What did I learn about writing this week?

The authors of “Under Construction: How Narrative Elements Shape Qualitative Research” seem to argue that framing a story via narratological devices ( e.g., plot, character,  authorial distance, and point of view) is just as important when sharing research data as it is when plotting a novel.

While I admit that I enjoy reading/writing pieces that are conversational and enriched by anecdotes, metaphor, and voice, I do wonder who can afford to take the author’s advice without fear of repercussions.

Some of the examples the authors offer are books and book chapters, places where writers tend to have some latitude. They might be encouraged to tell a good story and told they can stick the theoretical framework, methodology, and other sections of research papers traditionalists will be looking for in the appendix. I admit there have been times when I’ve left it out all together because it seems obligatory and uninteresting. I know this is wrong and I have been trying to break this bad habit. My only excuse is that I like papers that are well-written, not rote.

 

If it bores the crap out of me, I stop reading it. I have too many other texts to get to.

Want to read it?

Karri Holley & Julia Colyar. 2012. Under Construction: How Narrative Elements Shape Qualitative Research. Theory Into Practice, 51:114–121.