A key part of the dissertation process is to figure out -- and feel confident about -- the unique contributions of YOUR dissertation. What about your dissertation is original, innovative, in short, your own? How is your project, approach, or methodology different from your influences, mentors' work and all else that is out there? It may be hard to get out from under the thumb of a forceful advisor or from years of writing papers to please teachers. This project more than any other is about daring to say what YOU need to say, based on your findings and research.
Finding your own voice won't happen overnight. Identifying, articulating, and owning your true voice takes time and much writing to discover your true themes (in a humanities or social science or a creative dissertation) or patterns of findings (in the sciences / social sciences). In my work as a dissertation coach, I ask my clients to fill in this sentence: The original contribution of my dissertation will be....
Fill this in for your project. Own it. Update it as you recognize more and more contributions. Don't cheat yourself out of your own voice.
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