From Making Sense of the Paranormal to making sense of publishing…

Dr Rachael Ironside reflects on the process of writing her first manuscript as an early-career researcher and outlines some of the key themes explored in her co-authored book, Making Sense of the Paranormal.

Making Sense of the Paranormal is an exploration into how people make sense of experiences that they deem to be uncanny. Specifically, the book investigates the social practices that underpin how people talk about, notice, and respond to strange events in the environment. To examine this, we draw upon a methodology called Conversation Analysis which is interested in the study of micro-level interaction and the orderliness of everyday communication. At its heart, this book is a study of how our mundane interactions – what we say, how we move our bodies, the ways we interact with the world around us – inform how we make sense of extraordinary events.

The book emerges from my own doctoral research which examined interaction amongst contemporary paranormal research groups. These groups have formed a strong subculture since the early 2000s inspired by popular television shows including Most Haunted and Ghost Hunters. The landscape and politics of the paranormal group community are complex, but they are generally united by a mission to investigate reports of paranormal activity in reputedly haunted places. Our data draws upon moments recorded by paranormal research groups in which an extraordinary experience is encountered. Furthermore, the book is informed by Robin Wooffitt, Professor at the University of York, and his extensive research into the conversational practices that inform how people account for and report strange events. As such, the book reflects more broadly on interaction within parapsychological research, psychoanalysis, and wider supernatural experiences, such as UFO encounters.

One of the key issues we address in the book is the absent body in paranormal research. As we discuss, when people experience strange event’s the body plays a central role – they may feel an experience, look towards it, express fear, or excitement in their facial expressions, or recreate and share that experience through gestures. However, the body is often forgotten about in paranormal research, set aside as a vessel for exploring the mind. In the book we argue that a focus on the body in action can reveal important insights into how people notice, negotiate, share, and make sense of paranormal events.

From a personal perspective, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to publish my first book and for the support and guidance of my co-author, Professor Robin Wooffitt. I have learnt a considerable amount from writing with him on how to structure and craft a chapter, and to not be afraid to disrupt the order of things. As my former PhD supervisor, I have also learnt much about the importance of mentorship, and hope that I can take this approach with my own supervisees. If I was to pass on one piece of advice to anyone planning to write their first book, it would be to find someone with publishing experience to write with.

The publishing process also taught me about revising and building upon previous work. I had published a lot of my PhD data in journal articles, which in the publishing process caused endless anxiety around copyright and the reuse of extracts and images. In the end, going through the process of rewriting previous work strengthened the final manuscript, but it didn’t stop the sleepless nights! If you are an early-career researcher or starting to publish from your PhD, and considering writing a book, I would strongly encourage you to plan ahead to ensure that your work is not tied to the copywrite of journal publishers – a piece of advice I wish I had received at an early stage in my career.

Most importantly, writing this book has given me the confidence to pursue wider publishing opportunities. This year I will be co-editing a special issue for Revenant journal on the theme of Supernatural Cities and a Routledge volume called Folklore, People and Place: international perspectives on tourism and tradition in storied places. I am confident that they will both be enriching learning experiences in their own way.

I believe in many ways writing my first book has been as much about making sense of book publishing as it has been about making sense of the paranormal…

If you would be interested in finding out more about our book, Making Sense of the Paranormal, it is now available to order online. There is a 20% discount for anyone using the code ‘Paranormal2022’.