Storytelling in Academic Writing: Structure, Tools and Techniques

Speaker: Tim Pollock (University of Tennessee - Knoxville)

How to effectively tell your research story can be challenging, but becoming an engaging academic writer not only makes your discoveries and insights more accessible; it can also have a host of career benefits. In this webinar, author and former Academy of Management Journal Associate Editor Tim Pollock introduces the structure, tools and techniques of storytelling to academic writing. He applies the five-act storytelling structure from drama, captured in Freytag’s pyramid, to the structuring your research story, and describes how to identify your story’s main and supporting characters, and the storylines that drive your narrative. He also discusses the tools and techniques authors can use to make their storytelling more engaging, and identifies the pathologies that inhibit clear and effective academic writing.

Recommended reading:
• Pollock, T.G. 2021. How to Use Storytelling in your Academic Writing: Techniques for Engaging Readers and Successfully Navigating the Writing and Publishing Processes. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
• Flynn, F. 2009. The Elements of Story: Field Notes on Nonfiction Writing. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
• Sword, H. 2012. Stylish Academic Writing. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Zinsser, W. 2006. On Writing Well, 7th Edition. New York, NY: Collins.
• Evans, H. 2017. Do I Make Myself Clear? Why Writing Well Matters. New York, NY: Little Brown.