Dissertation Chapter One draft - feedback!

This week I got the feedback for the draft of my first chapter. I was really unhappy with the draft I had submitted as I felt I had lost my voice and become bogged down in academic theory and lost a lot of the fascinating primary evidence I had gathered. I had been concerned about being too narrative as it is suppose to be an academic study at a Masters level and not simply a "History of the Bexhill War Memorial"!

You can imagine my surprise when the feedback was returned with a fairly decent grade and positive comments! My mentor believes I have uncovered "historical gold dust" in my research of the local war memorial and has suggested some very interesting routes I could take my study down. She has also recommended more reading and more theories to have a second closer look at. To be honest I am actually thrilled with the feedback as I can now sort of see where my study could lead, instead of just having a general "this is fascinating, I am interested in this subject" approach!! It does now mean even more work to do and more books to plough through, but that really isn't a chore, particularly with the current sunny warm weather. I can take a drink and some books and a notebook and go and sit on the beach, or if I don't want to stray too far from home I could drag a chair onto the balcony and sit out there listening to the waves lapping at the near by shore while I read. Either way extra reading could be quite enjoyable!!

While revamping Chapter One, I am also continuing to work on Chapter Two. I still have primary research to do for this chapter which includes looking at more local newspapers and ideally hearing back from the Mass Observation archives at the University of Sussex to go and have a look at their collections relating to Armistice Day from 1937 - 1939. I still feel as though I have so much to do and with the final deadline of October a mere 4 months away I am a little concerned! I keep telling myself it will all come together in the end, it would just be more helpful if I actually believed that as well.

To add to my workload I also have new projects at the Museum starting in the next week which I will have to find time for, as well as continuing to look for paid work and doing my craft stuff. Not to mention my big birthday celebrations that will be coming up in the next two months.
I suppose I should get back to my reading then.....

TTFN