Poster Conference

This week I participated in my university’s research student poster conference. This is when research students are invited to present their findings in the form of an academic poster, which is examined with and without the student being present. It is also an opportunity for the rest of the university and visitors to see what the researcher community is working on.

It took an inordinate amount of time to prepare for it. Not only did I have to distil a 30,000 word thesis that I haven’t yet written into a poster but also design and create a product that had visual impact. It’s not easy when you’re given an extensive list of elements that must be included and at the same time told that there shouldn’t be too many words! I think I’m the only researcher involved in the arts to produce a graph for such an occasion.

It was a valuable experience. I now have a clear idea of the structure of my thesis and the findings. I also enjoyed talking to people about my research and novel. I was worried that I would clam up but in the end the examiners had to shut me up so that they could move on to other candidates.
On the novel front, I have continued editing a chapter a week. It’s relentless and I’ve had two Sundays off since January. I should be finished by the end of May; ready to start draft four.