’s an idiosyncratic signature piece that exemplifies everything I like about movies and then some, plus it’s probably the first purest creation that I wrote. Everything I’ve written after that has been more enjoyable to find.

What are the biggest mistakes a person can make when they first start working in the industry?

I think not improving and being lazy are the two biggest errors people make when they “break in.” Resting on your laurels is unfortunately how many people in the business fade away never recover. Look, if you make it in, that’s great, but then something else has to keep you there. Consistency in your work is a must. So overtime if you don’t learn or collaborate with other talented people, I think you’re shutting yourself off and won’t go beyond a certain point. Always learn how to do it better, keep entertaining people and avoid doing what you don’t want to do.

What’s the biggest thing you depend on, on set?

(laughs)

You mean besides the equipment and the script? Well, I don’t really have a thing I depend on, like a personal thing. No. Well, maybe my sense of humor. That definitely gets me through the day, always. I like making people laugh. That also comes through in my work, I think.

Did someone ever try to take advantage of your inexperience in Hollywood?

Yes. There was one work I got optioned a while back where one of the producers wasn’t fully aware of the terms of our contract and tried pushing me down over the phone when I asked for my option money. He was yelling and insulting. I told him to settle down, then when he wouldn’t I just swore at him, quit and ended the call. I was done and I meant it. About an hour later the other producer called and patched things up with me and got me paid.

Did you ever pay for a program that promised big results to help further your career, but it never delivered?

I once paid a line producer to make me a schedule and budget for $600.00 and he did a very poor job, so I fired him, then hired someone else [at Greater & Grander] who charged me less and did a way better job.

Did you ever come across a project or a person that looked promising, and then the whole thing blew up in your face?

A couple times. Mainly the one I just mentioned. That was the worst. The telling signs are when they seem standoffish or you feel you’re not welcome by them on the project; they won’t tell you certain things. They’re not friendly. It’s all in the energy that they project. In that case, from the very beginning I felt unwelcome. They thought of me as “just the writer.” It was all in how they dealt with me.

What did you do?

When he insulted me. That was the last straw. I quit. I meant it. It wasn’t a ploy, a game or a bit for me. When they called me back and ended up giving me what I wanted, I learned a lot.

Did anyone ever approach you and say they would offer you a job if you slept with them?

No, nothing like that. And I’m a little insulted, to be honest. (laugh) No, I’m kidding.

The BEST part of my job is finishing a project or getting it made. Even while you’re on set getting it made. It feels like you’re actually accomplishing something. It’s tangible. The worst part is when you’re gathering all the elements together; the writing of the script, the gathering of funds, the talent referrals, etc. It’s a lot of work.

Did you ever embarrass yourself in a job interview?

As a P.A. on a show I did once. I took a nap after my duties were done. That was not seen well. They still invited me back the next day to work though, so it all worked out.

Did you ever meet someone casually at a club that wound up leading to a great job, or a major step in your career?

Never at a club, but definitely online and on other sets. I met a few great people online which turned out to be people I’m collaborating with on Café Montevideo. One of them I met on a set that I was a part of a long time ago. Also, my first script option was done through people I met online.

How would you advise people to network?

Wherever you meet like-minded people, be sure to keep their contact information and reach out when you need them. Don’t be embarrassed to call and say hi even once in a while if nothing’s going on and definitely try to elicit other contacts from them that might be of use to you. Make sure it’s synergistic, too. You might have something THEY want.

If you had it to do over again, what would you do differently?

I would’ve started doing this when I was a teenager instead of at 30. (laugh) The quicker the better.

What motto do you try to live your life by?

A motto? I don’t really have a motto. Well, maybe something cheesy like:

LIVE AND LET LIVE. (laugh) There is something I do live by though, which is: be cordial and polite, but don’t just make friends with anyone. Not everyone’s friendship or acquaintance can lead to something. You also have to learn how to read people’s energy quickly. If it matches yours, then it could lead to something fruitful. If you spend too much time being casual, you’ll never go your own way or reach what you want. Things are earned, not given.

Where’s your favorite place in Los Angeles?

Definitely going to the New Beverly Cinema or the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. I just love seeing films on 35mm, they way, I think, they were intended to be seen.

Where can people find you and your work online?

You can go to my youtube page online at Oranje Pictures. It’s spelled with a J, not a G. Or type in Derek Carranza. You’ll see my work there. Or go to filmfreeway.com. All my work is on there, too.

Do you have your own thoughts? Let us know in the comments! Or join our community of successful creators on Patreon!

