M: How's your dissertation going? I'm proofreading my first draft and will submit it to my professor tomorrow.
W: Oh, I haven't even started writing mine yet, so I'm really worried about finishing by the end of next semester.
M: You mean you haven't even begun yours yet? The final draft is due in five months.
W: Of course I've started it, but I can't get to the writing yet as I haven't found enough resources to use, so I'm still researching the topic.
M: Maybe the problem is the way you're doing your research. I started by talking to my professor about where to look for information, and based on that, I found books in the library and a lot of reputable journal articles on the Internet.
W: I've tried all that, but don't have enough to write the dissertation as my department's minimum length is 70 pages. I think the problem is that my topic isn't viable. And honestly, my professor did warn me at the beginning that I might not be able to find enough material. But I was so interested in the topic that I didn't let his advice turn me.
M: Well, I suggest you find a new topic. After all, our professors are here to guide us, so it's best to listen to them.
W: In retrospect, I wish I had listened to him, but I didn't. And now I don't want to give up my topic as I've already invested so much time and energy.
M: If you're committed to your current topic, maybe you could make some adjustments rather than abandon it completely. What is your topic?
W: It's "Depictions of Femininity in Folklore from the South of the Country".
M: That's pretty narrow. You could find more material if you made the topic broader, maybe by including other kinds of depictions.
W: Broadening the topic is a great idea, I'll start by including folklore from other regions of the country.