It is a bit hard to discuss without more details. But what comes to mind mostly is that whether you are doing well or not should not depend so much on the way another person communicates with you. If you feel you are doing well, and others feel the same way it is possible that everything is going well....just that your supervisor isn't very good at communicating in a complimentary way. Definately think about what he is saying....but do not feel that everything is horrible if you don't get a 'great job'. Some people just don't ever say that. It can be a hard thing for people who are bright and used to always being top of the class and getting positive feedback...but some people just seem to never give that. So I guess the question to ask is 'Is this just his style?' If so, don't take it personally.

It sounds to me like you have a bit too much on your plate, and that is your main problem. This is very common for a PhD student, mainly because saying 'no' to a supervisor seems impossible. However, I think you should sit down with your supervisor and explain what you have on your plate (I know you may think they know this already, but in my experience that is probably not true). Say you really want to have some time to focus on your presentation, since this is a very big deal for you. Possibly your supervisor can do more of the work on her paper/presentation, and possibly the article can be submitted a bit later, or by someone else. Saying 'no' is one of the hardest things for a researcher to learn, because we are so used to balancing everything and think that people would only ask if we should be able to handle it. But that is just not the case. Your are asked to do things because others are delegating. It is perfectly ok to say, I have too much right now...ask someone else.

Don't forget why you love your subject area. Write it down somewhere and post it in your lab or above your computer, so you can look at it when times get tough (because they WILL get tough).

Just some advice from someone who has been there and done it...

1) Don't think too much in terms of word counts. Number of words is not the point. Think about the concept/main point you want to address that day, and work towards getting that down in writing.

2) Don't worry too much about perfection on a rough draft. Getting ideas on paper is most important. Once the ideas are there it is relatively easy to clean up. When you turn on the hot tap, you have to let the cold water flow out before you get to the hot. Writing is very much like that. Let it flow, even if it isn't brilliant at first. The good stuff will come once you get warmed up.

3) If one chapter is really not coming along so great, change tactics and work on a different part. A thesis doesn't have to be written Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. In fact, sometimes it is better to start in the middle.

4) Everyone who has ever written a thesis has felt stuck at some point. You are normal.