Abstract
The first of the six exercises in the sequence of this workbook with which the reader is asked to engage is presented here. A prelude touching upon the premise of this exercise (“Free-Write”), which involves being able to write without constraints, is provided by Charalambous. Next, research about the exercise and a case study are presented. The exercise research data reveals that most participants write in their usual style of writing when engaging with this prompt. The case study of a participant presents the writing fantasy of ‘wider meaning’ informing her spoken and written discourse with instances of shift in her fantasy. The chapter ends with guideline questions to help the reader trace materialities of language that will help them slowly explore their own writing fantasy.
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Notes
- 1.
The term I use for the system of signifiers/identifications (techniques or ways of writing), each one of them used across the board of their submitted and produced writing for the course.
- 2.
I refer to “my research at the Institute of Education” meaning the university for which I conducted this research, not the actual university institution (which I keep anonymous according to ethics guidelines) at which I conducted the research with the research participants, Creative Writing undergraduate students.
- 3.
Letter refers to anonymous name given to participant and number refers to numbered answer in first and second interviews.
- 4.
When the participants finished writing, they were informed in every class that they had the option not to read their texts if they did not wish. I used the phrase “any comments?” every time a participant finished reading their piece, to initiate discussion. I recorded my responses to the participants and anything else I considered important at the time before, during and after each class in a researcher diary. I also audio recorded the discussions in sessions 3–6. The numbering provided refers to the discussion transcripts after the writing session part of the course. I have divided my transcription notes on these recorded discussions into ten-minute slots (3–4 slots for each class discussion) and a 20-minute slot in the fourth exercise as only two participants were present.
- 5.
I reiterate here that I use double quotes to refer to my own words and single quotes to refer to words the participants use.
- 6.
Though the term “subjectivity” is said to have a looser sense of containment, as a tendency of the subject, I use the terms subjectivity and identity interchangeably in my writing.
- 7.
Crossed out words indicated as in the original handwritten text.
- 8.
“…” indicates small pause, less than eight seconds.
- 9.
I used the word ‘identity’ first, when I asked her whether writing about particular themes might relate to her identity (Z15).
- 10.
A novel written by Sylvia Plath.
References
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Hecq, D. (2005). Uncanny Encounters: On Writing, Anxiety and Jouissance. Double Dialogues 6: Anatomy and Poetics. [Online no pages]. Retrieved from http://www.doubledialogues.com
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Lapping, C. (2013). Which Subject, Whose Desire? The Constitution of Subjectivity and the Articulation of Desire in the Practice of Research. Psychoanalysis Culture and Society, 18, 368–385.
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Charalambous, Z. (2019). Do We Write Freely?. In: Writing Fantasy and the Identity of the Writer. Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20263-7_5
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