The Sci-Fi Guide to Dissertation Writing

The Sci-Fi Guide to Dissertation Writing

By:  To Do: Dissertation


For all you dissertation writing sci-fi fans out there, I know these quotes have probably already brought you encouragement.  For everyone else, consider the following motivational statements from famous science fiction texts:

“Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.” (Doc Brown, Back to the Future)
No matter how many papers you’ve written, writing a long manuscript like the dissertation will test your writing and thinking skills in new ways.  There will be no road map for how to proceed.  There won’t even by any roads to mark your path.  The whole point of your dissertation is that it is uncharted territory.

“Do or do not.  There is no try.” (Yoda, Empire Strikes Back)
The bottom line is that you are going to have to write your dissertation in the end.  No one else can do it for you.  Stop procrastinating.  Stop feeling sorry for yourself.  Just write it.  Sit down.  Pick up a pen.  Power up your computer.  Start stringing some words together.  You’ll finish it faster than you think.

“Life? Don’t talk to me about life!” (Marvin the Paranoid Android, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)
The dissertation doesn’t have to be isolating if you don’t want it to be, but there may be times that you choose to isolate yourself so that you can forge ahead.  If you do choose to focus on your dissertation at the expense of some other aspects of your life, just remember that your dissertation won’t last forever.

“To boldly go where no one has gone before.” (Star Trek)
Take pride in the uniqueness of your dissertation.  You are creating a new path in the academic wilderness.  Or, if you prefer, the academic galaxy.  Have courage, be bold, and trust your instincts.  You are the best person to be working on your project – no one can write it like you can!

“There is no spoon.” (Neo, The Matrix)
Whatever you thought the dissertation was – it’s not.  Think beyond the words on the page, the degree, and the hoop-jumping.  You dissertation is so much more than that.  Once you give up your preconceived notions, including all those fears and anxieties, you’ll succeed.