For years, I've written for my committee. I've tried to anticipate what they want to hear. I've used jargon, avoided taking risks, stayed safe. My writing was competent but lifeless.
A professor said: “Write the dissertation you want to write. If it's good, your committee will see that. If you write for them, you'll produce something safe and forgettable.”
I'm trying to shift. I'm asking:
My writing is better now. Not cleaner, not safer. More alive. A friend read a chapter and said: “This sounds like you.” That's the best feedback I've gotten.
I'm not sure my committee will love it. But I'd rather be rejected for something I believe than accepted for something I don't. For other writers, how do you balance writing for others with writing for yourself?
A professor said: “Write the dissertation you want to write. If it's good, your committee will see that. If you write for them, you'll produce something safe and forgettable.”
I'm trying to shift. I'm asking:
- What questions actually interest me?
- What arguments do I want to make?
- What do I want to be known for?
My writing is better now. Not cleaner, not safer. More alive. A friend read a chapter and said: “This sounds like you.” That's the best feedback I've gotten.
I'm not sure my committee will love it. But I'd rather be rejected for something I believe than accepted for something I don't. For other writers, how do you balance writing for others with writing for yourself?