#CAFÉMONTEVIDEO, #Celebrity, #DancingRabbit, #DerekCarranza, #Interview

[midorismorningsessions]

before proceeding, listen to the full episode here:

when i saw the term bricolage, i remembered an instagram post where it said that we are all fragments of each other's lives, and that long after one leaves, they still become part of it through the habits we pick up from them, and the moments we shared with them.

my college bestfriend and i haven't really talked much since i got the news and in turn, supporting him and the closing ceremony right after, life really got us in the head. we did greet each other during the holidays, then the anniversary came, and then the year turned into a new one, and we haven't talked since aside from updating him regarding my internship.

when i think about all the things we've shared, the moments we've bonded over, the support that we gave each other...it fills me with unimaginable warmth.

as i continue writing this, i'm on my way back to my internship site for the final time to get my evaluation form and do the exit interview, and he's still blocked in my messenger account. it feels strange not to let him know about this since he also serves as my internship adviser, but i had to do this for him. it hurts and i think my tears are welling up inside my eyes as the van i'm riding on moves towards its destination.

the sunrise's pretty...really pretty. i wish he could know about it, but i'm sure he also sees it from where he is. too bad i can't really tell him about it. i don't really want to disturb him any further.

i looked at our previous conversations on messenger once i unblocked him again and i saw the message this person is unavailable on messenger. i kept the day's events as discreet as possible on my end, not really telling anyone about it until some time later with one of my best friends.

although we don't talk as much as we used to lately, my mind is still filled with endless worries for him. has he gone home? has he eaten? how's his thesis going? as much as i want to ask him about it, i don't think i will so he could focus on it. after all, we plan to include each other on our respective thesis (and my narrative report) acknowledgments. there's just so much we've done to better each other's lives, me being his number one enemy and cheerleader, and him being a steadfast constant in my life.

it's just hard to get used to this kind of life when you always pop up on each other's messages. it feels different when i see the message instead of saying that i blocked him. everything just feels...different. even stepping into the goddamn building feels heavy. this just feels like the ditching all over again, just made...a million times worse.

seeing that he deactivated his account just made everything heavier for me. and stepping into the building, the corridor where we used to talk about anything and everything about our lives...felt like i'm being shot to death everytime. it feels like i'm being stabbed through my chest over and over and over again. i could never step into that building ever again without being filled with so much emotion and memories of the past. i was just there to pass my evaluation form for the internship, yet holding that doorknob made everything hard for me. i'm still grieving, and my birthday also happens to fall on the end of this month, which is harder considering i've always looked forward to my birthday every year.

this is the hardest one of them all.

⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠

today's ending theme is futari no kioku from the idolmaster master artist 08: iori minase. enjoy listening!

[icherishyou]

tue, 19 dec 2023

the day flies so fast... 11 more days to go, and we will be in 2024.

I'm still processing how far my 2023 has been running. I had nothing to dream about but to finish my master's degree on the first day of 2023. experiencing how much struggle I had during my master's degree, and I was at the edge of my semester, I just wished to finish it, and I fought it until my last breath. Alhamdulillah I fulfill one of my dreams in vision board.

actually, there were a lot of dreams I wrote on my vision board. but since my main goal is to finish my thesis, I just went for it half of the year, and the day I got it, it was the happiest day in my life for that year. like, all of the struggles, dramas, depressions, all paid off.

after that day, everything that happened was just happiness or lessons. I'm so thankful to Allah, to make my heart stronger than ever through this process, to learn from every person I met virtually, physically, and fictionally to be a better person.

I think I'm accepted as a lecturer. something that is out of my reach, like I've never dreamt to be a lecturer or involved in the world of education. just as many things happened during 2023 which were out of my plan and just happened, I believe this is the step Allah wants me to take. Allah has managed all of the universe to work the way he wants and aligned with me.

I thought, since I've graduated, I could choose a career path I want: a digital marketer. it's still crystal clear, whenever people say I'm suitable for a teacher role, I'd say in my heart "I know myself, and this is the chance I can choose my own path, not by my parents, not by people around me". but it turns out I will be a lecturer soon. very very very soon.

it began with, my friend informed me about the vacancy, I applied, I went for the test and interview, then one of the human resources said "this usually takes a long time to process, but you have everything done in a day". and for the fourth round of interview, I just found out that the interviewer is my mom's friend dad. we are basically neighbors. and there was nothing serious during the interview, but having fun. even the human resource had to pick me up because I had an almost 2 hours interview that I think everyone knows I would be 100% accepted.

there is little sadness inside my heart like, do I give up on my own dream? do I just fulfil my parent's dream again? just some thoughts that lead me into nothing but sadness. my parents are both extremely happy because this is what they really want. but I just want to take those thoughts aside because Allah has made everything easy for me. I know Allah gives this for a reason that I haven't discovered yet, and I am just out of my comfort zone.

there is one reason that I hyphotesiscally think why, may be because Allah wants me to use my full capacity of knowledge and ability. because previously I really considered working in an administration or writing field only which needs less capability of suffering (I don't mean to underestimate those jobs but I'm happy doing administration and writing).

I know I will survive even though the salary is not that big. I'm being naive here, but I have to handle this and I will find a way to earn more money. this is just how Sri Ningsih (a fictional character from the book I just finished reading) is supposed to think. we just need to be more recourfull.

may Allah always guide me to His way, and I hope this is a good decision I take. Amin...

