Writing research papers feels like you're drifting in and out of the infinite void

[LexingtonKruger]

I have started doing this project, and for it, I initially read the second sex.
From that book I took close to thirty pages of quotes.

Then when I started writing, I realized there was no connecting thread I could use to tie in all these quotes.

Then I came up with a thesis that language has often exhibited misogyny all throughout literature.

The hard part is now adhering to that thesis.

You start to see how ideas overlap.

Like yesterday I started writing a section about how patriarchy exists as a sort of tautology where it's existence is used to justify itself.

Then I realized that men sort of accept patriarchy as they're not aware they operate under it's effects.
So I was like, how do you get mad at people who are ignorant and also, innocent to some degree?
So I conflated sexism and racism.
I bought a book by Rebecca Solnit just to take a single quote that was from James Baldwin."It is the innocence that constitutes the crime."
But I didn't want to simply take that quote out of context as it applied to racism when I want it to apply to sexism.
I corroborated that by linking a quote from Irigaray where she theorized the end of patriarchy would spell the end of other forms of oppression, so I linked it there.

Then I remembered a feminist theory article I read a year ago. I'm not sure how I remembered it as I basically speed read that textbook in order to finish all the assignments for one class in the initial month.
The quotes are also very specific and few, like this idea is not expounded upon in great detail.

So then I read the article, and the whole point of the article is sort of denounced in the preface where the author states Judith Butler and others have cautioned against the approach the authors intend to take.

But anyway the article states that people could find solidarity through an overlap of oppressions.
Unfortunately it doesn't contain any examples where sexism is conflated with racism, although it does mention the sample pool did contain individuals separated by sex and gender.

So I had to write, in theory, this article posits that the quote by James Baldwin can be taken out of context, to say that " the innocence constitutes the crime" even in a patriarchal sense.

Then, after going down that rabbit hole, I was like, wait, how do I connect this to my thesis where language is said to initiate patriarchy or it has contained many examples of patriarchy?

So I had to rewrite my thesis in order to incorporate the room for exploration of the topics that come up from an inquiry into patriarchy and language.

So, for this one project, I have read close to 800 pages in less than a month, in fact, maybe in only 16 or so days, as I'm also in school.

I'm finding that as I'm reading feminist theory: Irigaray and Butler and to some degree Foucault in that I found an article discussing motherhood through his perspective, I get so lost in the material that I get afraid and forget where I am, I have to like intermittently stare frantically around the cafe or library.
I also read this critical theory: The Alphabet Vs The goddess by Schlain which was mostly bullshit. I never experienced reading a 400 pg. book to ultimately realize this is bullshit and I can only discuss it's claims in my paper as evidence of bullshit with a hint of plausibility.

Now I have like 50+ pages of notes I have to pare down into some format: PowerPoint or a website.

Overall I'm just like wow, this is just one class. Wtf.

I also feel like, potentially the research never stops, I can either support an idea with another article or look into another book or article as evidence of my thesis.

I thought that if this was a dissertation, I would have more time, and that's the only way I can imagine the feasibility of doing something like that.

Anyway, I was just curious what other people's experiences are like. Concurrently please don't shame me with the mountains of work you've done.

 

[Kard8p3]

I fucking love writing papers. Feels like the ultimate form of expression.

 

[kmfdmpig]

One thing I've learned from writing a lot of academic papers is that keeping a narrow focus is often easier. A very detailed/deep dive on a singular topic or aspect of a topic will be easier, more coherent, and typically more effective than a paper that tries to go big.

 

[Cocolina]

Don't you have a hypothesis to focus your work around?

 

[Blackie]

I fucking love writing papers. Feels like the ultimate form of expression.

Click to shrink...

This is always how I felt in school, and people looked at me funny for it. Nowadays I am worse, and wish I could support a lifestyle where I only communicate purely through essays. No casual conversation, text messages, nothing verbal or Twitter short. Just longform, multi-faceted, well researched written dialogues, back and forth, with thoughtful, well educated peers.

 

[Kard8p3]

This is always how I felt in school, and people looked at me funny for it. Nowadays I am worse, and wish I could support a lifestyle where I only communicate purely through essays. No casual conversation, text messages, nothing verbal or Twitter short. Just longform, multi-faceted, well researched written dialogues, back and forth, with thoughtful, well educated peers.

Click to shrink...

Glad I'm not the only one, lol. In school my classmates would rather do group work/art projects and I was always hoping for a paper. It's relaxing af, and lets you strut your stuff.

 

[diakyu]

Writing papers is the shit, especially when it's something you're passionate about. I get to write one one tomorrow and I'm pretty pumped.

 

[Yasuke]

I miss writing papers. I preferred that to studying for a test.

 

[bangai-o]

Uh, so what is the control group and what is the experimental?

 

[signal]

Feels like writing bullshit mostly.

 

[Masoyama]

The text of rambling just makes it clear you have no idea how to organize ideas in a logical manner. Just reading a lot and finding quoted is not an intellectually interesting exercise for anyone. You have to approach your chosen subject critically and read/research along your chosen structure. Always go a bit outside your boundaries to make sure you aren't being driven down a cow chute, but not everything you read must be included.

