The PhD Writing/Outlining Cycle | Weekly Vlog 2

Episode 2 of my PhD vlogs! Thanks for all your comments on my previous video, it's good to know I'm not alone in my struggles! Let's overcome imposter syndrome and write our dissertations together!!
Kaelyn Grace Apple's video on PhD planning: • Plan My Entire PhD Dis...

[@leefryer-davis5843]

I think it’s amazing that you are doing this series. I’ve been watching your videos for a while and they are great! I am two semesters into the start of a masters/phd program and it’s part time. I also hear all the little nasty voices that fill me with doubts and imposter syndrome and being part time makes it so much harder it seems. But although we can’t control the voices coming into our heads, we can control how we are reacting to them. What you are doing is an excellent way to combat the doubts! You rock, keep going!

[@liyanaazman4712]

I like this new series which shows the real ups and downs of writing. The 'writing in the fog' is a true struggle! When I struggle feeling my writing doesn't flow, someone told me sometimes it's so hard to write with so much literature living in your head. The more you read the more expectations you want your piece to sound a particular way. And when it doesn't it's so frustrating. He then draws an analogy to cooking. Is it a really a flow issue or are you trying to overspice your dish ? Sometimes it is ok to leave it bare . You can season it later on , or maybe you don't need to at all. It's fine the way it is, proceed to the next dish. You got this Morgan!

[@touatitbelkais6072]

Hi Morgan,I wanted to let you know how grateful I am for the positive impact you've had on my life. Your videos have been instrumental in helping me break free from a phase where I felt incapable of doing anything. As a second-year PhD student, i have been and still struggle with mental exhaustion, a sense of being stuck, and overwhelming anxiety that has hindered my ability to carry out the tasks essential to my studies but your guidance has been nothing short of heroic in navigating through these challenges. 🙏🏻💚

[@andyrogers9839]

Only halfway through the vlog but just wanted to take a second just to say I really admire you putting this out there. And all of your stresses and concerns you've expressed so far are *entirely* relatable! I wound up here because I'm currently in the middle of my own planning vs writing tangle, and even just hearing you speak so openly and talk through your experience is really reassuring and comforting. So thank you! And best of luck with everything, I'm sure you will ace it! :)

[@carlthorellstein53]

I'm just an undergrad, so I mightn't know what I'm talking about. But my professor once said that: "[o]n reading it through you should find that the introduction is already there [and] the conclusion is already there [...]." I think that in the humanities and arts, the structure of the texts we write emerges to a greater extent than in the sciences, where it often is more clearly defined from the beginning. While it is of course a hermeneutic-circle type thing - where the chapter influences the writing and the writing influences which chapter it is in - perhaps it would be useful to decide on chapters later, once the text is more fully written? Perhaps you will find that the chapters are "already there". I'm really impressed with all you're doing, and I can't wait to read your dissertation. I'm absolutely certain you'll get it done, and not only that: It will be really really good!

[@martaukaszewicz9080]

I really appreciated and very much related to your mentioning constant movement between writing and planning. I would also add a third element, which is reading. I'm an experienced researcher but I still find it so challenging to structure my writing in the most convincing and comprehensive way. Good luck!

[@honporfirio6328]

Usually when I'm going back and forth with my writing, I just record myself explaining my thesis like a lecture or something like that. Saying out loud adding frases like "the first idea" or "after that" to really mark the transitions really helped me. Planning helps a lot too, but I feel that a little of "chaotic criativity", mixing different ways to make sense of my ideas do make me feel more confident and more certain of my writing. I love your videos and they are really inspiring me to go back to my master's degree (which I gave up, research is really difficult in Brazil most of the times), so thank you! Best of luck to you, Morgan. ❤

[@isabelletenorio2911]

Nossa, obrigada! Você me deu uma boa ideia, não tinha pensado em gravar. Te desejo boa sorte e que você possa alcançar o que sonha!