[terror-slut]

Change of Heart

Chapter 04/?? Click HERE for this fics masterlist!

Reader is a troubled pediatrician at Hawkins lab when she crosses paths with this lovely orderly. Nothing will stand between Peter and his revenge. Not even really pretty distractions.

Pairing: Peter Ballard x f!reader

Word count: 2010

Ratings & warnings: SPOILERS, period typical sexism, violence, blood, NSFW, swearing, no (Y/N), no described defining features for reader. Ratings may change as chapters are added.

A/N: his name is Peter and he has spidey senses….. who is he? The answer might surprise you. Special thanks to @pechvogal who motivated me to write this chapter <3

6 months ago

The office where she is waiting for the infamous dr. Brenner to meet with her is a cold, empty space. The walls are decorated with the same white tiles that the floor exists out of, eerily similar to the design of a padded cell. The desk that is centered in the middle of the room has no picture frames on it, or anything else that might hint to dr. Brenner’s personal life. The pediatrician suspects it might be done on purpose, to keep his professional life and his personal life separated from one another, in case his staff or the lab’s psychokinetic test subjects turn on him. If that were to happen, there would be nothing here they could potentially use to target him. Except for the plastic nameplate that reads ‘Dr. M.R. Brenner,’ there is nothing else present that even alludes to the office being his.

She softly exhales through her nose, these exact precautions taken by a highly esteemed scientist remind her once again of the dangers she’s exposing herself to, but it does little to shake her determination. All she wants to do is to help. Help science, of course, but more importantly, help the children within the lab.

With a soft click, the door behind her opens and the tall man who she recognizes from the newspaper clippings as dr. Brenner steps inside the austere office. She stands up from her seat to greet the older man, and he takes her stretched out hand to shake it.

“Welcome. I’m dr. Brenner, research scientist and director of this laboratory. It wasn’t too difficult a place to find, I trust?” A smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes rests on his face as she politely laughs at his joke.

“Certainly not, sir. I thank you for taking the time out of your day to meet with me,” he gestures for her to sit back down as he himself takes a seat in the sleek, black office chair behind the desk.

“No need to thank me. I’ve read your résumé,” he states, crossing his arms over one another while his stern gaze sweeps over her face. “Not only do you have a master in pediatrics, but also in psychology. And that at your age. I would say that is quite the achievement.”

“I’m a firm believer that those two go hand in hand, not to mention that certain disorders of the mind can be discovered, and thus treated, at a much earlier age, given the right guidance,” refusing to bother with small talk, she latches onto the praise of the accomplished scientist sitting across from her, and launches into the job interview.

“you don’t suppose pedagogy covers both these specialisms?” He challenges, seemingly as unimpressed by small talk as she is. The topic he broaches convinces her he has in fact read her thesis.

“I don’t think so. I find pedagogy only covers half of each specialism and although very useful in theory, the practice of it is entirely different. With both my masters I’m specialized in fields that can be of great use to you, sir. Not only do I know children physiologically, I also know them psychologically,” Dr. Brenner leans back in his office chair with an unreadable expression, but he hasn’t shut her down yet, which she takes as a good sign.

“Go on,” the white haired man nods.

“With me and my fields or expertise working within this lab, you would have a great advantage over the ch- the test subjects. I can easily distinguish the beginnings of a mental health problem from a physical problem, and provide guidance for both,” she explains, her words brimming with ardour.

“I would save this laboratory time as well as money, things that are extremely valuable, especially within the field of science,” the enthusiastic twinkle in his eyes reflects her own, though his body language remains neutral.

“You are certainly a persuasive young woman, I’ll give you that,” dr. Brenner speaks as he uncrosses his arms and the fabric of his tailored suit falls back into place as he does. “It doesn’t surprise me that you were able to obtain two masters, with this ambitious approach to your academical life.”

“Thank you, sir,” she politely acknowledges his compliment, though she can feel a dreaded ‘but’ coming her way.

“This laboratory would undoubtedly gain a valuable asset should we hire you,” he continues, tapping his fingers together. “But I have to ask you, miss. What’s in it for you? What do you want?”

The next time Peter sees her, she looks more rested than she had that evening. She blends in amongst the other doctors and the sleek bun from before has made it’s reappearance. The uniform she wears has been washed and ironed so there is no evidence left of the crumpled up fabric it had been not too long ago. Once again, her stony façade is firmly back in place. Peter finds he prefers the disheveled version of her.

When it comes to Peter himself, he has resumed his nonsensical chatting with the other orderlies, always listening for information that might prove to be useful to him later.

Much like a spider notices changes in the air through the vibrations of it’s web, Peter senses something is now different than before that night. Their oblivious coworkers notice nothing, but the pediatrician smiles at him, now. Their eyes meet from across the room and her lips curl upwards into a soft smile before she casts her eyes down and hurries along. He absentmindedly returns her smiles with ones of his own, and wonders if this is what it feels like when two people share a secret.

