End of the Year

It’s the end of the year, a time for reflection, evaluation, and goal setting. This year has been much better for me than 2013. I’m in a better shape now, have more energy and less pain than before. This year I defended my dissertation prospectus. I wish I have already received my IRB approval, got an article published, developed a daily writing routine, cleaned the house, etc. That’s what I hope to accomplish in 2015. Next year I also need to complete data collection for my dissertation.

What have I learned in 2014? To take better care of myself and to stay positive. After a long break from going to conferences, I attended CADAAD 2014 in Budapest, Hungary. I realized how much I was missing by not conferencing. I decided to go to at least one conference per year. To ensure that, I organized a panel for ICQI 2015. This panel has been accepted. Thus, all I need to do now is to revise my paper, book a hotel room, buy plane tickets, and attend the conference in May. In 2014, I revised a paper and submitted it to a journal. Belcher’s book Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success gave me some structure and taught me how to better approach editing on both macro and micro levels. I will use this model again, starting January 2, to revise my other paper and will reflect on that process in February and then in March.

During 2015, I will blog twice a month.  In January, I plan to write about Yuri Lotman, his approach to cultural studies, and how this approach may help me in grounding my dissertation project. In February, I will reflect on my trip to Russia and discuss how the revision of my paper is going. In March, I plan to write about my data collection and report on submitting my second paper to a journal. If some more interesting or more urgent topics surface, I may change this plan, but my goal is to write regularly. In 2015, I plan to use this blog to discuss various aspects of my life, including my non-academic goals. Hope you’ll come back in January and share this journey with me! Happy Holidays, everyone!