Year 2, Day 47: Shakespeare Institute -- Ellipsis.

So, I'm supposed to take it easy in these first few months.  I'm currently trying to establish a working thesis, and get a bunch of chapter titles situated.  I believe that I have a lot of good ideas, and that some of them might actually work.  I think if I had an actual piece of writing as an example of what I am supposed to be doing, that would help incredibly.  Instead I sit at my computer wondering what I should be writing, and here are the inner monologue transcripts from my first few attempts at writing chapter headings.

Me: "..."

I got nothing.  I have got to ask one of my fellow PhD students what the hell I'm supposed to be doing with myself.  I have a feeling though that I won't believe them when they say it's easy, or that I should be processing, or relaxing... mostly, I'm stressing and I need to know what's next.  On another note, I've purchased three books online that I know will help me a lot.  I'm just praying that none of them have stolen my idea.  That's right, it's my idea... you can't have it.  At least not until I'm ready to give it to you in three years, and even then it's still mine.  You're just borrowing it, and then you need to give it back so I can work on it some more.  Mine.

"...mine..."

I can't write that.  What else is there to write?  I can't write down what everyone else has already written.  Dammit, the guy that I am currently reading, maybe I could just quote his entire book?  That'd be funny.  But, really, this guy is smart and I think I'm going to end up quoting his entire book.  Really.  Wait, this book is a 'reader'?  An amassing of every paper written on the subject... ever?  Crap.  I've got to read all this?  Oh damn, this guy has a similar idea to mine and he wrote it a century ago.  I'm so screwed.

"...screwed..."

I should probably try reading a book for fun.  Or go to a movie.  Or do anything else.  No, trying to learn blues guitar is not helping.  The show I'm directing this year will have a blues band in it, and learning the blues guitar will definitely help that process.  It won't help me write anything, but I'm at least doing something.  Badly.  I can't play guitar nearly as well as I should be able to after all these years.  I suck at writing and playing guitar.

"...i've got the blues. and the blues has got me..."

<end transcript>

Have I learned anything about myself, my thesis, or my Shakespeare?  Not yet.  The writing of a blog seems to help though.

 "..." - Shakespeare.

Year 2, Day 47 - Words Written: ...