I only have a little time this morning, between the kids’ run and wanting to start on writing projects, and starting late. So, a moment of reflection on the book of fragments. (I’m writing a book of fragments.) What does that mean? Each is a short story. It tells a story. Things happen. The exercise is to learn the trick of theoretical storytelling. Its about one of returning to and rewriting field notes, vignettes, and moments.
What does a good short story, a good fragment, have to do? It should be character-driven, it should tell a story, and it should offer a theoretical insight. It is an ethnographic short; a short [theoretical story] (http://www.carolemcgranahan.com), borrowing from Carole McGranahan’s idea.
That’s about it. Long or not. An ethnographic short tells a story that is true, that is character-driven, and that supports theoretical storytelling.