 

[Clay]

You should spend more time on reflecting on how beneficial different avenues of research will be before going through with the work, it sounds like you're doing a lot of reading and writing on a whim without considering whether it's worth it, and like you're wasting a lot of time. For example:

I bought a book by Rebecca Solnit just to take a single quote that was from James Baldwin."It is the innocence that constitutes the crime."
But I didn't want to simply take that quote out of context as it applied to racism when I want it to apply to sexism.
I corroborated that by linking a quote from Irigaray where she theorized the end of patriarchy would spell the end of other forms of oppression, so I linked it there.

Click to shrink...

Could you not have just said something like "Baldwin's quote regarding racism holds true for sexism as well," or something along those lines? Does anyone care that you bought and read a book for basically one line in an essay? Would the reader's reaction to the essay really have been drastically different without that quote?

I can understand wanting to do a great job, but save it for when you're actually contributing to a field. Spinning your wheels like this is going to slow your mastery of your field, not help you.

Sorry if this comes across as harsh, but it sounds like the drifting is self-imposed and unnecessary.

Edit: I just re-read the OP and I have no clue what your paper is even about. You'd benefit a lot from picking a tighter focus and limiting yourself to a handful of texts on that specific topic.

 

[Lunaray]

I have started doing this project, and for it, I initially read the second sex.
From that book I took close to thirty pages of quotes.

Then when I started writing, I realized there was no connecting thread I could use to tie in all these quotes.

Then I came up with a thesis that language has often exhibited misogyny all throughout literature.

The hard part is now adhering to that thesis.

You start to see how ideas overlap.

Like yesterday I started writing a section about how patriarchy exists as a sort of tautology where it's existence is used to justify itself.

Then I realized that men sort of accept patriarchy as they're not aware they operate under it's effects.
So I was like, how do you get mad at people who are ignorant and also, innocent to some degree?
So I conflated sexism and racism.
I bought a book by Rebecca Solnit just to take a single quote that was from James Baldwin."It is the innocence that constitutes the crime."
But I didn't want to simply take that quote out of context as it applied to racism when I want it to apply to sexism.
I corroborated that by linking a quote from Irigaray where she theorized the end of patriarchy would spell the end of other forms of oppression, so I linked it there.

Then I remembered a feminist theory article I read a year ago. I'm not sure how I remembered it as I basically speed read that textbook in order to finish all the assignments for one class in the initial month.
The quotes are also very specific and few, like this idea is not expounded upon in great detail.

So then I read the article, and the whole point of the article is sort of denounced in the preface where the author states Judith Butler and others have cautioned against the approach the authors intend to take.

But anyway the article states that people could find solidarity through an overlap of oppressions.
Unfortunately it doesn't contain any examples where sexism is conflated with racism, although it does mention the sample pool did contain individuals separated by sex and gender.

So I had to write, in theory, this article posits that the quote by James Baldwin can be taken out of context, to say that " the innocence constitutes the crime" even in a patriarchal sense.

Then, after going down that rabbit hole, I was like, wait, how do I connect this to my thesis where language is said to initiate patriarchy or it has contained many examples of patriarchy?

So I had to rewrite my thesis in order to incorporate the room for exploration of the topics that come up from an inquiry into patriarchy and language.

So, for this one project, I have read close to 800 pages in less than a month, in fact, maybe in only 16 or so days, as I'm also in school.

I'm finding that as I'm reading feminist theory: Irigaray and Butler and to some degree Foucault in that I found an article discussing motherhood through his perspective, I get so lost in the material that I get afraid and forget where I am, I have to like intermittently stare frantically around the cafe or library.
I also read this critical theory: The Alphabet Vs The goddess by Schlain which was mostly bullshit. I never experienced reading a 400 pg. book to ultimately realize this is bullshit and I can only discuss it's claims in my paper as evidence of bullshit with a hint of plausibility.

Now I have like 50+ pages of notes I have to pare down into some format: PowerPoint or a website.

Overall I'm just like wow, this is just one class. Wtf.

I also feel like, potentially the research never stops, I can either support an idea with another article or look into another book or article as evidence of my thesis.

I thought that if this was a dissertation, I would have more time, and that's the only way I can imagine the feasibility of doing something like that.

Anyway, I was just curious what other people's experiences are like. Concurrently please don't shame me with the mountains of work you've done.

Click to shrink...

I think it really helps to 1) narrow the scope of any paper to 1-2 main points, and 2) write a skeletal paper outline (no matter how barebones) before doing any actual writing. Otherwise, it's really easy to get lost in literature research.

 

[Huey]

Edit: I just re-read the OP and I have no clue what your paper is even about. You'd benefit a lot from picking a tighter focus and limiting yourself to a handful of texts on that specific topic.

Click to shrink...

yeah this. Unless you're writing a review article the purpose of your work should be immediately clear and focused and you should cite relevant works to support your arguments and show you have a command of the literature. the context of where you will be submitting is relevant but overall this is how academic writing goes. Worth noting I am coming at this from a scientific/experimental perspective and things may vary in the humanities

 

[Glasgow Mega-Snake]

I wish I would enjoy writing papers as much as some people in this thread. It's not that I'm bad at it, I mostly got pretty good grades, but I have to force myself to do it.

I love creative writing or journalistic stuff, and academic writing just feels so restrictive in contrast. You have to adhere to the same strict format every single time and it just feels mind-numbingly dull.