I'm doing my Masters........my first task is the literature review.........I am working full-time and started my Lit Review mid September this is almost the end of November and I haven't finished the Lit Review yet.-- I'm diong a social science Masters.......I have nothing to guage this to........does this right or am I as slow as I think I am??? Feedback, please.......I think that I am going mad with angst.

All the best,
Mosaic

that seems like a long time, yes, but you get faster with experience. How are things going now?

Hi, Margo...I had to give it up for the fall, and I went full-time at uni at the end of January, and I'm working on the lit review now.....I'm still slow. I think that I over-organized my work. In addition to lacking confidence--and perhaps experiencing not a small amount of anxiety, I was in a slump. However, I know the material so well, that I just started to type...slowly.. I had to go to the writing center to get some advice...it's all in the mind, I'm sure. Confidence building is the main thing. I'm still at it and it has to be in soon. Can you elaborate any more about how one gets faster at writing -- I need to hear a little more.

Thanks for the inquiry,
Mosaic

well lots of things get better w/ experience. You become a stronger writer so you don't sit there and dwell on every sentence. You get to know the structure of lit reviews and academic papers better and better. AND your confidence grows! Just out of curiousity what did the writing center tell you?

Margo, the writing center told me that I was not alone. Many people feel blocked or overwhelmed at the prospect of doing a thesis. I found that reassuring. I knew intellectually that that was the case, but I needed a knowledgable third party to tell me. She told me that I was trying to get things perfect right away and that there will be many revisions, so the main thing was...to write...to get things down on paper. Good advice. She also told me to always keep the research question in view as I was writing so I would not veer off course, again good advice. I must say that I am glad that I went to the center. Thank you for the reassurance that things do get better.

Regards,
Mosaic