Brown, Nicole;
Ergül, Hakan;
Power, Nicki;
(2025)
Social Fiction: bridging academic inquiry and creative writing.
Journal of Creative Research Methods
, 1
(1)
pp. 97-117.
10.1332/30502969Y2025D000000004.
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Abstract
The evolution of research methodologies across disciplines has prompted a re-evaluation of knowledge creation and dissemination. This article examines Social Fiction writing as an innovative Practice As Research method that integrates academic inquiry and creative writing. Social Fiction offers a compelling medium to critically engage with complex social issues through fostering dialogue, disrupting entrenched narratives, and supporting inclusive knowledge production. By engaging with this approach, researchers can craft nuanced narratives that resonate across disciplines, catalysing meaningful reflection and social transformation. This article outlines Social Fiction's principles, including its speculative nature, focus on verisimilitude, and reader engagement, as well as its transformative impact on research and representation. Drawing on practical applications from the authors’ experiences, we explore the challenges, including ethical considerations, issues of recognisability, the writers’ and readers’ roles and the need for balancing creativity with truthfulness. Strategies such as composite character creation, co-authoring with participants, writing as community, and interdisciplinary collaboration are proposed to strengthen this practice. In doing so, we position Social Fiction as a valuable tool for advancing inclusive and socially engaged research.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Social Fiction: bridging academic inquiry and creative writing |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1332/30502969Y2025D000000004 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1332/30502969Y2025D000000004 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Accepted for publication 03 June 2025 • First published online 01 September 2025 This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | Social Fiction, Practice As Research, Creative Writing in Research, Activist Storytelling, Narrative Methodologies, Collaborative Writing |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Culture, Communication and Media |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10209156 |
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