[@honporfirio6328]

@@isabelletenorio2911 muito obrigada! Espero que a dica te ajude, e boa sorte pra você também ❤️

[@maryap8821]

Regarding planning and that unfortunate comment on Kaelyn's video: in the humanities planning is so so important, and I find myself constantly planning and re-planning my ongoing chapters. Because our research is solely based on the written word, it is important to constantly check on our structure, the flow of our argument, etc., hence the major role of planning and moving things around constantly. I'm writing a chapter right now and for the past couple days all I've been doing is re-planning my chapter and moving my writing around in order to make it make more sense (and also to help me develop my argument better by helping me see connections, lack in flow and evidence, etc.). So I completely agree with you! Planning is fundamental to writing.

[@jarrahfitzgerald2752]

I'm 11.5 weeks away from my due date 0_0 and writing a thesis, for most of us, is not easy. If you're doing a PhD as an experienced specialist in the field, then that experience would be very different. For many, a PhD is about learning to do research, as well as learning to write better. I understand the inclination to plan but I have felt the same "fog" you describe and I think that's just how it is. While each area of study will have its own preferred structures, the theses I've seen have had similar layouts. Ch1 = justification of the study, Ch2 = background, Ch3 = methodology, Ch4 = methods, Ch5 = results/findings, Ch6 = discussion, Ch7= additional integration with literature maybe, Ch8 = quality and limitations, Ch9 = conclusion and list of recommendations if applicable. I dare say the earlier chapters would be the most similar between different fields of study, as it is a logical layout. I think just put it all down and get it out of your head, then start moving the pieces around and refining it. You can then try reverse outlining.

[@shelby5725]

your intro is so nice! also, ive seen people in your comments give unsolicited advice too. you're doing it at the times and in the ways you're meant to. its nobody else's business. loving your vlogging series :) hope each of your weeks is even better than the last!

[@morganeua]

Thanks! When I started on KZbin I was SO embarrassingly bad at vlogging that I've privated the old ones 😅 So now I'm trying to get better at them with each video! Or at least learn something new or try a new technique each time!

[@BritishAfricanKid]

I am on my final year masters project. My project is a bit overwhelming for me right now and I'm just trying to be on it one day at a time. Seeing your video is really timely for me and I appreciate your honest approach. It gives me hope. Thank you for sharing your experience. I will keep tabs on your post because it is practically motivating.

[@cedargrace]

Morgan, I love this series. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. I'm in the process of deciding whether to pursue a PhD (in Spanish). I want to, more than anything, but a lot of the advice I'm finding online says that pursuing a PhD in the humanities is a waste of time! Eek! This is part of the reason I find your channel so uplifting and inspiring. I'm determined to try to follow my dreams, as I believe the process of pursing a PhD will change me in unforeseen ways. I'm eager to be challenged and stretched. I've been doing a ton of soul searching and my gut just tells me again and again that I owe it to myself to go for it. I think I'm very well suited for intense research. Anyway, thanks so much for all you share. Keep up the excellent work and know that your voice is really helping folks like me.

[@laiscarraro9960]

I think there will always be someone who says that something is a waste of time - a major, a masters, a phd... And maybe it was a waste of time for them, for their career goals. But it's important we always look to our own goals, and try to understand if it makes sense in our career. Plus, if you like doing the usual activities in a research career - reading, writing, studying, teaching - and specially if you really like the research field you work on, it's a good sign that you should pursue a PhD, at least from my perspective. Even if you really end up not using it for anything in your future career, if you liked what you were doing, if you were fulfilled, it was worh it and it wasn't a waste of time!!!

[@cedargrace]

@@laiscarraro9960 thank you for your comment. I found it so helpful and reassuring

[@morganeua]

I agree with @laiscarraro9960! And I'll add that being changed in "unforeseen ways" is an important reason to do a PhD. For instance, I might never have found success on KZbin without the PhD. I could not have predicted that going into a PhD or KZbin, but today it's my reality. Also, it's taught me a LOT about how I write and what my limiting beliefs are around writing and around the Arts. I've had to work through those and have become a stronger person because of it!