“Heading out, doctor?” The sudden baritones of his voice pull her back to the cold exterior of the hallway she stands in, rummaging through her bag for her keycard.

“Fu-“ she whirls around to face the man behind her, her frame relaxing when her eyes connect with the familiar orderly. A soft smile involuntarily creeps upon her face. “Oh, Peter, it’s you! You scared the living daylights out of me!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologizes, amusement dancing in the blue of his irises.

“That’s alright, I just didn’t hear you. We have to stop meeting like this, though,” she jokes, and a deep chuckle escapes him. She likes the sound of that.

“I wondered,” he starts, slightly hesitant on how to word his thoughts. “If you’re alright.”

“I’m… better than I was, before,” she answers, taking a step toward him so no one can eavesdrop on their private conversation.

In that brief moment, the fleeting scent of pomegranate and lemongrass cloud his sense of smell, and nostalgia hits him like a ton of bricks. The soft tickle of grass underneath his bare feet while making a dainty crown out of daisies. The heat of the sun on his skin lessened by the cool waters of lover’s lake where he used to swim. The pink in the night as the sun settled, instead of the harsh fluorescents and the inescapable blinding white everywhere within the lab. The slow crawl of his spiders when they would walk up his arms. He misses nature.

“We talked, and my father promised he’d stop pushing me to find a husband so much,” the sweet and soft ring of her voice forces him out of his nostalgic daydream. “Of course, his promises don’t last. I give him a week before he’s back to his usual behavior.”

“Why do you still live with him when he treats you like this?” Had it been Peter’s own father, the man would have been dead for a long time.

“He’d be all alone. My mother is gone and his age is catching up to him,” her expression falters. “Don’t get me wrong Peter, I want to live my own life. But I’m afraid the guilt would consume me if I left now and something happened to him.”

For a mere moment, they simply look at one another. Him, so tall and so pretty with his full blond head of hair and his thick eyelashes, the slope of his sharp nose and the curve of his soft looking lips. Then there is her, a head smaller than the man in front of her and so caught off guard by this beautiful creature standing in front of her.

“I never did thank you for listening to me that night,” it is she who breaks the comfortable silence.

“You don’t have to,” he says.

“But I want to,” her insistence shuts him up, at least for a little while.

“I know I don’t talk to people here, and I’m sure you’ve noticed it too. I don’t like opening up because I don’t like being vulnerable, so I avoid it where I can. I would rather have people think I’m a bitch than a weak woman. But you… You are so easy to talk to, Peter. You let me speak without interrupting me and without making me feel bad for expressing my emotions. So, you deserve a thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he says, his voice reduced to a rasp. Unsure of what is coming over him, he closes in on her with a single step. Whether it is because she blossoms when she is around him or simply because it’s her, he feels moved and something stirs within him. Her breath hitches in her throat because of his close proximity, but he senses it is not from fear.

Instead, she tilts her face, her beautiful face up towards his own, and Peter is once again overcome with the urge to touch her wherever he can, and then some. He wants to rip off the padded winter coat she wears and then run his hands along her ribs, feel the warmth of her skin shiver under his cold hands before moving them further up, exploring the soft skin that is currently covered up by the atrocity that is the Hawkins laboratory’s uniform.

“Peter,” her voice is an urgent whisper, her eyes darting from his own to his full lips, and he knows she feels it too. The burning in the pit of their stomachs, the heat rising to their cheeks, they are in sync. Her face is so soft when his thumb and pointer finger graze her chin, so soft that he wonders how it is even possible.

“Hey! Are we still walking together, or what?” It’s one of the nurses who interrupts the pair before he can even get a taste.

Annoyed, he takes a step back from his pediatrician and he falls back into his usual posture, hands behind his back and his face, angelic, she thinks, neutral.

“Oh, Peter. Are you leaving too?” The nurse asks. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see the pediatrician smoothing down her coat.

“No, I’m not. I was just discussing 015’s recovery with the good doctor,” his smile is nothing but kind, but murder is on his mind.

“Oh, that’s too bad. I’m trying to get her to make friends within the lab. A day’s work goes by so much faster when you have friends, y’know?” the nurse rambles on, but it’s obvious to Peter that she didn’t catch wind of their little rendez vous.

“Yes, well,” he abruptly interrupts her, not interested in hearing another word coming out of her mouth. It’s the pediatrician he looks at when he speaks next. “Drive home safely. I will see you again, tomorrow.”

He turns on his heels, and then, he is gone.

“I will assist and guide the test subjects wherever they need me, dr. Brenner. I will do so on one condition,” the pediatrician states.

“Ah,” he simply acknowledges with an unsurprised soft grunt, having suspected this.

“I will help Henry Creel, too. I will pick up the pieces you’ve left him in, and I will rehabilitate him. And you will let me.”

