I am reading Laurel Richardson’s (2000) article Writing: A Method of Inquiry, in the 2nd Edition of the Denzin and Lincoln Handbook of Qualitative Research.
It has been some time since I read this, and is the first reread since I met her when she facilitated a session at the 5th International Qualitative Congress. Her words are so powerful:
I consider writing as a method of inquiry, a way of finding out about yourself and your topic . . . . Writing is also a way of ‘knowing’–a method of discovery and analysis (p. 923).
I will certainly need to include this as I explain my reasons for using narrative inquiry in my research.