Facing the challenges of writing : finding courage and conviction

In 1999 I had my first single-authored book chapter to write. It took me six weeks of procrastination, cleaning, walking, eating, agonising, writing and re-writing and boring the pants off anyone who would talk to me about it. When I re-read that first sole-authored book chapter, I still quite liked it, wouldn't change too much if I had my time over. But I have moved on. I am no longer stuck in a black hole when it comes to writing, although from time to time a large one momentarily drifts into my gaze. In this chapter I want to write about what has helped me, and the numerous other writer/researchers I have worked with, to move on. I do this by including some of my writing from "Black holes". In reading the old chapter and thinking this new chapter through I realised that what had helped me to move on and write more easily was: firstly, having some understanding of writer's block or stuck-ness; secondly, self-consciously seeing writing about research as writing and about myself as a writer; thirdly, finding my scholarly writing-researching friends who have helped me to theorise and understand the why and the how of writing; and finally, seeing writing as taking action which requires courage.