[@chattySam00]

I agree about the necessary of "consistency" planning. I'm currently working on my master's thesis, Planning for me is a way to make me feel I have control, control my overwhelm and strategize what action I need to take. Some of the time if I start writing without even able to see it through or have clear plans I end up more anxious and hard to concentrate.

[@raykem6002]

Thank you, Morgan, for your excellent materials. You introduced me to Obsidian! I use Syncthing to connect my Obsidian on the desktop and tablet. It will not be as smooth as Obsedian sync, but it is free and it works. Thanks

[@markcoren2842]

I'll second this...I use SyncThing to keep 2 desktops, a laptop, tablet and phone coordinated with a huge vault. One thong to add is to remember to make backups of all that precious, precious work. Those notes are the distillation of our valuable lives. Thanks for all the great content Morgan!

[@raykem6002]

@@markcoren2842 I do have a problem syncing my phone as a third device when using Obsidian. Tablet and laptop update but the phone doesn't, which is a pity.

[@wowitaSCL]

I get you!!! I’m having the same issue. The organization of the chapters and the narrative I want to provide. Thanks for doing this series. I’m getting inspired to keep going. 🙌🏼 We can do this!!!!❤

[@wowitaSCL]

Btw, listening to you and reading the comments I am changing my mind about my chapters again LOL. I’m writing the third chapter but might end up being a forth chapter or a third but the method info will go into the first or second chapter 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@morganeua]

Hahaha, why do the chapters always have to move and change! It makes things so confusing and stressful! :P

[@laiscarraro9960]

Hi, Morgan! I'm loving these series, and I couldn't relate more to your writing process. I'm in my 4th year (masters but I'll transfer to PhD), and currently working on my 4th chapter. Although we have a very structured research methodology in my area (Computer Science - stance detecion in social media), there are still some things that are very blury and it's a constant back and forth. Even though you're finishing and I'm in the beginning (in Brazil we have 2 different exams), our timelines are very similar. My exam will be in august, and I'm in the last few months of writing, too. I wish you tranquility in these last few months, and I'm sure we'll cheer together our acomplishments by the end of the year!!!

[@morganeua]

That's awesome! So grateful to be going through it alongside others who get that blurriness :)

[@lajourdanne]

5:00 Yes that comment to Kaelyn was infuriating!! Can you imagine telling someone how they should be doing their enormous project and telling them to ignore a crucial stage of project management in favor of a strategy that she clearly doesn’t want to do?? Honestly pissed me off. Everyone is different. And in my opinion for people like me, “failing to plan is planning to fail” just write is great advice for some people but not everyone. Okay, now let me take a moment to get back down from my high horse. Anywho, love your video! Dissertation vlogs are some of the only vlogs that don’t bore the crap out of me lol. Can’t wait to keep following your journey ❤

[@pamw47798]

It's been a while since I've seen one of your videos, good to see you pressing on and doing it with such amazing nails. :) Mine are broken and bitten - submission in 4 weeks! 😂😂

[@neromir9898]

Hi! I'm at the beginning of my phd and you were one of the people that showed me that I could maybe do this, too! And I'm using Obsidian too - I just put my entrire vault folder into my university's equivalent of dropbox/google drive, so it synchs easily with everything without paying for Obsidian. Maybe that'll work for you too!

[@morganeua]

Aw, that's amazing! Congrats, what's your PhD in? I do back up my obsidian in Google drive, although, I don't like uploading my interview transcripts to the internet, so I keep them in a separate folder that I back up offline. Maybe when I'm done my PhD I'll just use a Google drive folder as my vault!

[@neromir9898]

@@morganeua Makes sense with the interview transcripts! My PhD is on 19th century folk tale collections, so I don't have to worry about my data too much

[@morganeua]

@@neromir9898 Fair enough 😛 That sounds like such a fun topic!

