Or: The Most Informal Explanation of a Thesis Project I Could Ever Write
The name "Capstone" came from two places, one obvious, and one not so much. This website is the culmination of my undergraduate Capstone Thesis Project, for the SUNY Geneseo Edgar Fellows Program. It's a pretty fun project- you pick something that is interesting to you and then you write a thesis paper and present on it. Or, if you're like me, you do a more non-traditional project. You write a 15 page paper on the history and importance of National Novel Writing Month and create a database of websites, threads and other online tools that NaNoWriMo participants use or have suggested as means to make their crazy November a little less hectic. You might not be entirely sure how you're going to present it. And, to put the icing on this 7-layer cake, you plan on completing NaNoWriMo for the first time in the 6, going on 7, years you've attempted it.
The Internet defines the capstone as such: "the crowning achievement or final stroke; the culmination or acme". How appropriate a name for my most difficult and expansive NaNo endeavor? The Edgar Fellows Program chose the name "Capstone" because this extensive, year-long thesis is suppose to be the crowning achievement of the EF experience. But this is not just the capstone of my four years in the honors program. It is also the capstone of 7 years of participation in National Novel Writing Month. Not only have I participated selfishly, writing my novel every month, trying my hardest to overcome what seems like (and has been) an insurmountable obstacle, but, now I can give back to the NaNoWriMo community that has so shaped me over the last 7 years. True, I will not stop participating in NaNo just because I'm working on this project. But how can any other year of eating candy and watching anime instead of writing my novel ever compete with such an extensive project that lets me fop around the internet all day? I've obviously got my priorities all in order, obviously.
For an explanation of the blog itself, or more accurately, the point of this whole thing, read this post which explains it into existence.
Disclaimer: This blog is obviously and blatantly biased. My scores are based on my personal opinions of each site and, while I do attempt to be impartial, sometimes I can't help it. If you have used a site to great or poor success and disagree with my assessment, PLEASE leave a comment on that post! This blog is meant to be a tool for those of us who love to write and rely on the Internet for information and guidance.
