Dr Jeanette Lynes (University of Saskatchewan / IASH Fellow): Walking A Tightrope: The Hazards and Joys of Research in Creative Writing

Dr Jeanette Lynes (University of Saskatchewan  / IASH Fellow): Walking A Tightrope: The Hazards and Joys of Research in Creative Writing

For writers of poetry and fiction, especially whose whose work is based on historical source material, having a firm research basis is essential, yet research can at times threaten to derail a creative project. Negotiating between research material and imaginative composition can prove a tricky balance. This presentation will explore the challenges and rewards of research within a creative writing context using past and current publications - the presenter's John Clare poems, for example, and a current novel on Spiritualism - to exemplify this aspect of the creative process.