New Skills: Blurb BookSmart/Blog

In order to publish my dissertation in a professional and unique way, I used the Blurb.com software, Blurb BookSmart.

I taught myself to use it as it was completely new to me. Some aspects of the software were frustrating. For example when pasting material from my word document, not only would it be terribly slow, but also the font size, colour and typeface would all change.

Despite these setbacks, however, I am really pleased with the result and am glad I have discovered this software and mastered a new skill!

I had never kept a blog before this project either. I have considered this blog as a diary for my development throughout this project, and I have found the process to be quite therapeutic. It will also be nice to have something to reflect upon once this project is over...

Mike Figgis

I am so delighted that I was able to get in touch with Mike Figgis, as his work was one of the sources of inspiration for this project.

Figgis was not in the country and so was unable to meet with me face to face, but he was willing to answer some questions I had regarding his short film, Tied up at the Office. We corresponded through e-mail, and he even asked me to answer the questions I had posed to him! This was really exciting, as he seemed to be taking a genuine interest in what I was undertaking.

When I first set out to do this project, I never would have dreamed of being able to be in touch with a Hollywood director! This just goes to show that if you want something enough, and with will and persistence, you can achieve it. This has encouraged me to think positively about my future.

Tutorial

Today's tutorial was for feedback on the first draft... It helped me to develop my understanding of the Literature Review, which I had previously treated with a more mechanistic approach. I now realise how important it is to demonstrate the originality of my work through this particular section, as this is where the interdisciplinary style of my research is so important and it also highlights my skills as a researcher.

We also discussed how important it is to make the abstract the selling point for my whole dissertation, and now I am keen to rework this section in attempt to really attract the reader!

In this way, the conclusion of the dissertation can be linked not only to the methods but the literature review too.