Writing Your Unique Story with Dr. Demi Stevens
Dr. Demi Stevens 20:41
It’s something else entirely. So I guess one of the joys of working in a group like that, well, I was I intended to work with small groups. And it wound up being several small groups to fit everyone in Is that we got to celebrate with each other along the way. Yes. So as people would finish chapters or sections of their draft, someone else was there to route them along. And you often don’t have that in your dissertation. But if you’re lucky like me maybe get a party at the end. We invited everyone from our neighborhood our friends and I’ll probably half the congregation from the church. And oh, we had a fun prize for that one. So everyone who attended we gave ice cream and cake and all that and they got to make fun of me for the day. But there there was a contest so it was take all the letters that are after Demi’s name and create what he called an acronym. So I had my BA I had a BM I had an M M, and a DMA. And the winning entry was had as a music major mom drives minivan. Around. Oh, okay, they nailed that. And I was sure looking at what’s my why, for this? Okay, maybe
Dr. Russell Strickland 22:12
that’s one of the things that they teach you in psychology groups are good at coming up with ideas. So let a group play around with something an idea will come out.
Dr. Demi Stevens 22:23
Yeah, well, I had the music major and but the minivan became more important at that part of life when we were dealing with the youth group at the church, so who knew? Who knew the why. But for the people in the writers group, the ability to celebrate along the way, was huge and to know that someone else was rooting for them, besides just being locked in a dank room, writing the dissertation that you’re not sure anyone’s ever going to read anyway.
Dr. Russell Strickland 22:51
Right, right. Oh, and the things I tell all of our students, you know, I asked them Do you know not all of them, but I asked several of them. Do you know how many people are going to read your dissertation after you’ve graduated, and I remember one time a person at that person told me quite confidently one. Why are you talking about your mom? She’s like, I read your dissertation either. You’re gonna be polite, you’re not gonna quiz her on it, she’s gonna say she read it, and you guys are gonna leave it in. And
