I once heard an interview with a text writer, who said that one of the main principles when writing for a soap opera is to never let a character be happy for more than a few episodes in a row. I think that is also a very good description of how it’s often like to be a PhD student. One week I feel like the writing goddess, almost setting the keyboard on fire. My head is bubbling with ideas that I can even put down on the paper. Suddenly and without any notice…. it just stops! Not only are things going a bit slower, my head is completely empty! Also, I have been on two trips the last weeks, both with the purpose of discussing the theoretical framework for my project. Both times I found myself filled with motivation and new energy for my project. Until I reached the office the first day back in town, asking my self where all the energy had gone.

So, I think the soap opera is not a bad metaphor for the life as a PhD student (or academia as such…). Maybe not so much drama and conflicts in my case, but I’m sure there are enough examples of that too. Until now I have been thinking about the process of doing a PhD like riding a roller coaster, it goes up and down. But that doesn’t really fit, does it? I mean, I don’t normally associate “going down” with thrill and joy (but maybe with screaming…). Even if we think about the directions the other way around, that riding downhill represents the easy and fun (and sometimes even thrilling) periods, it still doesn’t fit. Because in difficult periods or when you’ve hit the bottom, is not very likely that someone is going to tow you up the steep hill, although you might get some help and support on the way.

I have an abstract deadline coming up in a couple of days, but to postpone the moment where I just have to get on with that, I explored the soap opera metaphor a little bit more. I suppose this is a very good example of procrastination… I asked myself what kind of soap opera character I would be, and of course there are lots of quizzes on the internet to help me answer that. The first test i did was quite general, resulting in something like the best reliable friend. Not specific enough. Then I decided to test a soap opera I actually know something about:  Desperate Housewives. This ended up in a little mini-research project on quizzes. I remember doing one of these tests on facebook a while ago, with Susan Mayer/Delfino as result. The first test now did however result in Bree van de Kamp. So I had to try some more…. After having ended up with most of the main characters, even Mike Delfino and Gabrielle Solis (I actually think I have more in common with Mike….) I came to the following conclusion:

“Which character are you”-quizzes are not reliable.

Not a very surprising finding you’ll say? I guess that’s true for quite a number of other research projects as well….

At least I got something written down today, maybe that’s enough for the text writer out there to write me into some happier and more productive times….