A/N: ik I’m the one who writes this but this bitch interrupting their MOMENT?! She’s the real threat at hawkins lab

Tag List: @sunweee @ancientbeing10 @njutul @lauftivy @madamerebloger @korekiyoss @immazebrah @severuslovebot @hobii-c0re @pechvogal @raineeace @peterballardsgirlfriend @shatteredflowers @thedoubleexposurephotography @dogmom2014 @daffy-ducks-hug @odd1seven

Lmk if you wanted to be added/removed from the tag list!

[superlinguo]

Linguistics Jobs: Interview with a Technical Writer

One thing I love about the Linguistics Jobs interview series is that each interview has relevant information about a specific job, but also lots of wonderful general advice about looking for work. Today, I really appreciate Alex Katz’s insight into the importance of building up a portfolio of work that you can share with potential future employers. Trying your hand at technical writing, or audio production or any other job you think you might be interested in, is a great way to see if it suits, and have something to show potential future employers. You can follow Alex on Twitter (@WizardOfDocs) and they’re also on Mastodon (WizardOfDocs@wandering.shop).

What did you study at university?

For my bachelor's I did a double linguistics and Chinese literature major, and an honors thesis about how characters in old Doctor Who stories address each other. Then I did a Master of Arts degree in linguistics, focusing on pragmatics, and my thesis took John Searle's speech act theory and Brown & Levinson's politeness theory and combined them into a new set of speech act categories. The idea for my master's thesis came from reading Searle's original paper in my discourse analysis class and thinking "I can do this better." So I wrote a paper about it for the class, and that turned into the first draft of my thesis. So don't prevent yourself from doing something if the only reason you want to do it is to do it better than someone else. It gets results.

What is your job?

I'm a contract technical writer for a shopping website. My day-to-day work is improving the documentation of how to use/add to the code that keeps the website running: I'm editing the existing documentation one page at a time, but I'm also taking edit requests and proposals for new pages, and even planning a major restructuring of my team's internal website to make sure our customers can learn what to do better.

How does your linguistics training help you in your job?

Studying linguistics, and especially pragmatics, has made me a better writer and a better editor. I can figure out why a particular phrasing or formatting decision is better or worse in context, and explain it to my teammates. That skill isn't just useful for the actual documentation--understanding pragmatics also helps me write emails and Slack messages to make sure members of my team are talking to each other and can give me the information I need.

Do you have any advice you wish someone had given to you about linguistics/careers/university?

If you want to get into technical writing, start building up your portfolio as soon as possible, especially in your chosen subject area. Ask your professors if they have syllabi or lab procedures that need updating. Start a blog. Document open-source projects. I didn't realize I wanted to be a technical writer until a couple of years after I graduated, and now all my best work is proprietary and I can't work on open source projects without jumping through lots of hoops. So I'm feeling kind of stuck. If I'd realized sooner that I could just (for example) send the developer of a Minecraft mod a pull request to improve their in-game tutorial book, my portfolio would look a lot better.

Also, expect to spend at least a few years as a contractor before any company decides you're worth hiring for real. That means a lot of short-term jobs, and probably some bad employers at the staffing agencies. But it's a good way to figure out what kind of company you really want to work for, and a great way to build up your resume--even if I don't get to go full-time at this job, I can now say I've worked at three different big tech companies.

Any other thoughts or comments?

It's not exaggerating to say studying linguistics has made me a better person. I was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in college, just as I was starting to study linguistics, and those things together gave me a wonderful opportunity to study how people talk to each other and learn how to present myself as someone people want to spend time with.

Related interviews:

Interview with a Standards Engineer

Interview with a Product Manager

Interview with an Editor and Copywriter

Recent interview:

Interview with a Stay-at-home Mom and Twitch Streamer

Interview with a Peer Review Program Manager

Interview with an Associate at the Children’s Center for Communication, Beverly School for the Deaf

Interview with a Metadata Specialist and Genealogist

Interview with a Developer Advocate

Check out the full Linguist Jobs Interview List and the Linguist Jobs tag for even more interviews 

[whentherewerebicycles]

hello anon!! okay, this is going to be a very long post, so buckle up. standard caveat: since i don’t know the specifics of your topic or discipline or situation, some of this will hopefully be relevant and some of it might not, so just grab what works for you and leave the rest! and if you have more specific questions that this general overview doesn’t touch on, feel free to send those in.

it sounds like you have a few different questions here:

How do I find and articulate my research question?

How do I effectively take notes on my background reading in the early stages, when I’m not sure yet what my argument is going to be?

How do I organize a long research project/paper? How do I conceptualize something that has so many moving parts & happens to be a genre (a thesis) that I’ve never written before?

How do I write something that long? 

also I am not sure if by “diss” you mean a senior thesis, master’s thesis, or a doctoral dissertation, as I know US and non-US universities use different terminology! so I will kinda just respond to this as A Very Lengthy Research Paper.

my response here will focus mostly on that first question (how to find/articulate a research question), with some thoughts at the end about notetaking in the early stages of a big research project. I’m going to lay out a method I just used with my own students to help them articulate questions & generate possible lines of inquiry to follow. I have been calling it the ‘research tier’ activity/system but it’s a pretty basic way of mapping out possible directions for a project. I use some version of this for every big project I undertake - whether it’s academic work, planning a course syllabus, or writing fic.

