WHY WRITE ABOUT IT?

The terms 'unpacking', 'bogged down', 'subjective and objective thinking' as well as the classics: why, what, where, when and who were spoken about a fair amount in this weeks discussion on 'writing essays in 'the arts''. And as with most discussions it has thrown up some internal chaos and questioning that has not only left me feeling uncertain about how I write essays (literacy having always been my weakest subject) but also whether there is there a correct method and approach?

Since graduating my desire to read and write has grown dramatically. I believe this is because I have finally found areas of literature that inspire and evoke me. These then produce a further yearning to read, research or even share the knowledge that I have learnt (via blogs, social media posts or even articles for other platforms) So since the discussion on ‘writing essays in the Arts’ I have begun to examine what it means for me as both a reader and a writer.

I think any body of text should take the reader on a journey. A journey of discovery, understanding and connection to the writer. Both in terms of the research paper, fiction or non fiction books, articles or even audible discussions - which I find are a medium that needs to be as specifically narrated as a writer form, I believe relating to the writer, their experiences becomes fundamental to how well I engagement with it. As is this is how I like to read – this is how I like to write. But is this considered academic? Is my style of writing conducive to my further studies? And if I am going to continue researching developing and adding to the field of somatics do I need to change how I explain both myself my theories as well as contextualising the learning that I have undergone and summarising of these findings? As discussed in Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design By John W. Creswell, there are 5 different approach to writing up a body of research (narrative, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography and case stud based) and as long as the style is appropriate for the research that was undertaken as well as the reader and the texts fulfils its purpose then there isn't necessarily a right or wrong approach to academic writing. 

As briefly mentioned above writing helps me articulate and process that which I have engaged in - either personally or theoretically. However, being a creative person I find myself getting lost in the process of writing. This can be very interesting when re-reading what I have written and then trying to decipher my own text. I can't even understand it… How is the reader? This I find a humorous process for it really allows me to see how distracted I get when writing. Getting lost in my own train of thoughts, subconsciously piercing things together. As discussed in the Self on the Page; writing is a process of understanding ones self, the material and the relationship to the material. Therefore a formula for writing is necessary to help bring both coherency to the text along side being a support for the writer (me) to remain on task. They propose that there for be a new methodology and format across all ranges of texts - creative, autobiographical, artistic, as well as educational and within health care -  should be established to help the prevention of a therapeutic or emotional ‘breakdown. This is something that I feel is vital. Being in a position of both writing and reading large quantities of material I’m finding myself getting sidetracked during the writing process as well as getting emotive yet find that when work which I read gets too personal or off topic I disengage. As a result this methodology would help keep everyone ‘one track’ Also remembering WHY - 'why am I saying this' should help with prevent huge detours in my writing. As Simon Sinek so beautifully puts and explains in his multiple TED talks as well as his infamous book ‘Start with Why’. It is the WHY which makes something success. I’ve found this to be also a good tool when writing. Sinek then builds outwards from the Why to How and then to What. With regards to texts asking: WHAT point am I trying to make, HOW is the best way to explain this and then WHY is this important to the theme, topic or area of research super helpful to keeping me on track, concise and helping the reader understand, 

Collaborating, I really liked this idea when it came up in the discussion. Using written form as a way to collaborate with others in the industry, bring together theories and ideas as well as evoke challenges and different interpretations of a body of text. This allowed me to see how written form, essays, articles, blog posts etc, can be used as a foundation, a meeting point and melting point for areas of study as well as people that we wouldn't otherwise come into contact with. This however does throw up the question of recontextualising, misinterpreting or even manipulating work to help it fit your/our ideology. And then also pondering deeper into this; is it even possible to use a another's point as evidence or reference with regards to reinforcing/verifying our point. For we can only ever assume another's intention, we are only ever interpreting another’s stance with the awareness and understanding that we are capable of at that moment in time i.e. reading it with presumptions and an agenda whether we like it or not. But Using writing as a gateway into collaborating and connecting with others with shared interest is something is highly motivating and rewarding. Across much of the research that I’ve looked into in this area of study I found it interesting to note that it was suggested that some research areas with greater funding usually have a more collaborative aspect. It was implied that this may be because there was less of a fight for funding and therefore more scope for researchers to not feel like they against one another but rather united. This fact in itself I find fascinating, as I believe all research should be uniting. However, one body of encouraging research made a wonderful point that collaborative work usually brings more inspiring, influential ideas and results which then leads to greater funding and a more successful research environment. Therefore reiterating the usefulness of collaborative work; for connection. For creation. For change. 

Other useful tools that we discussed and ones which I hadn't fully recognised the power of were the use of what, why when, where and how, topic sentences and PEEL (Point, Evidence, Explain, Link. In terms of academic writing these are still reference points that are integral in formulating and articulating essays and articles coherently. These interrogative words not only helps the subject matter stay at the forefront of both the readers and the writers mind but also helps keep fluidity in the body of text. Understanding the purpose of an abstract was something that I found super useful. Especially considering that I have previously found reading abstracts a little offputting. Both in terms of what I believe the outcome of the text will be as well as my initial connection to the writer however understanding that the abstract is usually meant in an objective and quantitative approach has helped me reconsider that engaging the reader, in an upper academic context, isn't always to be done in the first sentence. Rather an abstract is to briefly introduce reasonings, purpose, rationales and theories before embarking on greater research. I am now going to ensure these are brought into my writing in the future. Even though, as mentioned in the discussion, some of these may seem quite basic and almost to an undergraduate level, if they are going to help me stay on track, not waffle on and also bring to reasoning to my thought processes then they are necessary methods.