Collaborative writing: pushing beyond the boundaries of traditional structures

The process of writing the book that inspired this symposium was not a straightforward “plan, do, review” activity, with authors working in isolated topics. In putting the book together, the whole writing team met on a number of occasions to think through the form and structure that the book might take, in a way that pushed us beyond what might have been a more traditionally conceived set of chapters. This collaborative, dialogic and creative process enabled us to talk through our research in ways that led to the development of thematic chapters, drawing out from our case studies varied foci that might otherwise have remained latent, not only in the book, but to some extent in our thinking. This paper will discuss how this process evolved and why it was so effective in the development of a multi-authored book with this innovative format. It will go on to consider the broader applicability of this collaborative approach to writing.