Reflections on writing with others: The use of metaphors to describe and develop writing relationships

In this paper we discuss the advantages of writing with others and suggest metaphors to describe different writing relationships. We discuss our own writing relationships and find that our metaphors to describe them are different due, for example, to cultural differences. There are no necessarily ‘good’ or ‘bad’ ways of working (or metaphors that represent these), as whatever works is appropriate. On the other hand working relationships need to develop and change over time as our writing skills improve and our co-writing relationship matures. Using metaphors can help us understand new ways of working. In writing this paper we used metaphors to help us both guide the process and understand what is most appropriate for us in different circumstances and reflect on how this has changed over time.