I want to emphasize, before I start, that the “tier” map you construct is a LIVING document, not a set-in-stone plan that has to be finished before you begin. the goal is to get past the anxiety of the blank page by generating tons and tons of ideas and questions related to your central topic -- so that if you hit a dead end, you can trace your way back and follow a different line of inquiry. when i am working on a research project, i am continually updating this planning document (i’ll say more about that at the end, once you have a sense of what the tiers look like).

Those questions are geared towards my students, who are working more in social science-y disciplines and/or on projects that have clear connections to specific communities. If you are writing a more traditional humanities discipline, here are some other examples:

I’m interested in...

the romance novel as a genre

Virginia Woolf’s writings on nature/the environment

the cultural reception and impact of the TV show Will & Grace

what queer social life looked like in 1920s New York

play and playfulness in the college classroom (my current research project, which I’ll use as an example)

once you have some idea of your focus, you can begin generating questions related to that focus. “Tier 2″ begins to get slightly more specific, though you are still very much in “big picture” mode. here’s some sentence stems I give my students to help them generate tier 2 questions:

my students are doing research projects that are ideally supposed to develop out of their preexisting community involvements or commitments, so i give them this additional advice:

[note: if your thesis topic is in a social science-y discipline (or a humanities discipline that leans closer to the social sciences), you can probably use some of those ideas or prompts. if your thesis topic is more of a purely academic humanities-type topic (for instance, a literary studies thesis about a specific novel), not all of those will apply perfectly, but some will hopefully be useful still!]

here’s an example, again using my playfulness project. I’ll list the question and then below it, in italics, I’ll explain what ‘stirred up’ that question for me.

T2: What are some core preoccupations or big-picture questions I want to explore? What are some things I’ve noticed that I want to understand?

Core Question 1: Why are college classrooms so serious? Why is there so little playfulness in most college teaching? Why so little laughter, movement, fun?

Observing my friend’s kindergarten classes made me realize how much elementary educators rely on bright colors, movement, singing, playing imaginative games together, etc. to engage young learners’ imaginations, minds, and bodies. Why do we value that so much in elementary education, but stop considering it important in college classes? Do learners “age out” of a need for highly interactive, engaging learning? I suspect no... so that’s a hunch I can begin to follow. 

Observing other college courses (and drawing on my own experience as an undergrad and grad student) made me realize how much educators rely on the same standard methods of teaching (lecturing with a discussion section; a version of Socratic seminar discussion that is primarily led by the professor). To me, these methods are antithetical to playfulness and tend to quash people’s ability or desire to playfully experiment, try things out, risk failure, etc. I wonder if the actual methods we use to teach content or to structure our classes are producing ‘serious’ classes, whether or not we personally as instructors want that to happen. That’s another hunch I could follow...

I’m thinking of a possible connection here to my past research on the origins of English literature as a discipline (in 1920s-30s England). One of the things that scholars often emphasize is how hard faculty had to work to transform English into a serious, rigorous, ‘legitimate’ discipline, akin to the hard sciences. That’s something that I think we still see today in the way people anxiously defend the value of a humanities education. I’m curious about whether the need to justify our existence as a discipline/field of study influences our methods of teaching college students. Do we banish playfulness from the classroom because it threatens that image of the humanities as a serious, rigorous discipline? That’s yet another hunch I could follow... 

Core Question 2: I have a hunch that people learn better in playful environments. Is that true -- and if so, why? What is it about playfulness that enhances learning?

I’m a lifelong fangirl, and fandoms are creative environments where people are continually engaged in acts of imaginative play. I’ve observed and have experienced firsthand how these playful environments seem to encourage people to try new things, take creative risks, learn new skills even if they’re afraid they’ll be ‘bad’ at them, and commit huge amounts of time, energy, and passion to long-term creative projects that don’t make any money or ‘earn’ them a grade. I’m curious about how we might adapt the playful, passionate energy of fan spaces to college teaching.

In my own classrooms, I’ve noticed that students get so much more into the activity (and seem to internalize the content more deeply) when I frame it as an imaginative exercise, a roleplaying activity, or a game of some kind. Teaching the same content in a way that encourages playfulness seems to produce deeper engagement (and deeper learning?) than using the traditional methods of ‘serious’ teaching.

Core Question 3: Playfulness and shared laughter/fun seem to build social bonds (again, drawing on my experiences in fandom). Could shared imaginative play help students develop better social skills? Could it help build a sense of community in the classroom and strengthen students’ sense of belonging? This question feels especially urgent to me given the epidemic of self-reported loneliness, anxiety, and depression on college campuses. 

