How do you Write in Partnership

Writing on your own can be difficult enough. There is the problem of knowing what it is you want to say, and the problem of finding a way of saying it. In my experience, it is often only when I begin to write that I engage in the sort of thinking I need to do in order to work out my ideas. Sometimes it can be really helpful to talk about these ideas with someone, but sometimes I have to struggle with the ideas on my own and then ‘play’ with words on the screen, drafting and redrafting as I proceed. This is a process, then, which may be even more difficult to do in partnership.

One difference between writing on your own and writing in partnership is that the process of writing together can form an important part of your research aims. As we say in the document: Why do partnership research? this type of research can benefit from the ‘ways of knowing’ of research participants as well as from what they know. When you are busy on a research project it can sometimes be difficult to build in ‘thinking time’. This means that it is sometimes only when you sit down together to write something that you ‘formally’ share these ideas. This means that ‘writing time’ can be a really important point at which a great deal of learning for all parties goes on. This is also the point at which ideas about alternative ways of disseminating the work may be discussed. It may be that a written report will reach only a limited audience. Of course, it is a good idea to try to talk about these things as you do your research as well as at the end.

As with all other elements of partnership research, writing together raises challenges associated with power/control of what is said and how, the negotiation of different roles/relationships and questions associated with what ‘real’ collaboration might look like. See Partnerships: Questions and Challenges for further discussion.

Some ideas for getting started when writing in partnership:

• Try working separately to begin with. Think about how each person could be encouraged to write down, or record, ideas that they have. These lists/tapes/pictures can then form the basis for a series of discussions about the ideas. If you begin in this way, it will allow people to think at their own pace and to work out what they feel comfortable saying. Sometimes when you are in a group it can feel uncomfortable telling other people what you think – it feels like everyone is looking at you. Another problem can be that one or two people ‘take over’ the discussion and use up all the time. If you have everyone’s ideas written down, or recorded, you can then make sure that everyone ‘gets a say’.

When the group who wrote ‘This is What we Think’ met for the first time, Kathy (a university researcher) began by giving people a short list of her ideas. She asked for their reactions to these ideas and encouraged them to bring their ideas to the next meeting. This helped encourage people to talk and reduced the pressure of ‘performing’ to the group. As we have already said, sometimes you need time to work out what it is you think, and having the opportunity to talk about ideas (your own and other people’s) can be a good way to begin this thinking process. See: An example of writing in partnership for writing that was developed in partnership and Kathy talks about writing in partnership for a more detailed description of the processes involved.

• It is a good idea to make audio (or video) recordings of your partnership meetings. Someone will then need to listen to these recordings and perhaps transcribe them. These transcripts can be useful in a number of ways. First, you may find there are ideas which have been missed the first time around that you will want to return to. Second, you may hear and see all sorts of other things that you have missed, for example that not everyone seems happy with the ideas. Some people may need more encouragement to give their opinions, or they may benefit from having an opportunity to work alone and then ‘report back’. Third, when people are reading and amending something that is being developed, the transcript will provide a record of how the work can be redrafted. It can also provide the basis for the next conversation (see below).

Each meeting of the group who wrote ‘This is What we Think’ began with a reading of the transcript of the previous meeting. Everyone in the group was then asked to comment on the transcript. These conversations were also tape recorded and then built on in later meetings. Of course, this process takes a long time. You will want to think carefully about how much time you have ‘set aside’ for the writing process if you have a deadline to meet.

• It is important that what you talk and write about together in your partnership is accessible to all partners. This may mean making sure that transcripts and other writings are in large print (some people may prefer yellow paper). It may also be worth using drawings or photographs to help illustrate ideas. Sometimes, reading out loud (from transcripts and other writings) will be useful and this should be done as slowly and clearly as possible. These may seem like very obvious suggestions, but it can be easy to forget them when everyone is busy and there is pressure of time.
• Of course there is also the question of the meaning of different words when you are thinking about accessibility. Obviously, if you are concerned that people will not understand particular words and there is a simpler word you can choose, then choose this word. It is also very common for people to use metaphors when there are much more straightforward ways of saying things. For example, you can use the word “met” rather than “get together”. On the other hand, there are sometimes ideas which need to be expressed in words that people may not immediately understand. These words can form the basis for some really interesting discussions about ideas and should not, therefore, necessarily always be avoided. It is necessary, however, to try to make it possible for everyone to ask questions about words/ideas that they don’t understand. Some members of a partnership may feel unable to point out when things are inaccessible to them; it is important to try to think about who may be struggling silently.
• Creating a positive atmosphere during meetings will help people feel comfortable and better able to participate. Too much rigidity and formality during partnership writing meetings may make for a joyless process. This may mean allowing for some social time in which partners can talk informally about other things. As with all elements of partnership working, make sure you build in lots of time for people to talk about the process and how it might be improved.