A call for papers!
For those of us lucky enough to still live in academia, it's that familiar time of year where we all scramble to finish up term papers, theses, cover letters, etc. Or, if you're like me, it's the time of year where your room is unbelievably clean and you are up-to-the-minute on current events and email correspondence. You might also update your LJ more than usual...
I like to edit my friends' papers and personal statements. Not only because everyone needs an editor and I like to bank the favor, but they're fun to read. Part of it comes from liking to watch people in their element - seeing your friends while they're working or performing, or going about their everyday routine. With papers, I get to see what people are working on and are interested in. Especially as the personal and the professional sides of each of us are starting/trying/hoping to merge, we're trying to avoid boring myself during the process. But even though I'm working on issues I care about, sometimes I get frustrated when I work really hard on something, the professor reads it and gives me a grade and some feedback, and then... it dies. It all starts to seem a little pointless. Shouldn't ten-pagers be the start of a conversation, not the end of it?
Send me your papers! Send me something you're proud of, or interested in, or want to talk to about. Send me things from disciplines I don't know much about or send me things I'll be able to challenge you on. Dig up stuff from the past. Forward your C.V.s, thesis proposals, and important memos of the future. It may take me a few days, but I'll hit you back with my thoughts and questions. If you don't have my contact info there should be an email address on my LJ info.
I like to edit my friends' papers and personal statements. Not only because everyone needs an editor and I like to bank the favor, but they're fun to read. Part of it comes from liking to watch people in their element - seeing your friends while they're working or performing, or going about their everyday routine. With papers, I get to see what people are working on and are interested in. Especially as the personal and the professional sides of each of us are starting/trying/hoping to merge, we're trying to avoid boring myself during the process. But even though I'm working on issues I care about, sometimes I get frustrated when I work really hard on something, the professor reads it and gives me a grade and some feedback, and then... it dies. It all starts to seem a little pointless. Shouldn't ten-pagers be the start of a conversation, not the end of it?
Send me your papers! Send me something you're proud of, or interested in, or want to talk to about. Send me things from disciplines I don't know much about or send me things I'll be able to challenge you on. Dig up stuff from the past. Forward your C.V.s, thesis proposals, and important memos of the future. It may take me a few days, but I'll hit you back with my thoughts and questions. If you don't have my contact info there should be an email address on my LJ info.