Re/Invention: Methods of Social Fiction

by Patricia Leavy

From Patricia Leavy, a leader in arts-based research, this is the first comprehensive guide to what social fiction is and how to write it. In an engaging, personal tone, Leavy explores the unique contribution that creative writing--such as novels, series, and short stories--can make to addressing qualitative research questions. In-depth discussions of narrative models (such as the three-act structure) and elements (such as plot, metaphor, dialogue) are accompanied by excerpts from Leavy's published fiction, reflections on the writing process, and technical suggestions. The book offers evaluation criteria for social fiction as well as practical publishing advice. Instructive features include "tip bubbles" with additional writing hints, end-of-chapter "Skill-Building" and "Rethink Your Research" exercises, and an appendix with suggested readings.
 

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2022

About the author

Patricia Leavy, Ph.D., is a bestselling author. She has published over fifty books, earning commercial and critical success in both fiction and nonfiction, and her work has been translated into many languages. Patricia has received over 100 book honors as well as career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2024 the London Arts-Based Research Centre established "The Patricia Leavy Award for Arts-Based Research." She lives in Maine with her family. Patricia loves writing, reading, watching films, and traveling. These days, she's focused on writing feel-good love stories.

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

While somewhat light on references to other researchers doing similar work, usually only a line or two identifying like-minded authors and arts-based educators, Re/Invention stands as a self-evaluation of the many forms Leavy’s method plays out. Her how-to advice sums up as just keep writing but her final chapter is a splash of cold water to the face of many aspiring novelists seeking a publisher. The selection of her novels quoted at length throughout this book relate tangentially to the format she introduces, but reveal a person deeply invested in the interpersonal relationships of others and the imaginative plotting to share these stories. May get around to reading some of her fictional pieces someday, but more inspired to seek other other authors, including some of the authors I am reading concurrently (Murakami, Gibson, Atwood) as ways of seeing the world and reinventing it in their books.