[@carlthorellstein53]

12:40 - By the way! I saw you use apple computers, which means there's a pretty easy way to get cross-device syncing. You simply place your vault in the iCloud folder. Then, on each of your devices (including your iPhone, if you have one) you choose that folder as your vault. Each time you make a note on one of the devices, it will be uploaded to the vault of all the devices. When I did it, I already had a vault on my computer, just like you, and I couldn't simply move it. The way I did it was that I made a copy of my vault which I placed in the iCloud folder. Then, I chose the iCloud folder as my new primary vault. It's very simple, and saves a lot of time, both when working across devices, and in the event that one device fails and the notes are lost; here they're always safe. iCloud storage is like $2 (9DKK) a month for more storage than markdown files could hope to fill (not counting pictures or PDFs one might store in the vault, though). I hope this helps a little.

[@carlthorellstein53]

Okay, nevermind, you have a windows. I think there might be a similar solution to the one I described, though involving Google Cloud Storage, but I don't know how it works. Sorry ://

[@hannahmimiec8682]

I've just started my PhD and your videos have been so helpful and comforting in this very new time for me

[@morganeua]

Aw, that's wonderful ❤️ What is your PhD in? ☺️

[@hannahmimiec8682]

Law, cultural legal studies to be specific, I'm looking at narratives of policing in weird fiction :)@@morganeua

[@morganeua]

@@hannahmimiec8682 😮😮 Wait, weird fiction like sci fi stuff?? Like Lovecraft or Jeff Vandermeer stuff?

[@hannahmimiec8682]

yeah! there's a suprising amount of cops and crime in there lol @@morganeua

[@cedargrace]

fascinating ! good luck to you! @@hannahmimiec8682

[@mrmikehk]

Thanks for bringing me through the process. I’m glad you rediscovered your map and were able to get back on track.

[@morganeua]

Meeee too. I'm sure I'll lose track of things again next week, but I just need to keep going back to that outline!

[@mrmikehk]

@@morganeua That's right! You got this.

[@timbushell8640]

Beware those voices. : )))))) And 'unclear' order of 'stuff' can be a painful struggle. And the mental anguish of the outlines not 'mapping' for getting lost can be great. As you find 'other' links... but it sucks not carrying a copy of Obsidian on the laptop. As others have said there are other syncing options BUT just copying the vault folder works well enough provided you periodically make sure both end up with the same version of Obsidian... and you similarly manage your 'copies' of the plugins... All of these are in the obsidian folder. Refusal to let the side paths and diversions 'depress or worry' you is also a great tactic, they can be fruitful, if not downright interesting rabbit holes - that some exploration can be permitted, and noted for future re-digging.

[@The_Gothic_Bookshelf]

I feel you in this one - my PhD journey is definitely not a straight route as well, and it seems especially challenging to connect chapters and keep the overall outline in mind all the time! Thank you for sharing your process 😊 Have you thought about syncing your obsidian with git? That's how I keep mine updated, and I think it should work on several computers. 😊

[@morganeua]

My boyfriend keeps suggesting I try this actually, but I've never used git, so I'm intimidated!

[@mrd6869]

I just caught snow crash and William Gibson on your shelf....Respect on that.im a HUGE Gibson fan..So yeah,ur doing doing good,almost done.You have waaay more patience then me😂

[@BernieAnderson]

As always -- love your videos. I am considering a phd -- even though I'm quite a bit older than the average phd student. Haha! I don't pay for Obsidian either -- but sync with iCloud. I think you can also sync with dropbox. Both without paying. It works for me. I can jump into my obsidian libraries from any device. Anyhoo -- thanks for what you do!

[@kdmurray]

Google Drive works as well between three machines for me.

[@cedargrace]

I too am considering doing a PhD and I'm an "older" student too. I start grad school in Sept and will take it one year at a time. Good luck on your journey!

