A week ago I received another email from the executive director of the CG Jung Institute of LA saying:
'We were planning on publishing your article at the end of 2021, which means that we would need the final manuscript in September. Do you think it would work? Please let me know. It’s such a special dissertation that I would like to encourage you to publish it with us'.Eeeek!!! In the midst of juggling too many things this had completely slipped off my radar. Once again I was surprised at the interest. Anyone who has dared to step into the murky depths of my thesis will understand why. It's such an obscure topic - an intense and uncomfortable tale of a personal journey into the depths of depression and the Jungian unconscious. I never expected anyone apart from my supervisor and the examiners to read it. But here I am in the midst of apocalyptic times - a pandemic that won't go away, fires and floods and more global chaos than usual - being asked to focus on a self-indulgent piece of research that even my supervisor cautioned was in danger of descending into solipsism*.
With a head completely befuddled by the flu I'm still struggling to appreciate that being published might be an excellent thing. I'm not a career academic. I fell into it by default. It was the inevitable destination for someone with an obsession to find the very core of their own psyche. I tried Googling: what does it mean to get an article published?' but that didn't help.
Writing an article is quite different to writing a thesis. I've never written an article. Initially the executive thought his organisation could publish my thesis in sections to save me rewriting. He seems to want to publish the whole thing and that is a massive job, but he needs it in readable chunks for the journal. Having divided it into 4 chunks it is clear it will need a bit more rearranging than that - and some abstracts, bios and summary/linking paragraphs. I'm well into that process and it's having some side effects.
Revisiting the trauma that motivated me to do the thesis in the first place, going back into the process and revisiting the images I created as part of the research, is like experiencing PTS. But there is an up side. At what might be a critical time in our lives on a dying planet I am reminded that life isn't just material. This is important because in the face of physical annihilation it is possible the essence of our existence will live on - somewhere, somehow.
Revisiting trauma in the midst of more bad climate news and the flu sounds almost more than a person could be expected to bear. I hope you feel better soon and I wish you luck with the re-writing and organising of your thesis.
ReplyDeleteJust occasionally I stop worrying about climate and think the earth will survive better without humanity but it's not how I really feel. I'm ashamed at the destruction we cause and the potential loss of so many magnificent species
Absolutely Kylie. There is too much much grief. I also often think the world will be better off without us. I was at our local beach yesterday and this very popular spot is now fenced off because of recent erosion. You can still walk down the short track to the beach but there is hardly ever anyone there now.
DeleteYesterday I sat and ate my egg and lettuce sandwich on a rock down there. I really enjoyed the peace and quiet - and the absence of people. I think the local wildlife were also enjoying the absence of humans. Nature breathes a sigh of relief when we stop wrecking things.
I hope you can find time to complete this project. It may seem crazy in this time of pandemics and climate change, but leaving behind a thoughtful legacy for future generations to read sounds like a good idea. I hope you start to feel better soon, Dr Michelle.
ReplyDeleteThanks Robin. I am staying home from work (unfortunately no work ,no pay) because I've still got the flu but will use the opportunity to make the necessary edits for the article. My head isn't working brilliantly but I'm slowly getting there.
DeleteFirstly, congratulations Michelle! I'm so pleased this is coming to fruition.
ReplyDeleteThe best academics ARE by default, I believe. I think of Deborah Bird Rose here - someone trying to find something out for themselves, not focussing on getting papers published for a career in academia. On that point, revisiting trauma, well you've already done the investigative hard yards. I guess, now is the time to make your work communicable to the lay person, a reader who isn't a phd supervisor or an expert in your field.
I do know from experience that there is a lot of work in this final process, that it needs a solid and trusting relationship with your editor/publisher, (there should be plenty of back and forth) and that it's rewarding as fuck when you get that copy in the mail!
Even if you don't get paid, make sure via contract or other legal means that you retain full copyright over your material. You may want to use it later. In Oz, we own our own work as soon as we write it but copyright law works differently in other countries.
So bloody exciting! I notice you used one of those frightening little monsters as your pic for this post :)
Get well soon. Hot lemon and honey and magic mushrooms saw me through what I assume is a similar lurgy.
Thanks Sarah. I was hoping you would chime in. You are the only friend I have that has been published (that I know of anyway) and one articles as well as a thesis and books.
DeleteI did quite a bit of rewriting and editing which I wasn't expecting to do - only because the institute were so keen to get my work they agreed to take it as is, cut it in 4 parts and publish separately. Probably because I wasn't sure I would be able to rewrite it in time, or have the motivation. But when I did that of course it didn't work properly. The guy helping me is gorgeous and suggested I take one section from the second part a d put it in the first. It was an obvious thing to do for this format - he knows his stuff. Since then I have cut out a lot of the up-your-own-arse academic language haha, or tried to, so it is reading much better. I'm so excited and have my mojo back so I've sent the first section off and started on the second, though that isn't required yet. They publish 4 journals a year and have themes so not sure how they will roll out the rest.
They are a non-profit institute so I won't get paid. And thanks for the advice. I will ask them about IP rights.
I've really been in the wars health wise with a difficult $450 visit to a new dentist on his first day in the surgery yesterday after getting over the flu. I missed 3 days of work and I can't afford it. So hard being a casual (as you well know).
I hate getting old - things just don't work as well. But grateful most of me is working OK.