LSE’s research blog is running a series on the materiality of academic writing. I really loved this essay from Katie Collins. The summary reads: “n this feature essay, Katie Collins proposes that we shift our thinking about academic writing from building metaphors – the language of frameworks, foundations and buttresses – to stitching, sewing and piecing. Needlecraft metaphors offer another way of thinking about the creative and generative practice of academic writing as decentred, able to accommodate multiple sources and with greater space for the feminine voice. “
Reading this text made me realize how little attention we pay to the materiality of writing, perhaps because we all type on laptops that are imposed upon us by an employer or by budget constraints. I did come across a piece that I really enjoyed about writers and their favorite tools .
Addition: My colleague Frank DeBakker (@FrankdeBakker) has shared this pretty cool text on how writing is like surfing in response to my original tweet of this post.