Writing Difficult Subjects: A Trauma-Informed Creative Writing Toolkit
This creative writing toolkit was written by Julie Wheelwright, in collaboration with Ruth Beecher based on research undertaken through the British Academy’s Small Research Grants scheme (SRG24\241457) with funds provided by Wellcome. We piloted this creative writing methodology with early career researchers working on sexual violence, and in two earlier workshop series run under the auspices of the Wellcome-Funded Sexual Harms and Medical Encounters (SHaME) project led by Professor Joanna Bourke.
Over a series of six in-person sessions, we discussed writing techniques, explored other writers’ work, devoted time to journal keeping with guided writing exercises and considered the specific challenges of writing about sexual violence. The results of these pilot projects and follow up feedback have informed this toolkit. We recognise that imaginative writing can be an effective way to process the trauma of researching sexual violence, leading to a practice of self-reflection which in turn may inspire new approaches to communicating our research. These pages provide tools for developing practical skills and a better understanding of how writing works and resources for learning more about its mechanics, alongside suggestions for processing the emotionally charged materials you may be reading and listening to. We have designed this toolkit for PhD students and early career researchers in arts and humanities and social sciences whose studies relate to Gender Based Violence and who wish to write cogently within an ethical framework.
The toolkit offers guidance for researchers, but we hope it will also inspire and support those working outside academia. To undertake research on sexual violence is emotionally demanding work and, in its own way, a form of caring for a wider community. We recognise that carers require support for their well- being and perhaps the tools contained here will create a greater understanding of those needs and help you build resilience for yourself.
We are delighted to make this toolkit available for download to encourage and support a trauma-informed research practice through creative writing.
You are free to share and adapt this material for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is included, and any changes made are indicated.
To download the Toolkit, please complete the following details.
