Writing a dessertation

Really get tired and misery about writing my thesis.
Bumping into one of my classmates' blog today. I found what he wrote in his blog reflected exactly what I am confronting with now.

Here are the excerpt of the discussion about writing a dissertation:

“Writing this dissertation is really the first big thing of your intellectual life. It is going to be a very tiring process. It is not like writing a paper: you get it done and you send it off somewhere. Writing dissertation: you get your first chapter done, and you feel you have lifted the weight. But what is waiting? Your next chapter. After a few chapters, you get really tired and you see no end to this misery. When I was in grad school, there was this famous play coming out, called, The Loneliness of a Marathon Runner. That is exactly the feeling of writing a dissertation. Only you run and compete with yourself, not others. So you have to be in good physical condition too. You need to exercise regularly. ”

“You have to figure out a way to sort your materials. You cannot keep all in your head. When I write, I always have a mental map of chapters, and then I number them 1, 2, 3, etc. Later when I come across an article, have an idea, I collect it or write it down and number them according to which chapter I feel they belong to. So they go into the pile numbered 1, 2, etc. You can give multiple numbers to articles, ideas too. Just remember to distribute them to other piles when you finish your first numbered chapter. I am not saying you should follow my way. But you got to find a way. The only good way is the way that works for you.”

“Books are quite different from dissertation. Most people rewrite their dissertations when they turn them into books. Because you need to prove you are a scholar in your dissertation. When you write a book, you are a scholar. But in a book, if you state up front what your objectives are and what you found, no one would want to read the book. A good book walks with the reader through a journey, hand in hand with the author. For all social sciences, really good work is only done by good writers.”

“You read and learn from the books you really admire and that speak to your heart. Do not say Marx or Nietzsche is cool, so let me copy them. But they are not you. Read a book not as a consumer, but like an author. It is totally a different perspective. Like watch a movie not as a member of audience, but as someone who makes movies. Then you will get better.”

“I know how sensitive the period is for a grad student. You are not sure you can do it. You have many doubts. You have to think more strategically and get what you want. Many people have gone through this route, but many people have failed too.”

It's really enlightening. Hope I can go through this route.