The power of writing – how working-class academics experienced writing their autoethnography and the impact on their well-being

Purpose
The purpose for this paper is to explore authors’ experiences of writing their autoethnography and if this had an impact on their well-being. The author recently edited a collection of autoethnographies, each one written by a working-class academic. The autoethnographies are compelling and personal accounts of the working-class academics’ lives and provide extraordinary insight into their subjective realities, personal experiences and their journeys into and through higher education.

Design/methodology/approach
Interviews were conducted with six participants who had written and published their autoethnography. The theory-driven deductive approach to thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data and allow for the emergence of a range of emotions and effects on well-being. Data from the interviews are framed within positive autoethnography and positive psychology theories.

Findings
Data from the interviews are presented here along with an exploration and discussion of the well-being benefits of writing one’s story. The authors provide honest, heartfelt and at times intense reflections. Many of the authors recounted the well-being benefits they felt through structuring and ordering their work, as well as addressing and making meaning of their experiences. The writing has led to important insights and enabled the authors to process their experiences in a meaningful way.

Originality/value
The originality of this research lies in the follow-up interviews, where the authors share their experiences of writing their autoethnography and the positive emotions and enhanced well-being that emerged from the process.