*

You can have lots more than 3 core questions/preoccupations! In fact, the more ideas you can generate at this stage the better. The idea isn’t to hone in on your research question (yet) but to generate as many possible paths you could take, so that you can begin evaluating which interest you most, or which seem like the most fruitful questions to explore/answer. Doing the idea-generating for Tier 2 should already begin to set you up for Tier 3 -- which involves articulating specific sub-questions you’ll need to answer to better understand or answer those core questions/preoccupations.

and then we’ll go ahead and fold in T4, as I tend to move back and forth between T3/T4 as I brainstorm.

I’ll just take one of my Tier 2 questions as an example, but again, you can/should do this for all of yours (or at least the ones that interest you most).

Core question: Playfulness and shared laughter/fun seem to build social bonds (again, drawing on my experiences in fandom). Could shared imaginative play help students develop better social skills? etc etc

T3 subquestions (with T4 “directions for inquiry” folded into the first one, so you can see an example):

-- SubQ1 Does play actually strengthen social bonds? If so, how? Are specific kinds of play better for this than others (ie, collaborative or cooperative play compared to competitive play)? With Tier 4 folded in:

Do a library database search to try to figure out where “play” research typically happens -- is it in psychology research? Neuroscience? Early childhood education?

Then begin searching for different keyword strings that might help me gather up initial sources. Some initial ideas: play + social bonding, play + social skills, play + social development, play + cooperation, play + friendship, play + mental health. (Typically finding a couple useful/relevant articles will help you generate better keywords -- as you can begin to see the kinds of terminology that researchers use to describe your topic.)

I could also maybe interview college students themselves, or design a survey - but that would depend on the type of research I want to do. Do I want to conduct my own original research study, or is my focus more on synthesizing existing research from different fields to construct an argument? 

Could I find faculty or researchers who work on these topics, who might be able to direct me to specific resources or help me understand what kind of work has already been done on this topic? Maybe I can’t find someone who specifically researches playfulness, but an educational researcher whose work focuses on social-emotional learning would probably have a pretty good understanding of what features or pedagogical choices help create positive, affirming learning environments.

-- SQ2: Are college students lonely?

Are they reporting (or do they experience) higher rates of mental illness? What are the numbers on this?

What are some of the prevalent theories or hypotheses about why this is? Could social isolation or difficulty forming friendships be a possible contributing factor?

-- SQ3: Why are social bonds good for us - physically, mentally, emotionally?

-- SQ4: Do social bonds enhance learning? If so, how?

What if I looked to other non-academic learning environments (such as fandoms, team sports or group activities, etc where people are learning new skills in highly social settings) to make a case for playfulness in the college classroom? This isn’t direct 1:1 proof that “more playfulness in college classrooms = happier, more socially well-connected students,” but offering detailed descriptions of how those learning environments are structured might spark ideas for my audience (university instructors and administrators) or persuade them that playfulness has an important social-emotional role to play in college learning.  

*

Typically what ends up happening is I produce a huge, messy document (or fill a giant paper or whiteboard if I’m doing it by hand) that has tons and tons of different directions I might follow. usually, the initial process of creating this giant brainstorming document sparks lots of ideas for where to begin researching. then, as i go off and begin reading articles, those articles typically help flesh out my understanding of the core questions or concepts i’m interested in, or my understanding of what kind of research on this topic already exists vs. where the gaps are that my own work might be able to fill. that initial source-gathering phase of research will also usually spark new questions and sub-questions, which get added to my tier map.

having some kind of messy brainstorming map/plan also helps me read in a more focused way. instead of just opening a random article and skimming it without any clear sense of what i’m looking for, i’m now opening articles and reading them with a purpose -- i’m looking for answers to the specific questions i’ve articulated. so i can skim in a more focused way, looking for specific keywords that seem relevant, and i can also take notes in a more focused way, noting down key ideas that

having a question in mind can also help me figure out more quickly if the article is relevant to my research questions or not. for instance, let’s say i open an article about how playing competitive games in high school PE classes improve students’ self-reported moods. if i didn’t know what i was reading for, i might spend a lot of time on this article, trying to figure out if it was relevant to my research (it has the keywords, right? so maybe it’s relevant?). but if i am reading with a specific question in mind (“Do collaborative learning games help strengthen students’ sense of social connection?”) I can tell pretty quickly that this article is not going to be that useful, since it focuses on competitive physical games (probably not something I’ll integrate into an English class). so I can say with some confidence, “I probably don’t need to read this whole thing, but maybe I’ll check out their lit review section or their bibliography to see if the authors cite any other work on play/playfulness that might be more relevant to my specific questions.” 

i think i’ve kinda started to answer your second question about notetaking here, too, so i will also say that in the early stages of a big research project, i am absolutely NOT taking detailed notes on any of the sources i find. my focus is much more on amassing a large pool of highly relevant sources that i know i’m going to want to go back to and read more deeply as my research questions come into sharper focus. this is because deep reading burns through a lot of time and energy, so i want to make sure i’m saving that deep reading energy for sources that are quite likely to be relevant to my project. 

to figure out if a source is relevant, I often skim the abstract and introduction to figure out the core questions the article or chapter is seeking to answer. then I ask myself three questions:

Are the core questions of this article the same as (or very similar to) my core questions or subquestions? If so, mark this citation as HIGHLY relevant - I’m going to want to come back and read this source carefully, to see if it’s already suggested answers to the questions I’m asking. 