[@internetfox]

always appreciate any vids you put out. I would love to hear more specifics about your research itself, though I know those videos tend to get less views

[@obrienmb]

My own 2c - without an outline of sections big or small, I just struggle to write with a sense of purpose and clarity. So, I do think whatever work you do on outlining is crucial and strategic.

[@morganeua]

I agree, I have learned that it is crucial for clarity and purpose. If I don't have a plan, my writing just feels pointless and excessive. I learned this the hard way, unfortunately!!

[@ktvog8509]

I used to save my obsidian (when I used one) to a onedrive account which I could open on both my laptop and desktop computers -- kind of an unofficial way to transfer it between computers. That might work for you? EDIT: love this series

[@flowingblaze]

Great video as always morgan! I love your pink flannel you wear at 11:52 (I wear flannel alot myself) where'd you get it? I am very interested in PhD related content even though I haven't been to college yet (I'm a high school graduate, trying to decide college stuff haha).

[@morganeua]

I think I got it at American Eagle! Good luck figuring out your school journey! Any choice you make will be the right one, I'm sure. My brother and I are very close and work together on many projects, but our school paths are very different as he didn't do any higher education. It's certainly not necessary to go to college to succeed nowadays; you can carve your own path with online educational content, too!

[@lajourdanne]

I’m curious if you’ve considered using the three act structure to write the dissertation. In Effective Data Storytelling by Brent Dykes there is an emphasis on using narrative structure to discuss research. Perhaps that could be helpful if you get lost again?

[@morganeua]

😮😮 Wow, what a neat idea! I'll have to look into that!! I've only heard of the three act structure for novel writing, but applying that to a research project really speaks to my creative side! Thanks for the suggestion!

[@2ngel2v]

5:31 👏👏👏

[@viraghorvath82]

I used to sync my obsidian vault to google drive, so I could access my notes from my phone. This could maybe be an option / partial solution for you without needing to pay for obsidian sync )provided you have internet access). With google drive I could track/sync the folder so it uploaded automatically, I have no idea if this is something other cloud based storage apps can do, but I would assume so, and since markdown files are usually not that big, it did not take up much space (I stopped because it turns out I didn't needed it that much so it was useless, and I started to back up my vault in a different way as well)

[@morganeua]

I think when I'm done my PhD I'll transfer my whole vault to a Google drive folder, and I do back most of it up in Google drive now, I just don't want to upload my interview transcripts to the internet during my research... And maybe one day I'll just pay for Obsidian cause I do want to support them, and I think that's when you get sync?

[@cedargrace]

I pay for sync bc it's just so straight forward and easy for me to just open Obsidian on my phone and add a note on the go. I'm sure I could figure out how to do it otherwise, but for me it's worth it and I like supporting them bc they are so amazing. Thanks for introducing me to OB btw! @@morganeua

[@missytyrrell1]

I'm halfway through a 3 year Humanities PhD, and my chapters are in no way fixed. I think they are, then I have a conversation with my supervisor , and I am overwhelmed by new ideas and a whole new structure. In my last supervision, we decided I am not going to worry about it - I will just write, and work out the structure when I have more to work with. 😏

[@morganeua]

Yeeeeeah, I find this so stressful, though! 😅😓

[@missytyrrell1]

@morganeua Oh, agreed. I may have said I won't worry about it but that's pretty much all I do now. 🙄

[@amokbel]

Hey Morgan! Stick to it. You’re just going through a lull. One question: is your zettlekasten not helping you out?

[@jayantkesarlal3137]

Why not try scrivener as a tool to write?

[@morganeua]

I have tried it before, actually, during my comprehensive exams. And maybe I should try again, I have friends who use it for their dissertations

[@martaukaszewicz9080]

​@@morganeuaI cannot but agree, Scrivener is a great tool which is extremely useful to structure your writing!

[@programacion5536]

🏃‍♀️