Dear all. It is with much sadness that I write this post.
On
Monday I had my Thesis Advisory Panel, where, after much discussion, it
was decided that I need more work on my PhD than could be done within
the three months of my remaining registration. Indeed, I may even need
to extend my work until Christmas. Consequently, this has left me very
disheartened, as I was hoping to start a book in October.
*UPDATE* I have decided not to pursue a career as an author and have decided to go into academia full-time when my PhD is over. It is why I did the PhD and, ultimately, I'll have the opportunity to do the thing I love, research. I am not saying I will never write a popular book - just not yet.
However,
this said, I am determined to get the work done as soon is as humanly
possible (before Christmas hopefully). The problem with a thesis, any thesis, is by the end those
doing them want to get shot of them. Indeed, while I love my topic and
the subject matter, I feel that after six years it is time to move on.
Therefore, to speed my work, I have taken the decision to virtually
suspend working on anything new for my sites, 'Turnip Rail' and 'Turnip
Rail's Waiting Room'. Given my lovely, loyal readership, this decision
has not been taken easily, and I do feel I am letting down the people
who like the site and who have made it such a success over the past two
and a half years. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for their
support. But I have to get the thesis done ASAP. My career, and my
sanity perhaps, depends on it.
But I will leave you with this thought: Turnip Rail will return, you can be sure of it.
With Love
David
Absolutely wish you good luck, David. There is a tendency to get caught up by the immediacy of the virtual world. Blogs and twitter are splendid diversions that yield immediate feedback.
ReplyDeleteAs a writer, I know well that the secret of success lies in learning to ignore the pull of the Internet. And I guess much the same must apply to anyone trying to complete a doctorate. The long-term rewards of attending to the thesis will surely ultimately outweigh the short-term gratification that comes from blog comments and retweets. It's too easy to become addicted to the latter.
Good luck.
Nicky
PS. Have always liked Turnip Rail. It's wonderful. And I'm sure it'll be even better once the PhD is done and dusted.
I've enjoyed reading your viewpoint on railroad history -- good luck as you wrap up your PhD.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a joy to follow your blog. Until now I've been quietly lurking but given your latest post (and last for the time-being) I felt compelled to comment.
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the best with your thesis. If the passion and enthusiasm that you've demonstrated here on Turnip Rail is anything to go by, I have no doubt you're thesis will be a fine piece of work. Best of luck and hope to see you on the 'other side'.
Dear Mr. David Turner,
ReplyDeleteI work for Bloggingbooks, which is the new publishing brand of SVH publishing house.
We are broadening our publishing programme and we have just started in publishing blog posts.
In this respect, we are glad to offer you the possibility of publishing your blog posts as a book.
Should you have interest in the publication of your posts or should you have any question, I would be pleased to answer your queries by e-mail.
You will find more information about our publishing house on our website: bloggingbooks.de
Looking forward to hearing from you.
contact email: m [dot] gorbulea [at] bloggingbooks [dot] de
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