Do the core questions of this article seem to resonate with my core questions, even if we’re not asking them in exactly the same way, or the author of this paper is applying them to a different field? If so, mark this citation as LIKELY relevant - it may not be a perfect 1:1 with my own questions, but that can sometimes spark exciting new ideas or ways of reframing my original questions. If not, toss it.

Do the questions this article is asking suggest new questions or lines of inquiry that I am interested in exploring? Sometimes an article will introduce me to a whole new area of research or a new array of questions I hadn’t even originally thought to explore. If that’s the case, I typically pencil those sub-questions into my brainstorming tier document and mark the source as LIKELY or HIGHLY relevant, depending on how excited i am about it. 

OK I WILL CLOSE HERE FOR NOW as I have to get back to work, but I will say that when I taught my students this method, they were very confused by the initial explanation of it, but then when they went back and used the models to work through the tier brainstorming activity for themselves, they seemed to find it really useful. so if you are scratching your head, try doing a quick TIER 1 - TIER 2 - TIER 3 - TIER 4 map for your own research question to see if doing it yourself helps clarify. also: if you can’t get further than tier 2, it’s usually a sign that you need to do some more reading and freewriting about the questions that you’re curious about, or the gaps you’ve noticed in the scholarship, or the threads you’d like to follow. but you can do some of that background reading in a more focused way now, using your initial big questions to help guide your selection of background readings & give you a sense of purpose as you read.

[study-like-you-mean-it]

Hey, do you have any tips for those planning on applying for master's at Cambridge/Oxford? Majorly from the perspective of an international student? Thanks xx

(I'm really really sorry for how late this reply is, I hardly check my Tumblr anymore because I'm so busy and inbox notifications just don't show up for some reason)

-however-

I am about to start my MPhil in Linguistics at Cambridge (yay), so I have some tips (from someone who also did their undergrad at Cambridge):

The application process is draining (seriously I've never been so tired by anything ever), so set more time aside to do it than you think you need!

In a similar vein, make sure you have a timeline for when you're going to get things done, and make sure that timeline leaves you about a week before the deadline so that you can deal with any emergency situations

Remember that at postgrad it's less about the uni and more about the supervisor, so if you find that the uni doesn't contain the academic research you're interested in, then don't apply. I basically couldn't have applied to Oxford as they didn't do the kind of research that I was interested in (it was more traditional in its approach), so I stuck with Cambridge (although obviously I know Cambridge much better so that was an advantage)

Writing sample: If your course asks for one of these, I recommend finding the piece of work you were proudest of, and spending a good few days polishing it- the people looking at it want to see how you communicate complex ideas and concepts. The sample doesn't have to be directly related to the Thesis/Project you're applying for, but at least tangentially related is useful

Start emailing potential supervisors over summer if you are applying in the winter: this is partly because supervisors get super busy over term time so are worse at replying to emails, partly because you come off super organised, and partly because if you haven't been at the institution before, it will take some shopping around to find the right supervisor. I had the good fortune that my undergrad supervisor was happy to supervise my MPhil, but if I were to come at this from an outside perspective, I would go through faculty lists and email people, stating my intent to study there, how I noticed they were interested in xyz, and how I'd like to do a master's in something within that (be clear about your project aims). Don't be disheartened if they say no- ask for other suggestions! You can also shoot an email to a PhD who's supervised by the person you're interested in and see from them if they think it's worth asking.

References: both references should be academic, and ideally from those who have supervised you. My first reference was my Director of Studies, who was in charge of my academic progress at uni, and the second was my lab supervisor from my second year, since he taught me a lot of skills I needed for the MPhil project. If you have a dissertation supervisor, I recommend asking them (I learned the hard way that I should have asked the guy who's my MPhil supervisor because he knew me and could recommend me, but I got the place so that's alright in the end)

Interview: from my experience (and anecdotes from friends who applied for other courses), these are much more low key than undergrad, and they want to know more about your research contribution and what you think you'll learn- mine lasted literally 10 minutes, a friend's lasted 15 mins, etc. However, it's worth preparing with 'what will I learn' in terms of topics and skills, as well as 'how can I contribute to the research of this institution'

Remember that a Master's is often seen as a gateway to a PhD, so have in mind how you could expand on your research beyond just your master's, which helps contextualise your research contribution further

Research proposal: there are lots of very useful online guides for this, so definitely do some research on structure before you write! Be clear in the proposal about the aims of the project (these can shift in conversation with your supervisor but you need initial aims), and also where this research could be expanded. I included a few sources and a bibliography, as well as my name and email address in the footnote just to be professional. Make sure it fits the length requirement, and make sure that it looks presentable. Also- this step takes so much longer than you think, so really prepare in advance.

Hope this helps anyone considering applying for a master's!