Writing autoethnography
I write autoethnographic sketches in parallel with writing my book. It is interesting to observe how these two project intertwine. Writing the book takes shape of sketching its fragments in different chapters and places. Writing an autoethnography is akin to keeping your finger on the pulse of your own life. It helps me become more aware of various reflections that pass through my mind in terms of my own journey and my research.
At times I go back to my first paper based on this autoethnography. One problem with turning such projects into papers is that a paper offers a snapshot. It feels dead, while autoethnography is living because one's journey is always unfolding. Everything changes. I notice how every small interaction with the sun, birds, stones, and even twigs growing along a path on the island where I live changes me as a person forever.