ABSTRACT
This chapter is based on three conversations between the authors of this volume, in which they discuss the methodologies of the project, which have been developed from the process itself rather than functioning as pre-planned itineraries. The conversations revolve around the passions, vulnerabilities, and disorientation connected to, on the one hand, the engagements with the alien figures – slugs, diatoms, and familiars – and on the other hand, the different writing practices that are at the heart of this mixed-genre book project. The chapter discusses conversations and automatic writing as methods for potentially becoming in touch with alien aspects of oneself and others, and it considers the possibilities and limitations of trans-disciplinary, collective work. In this context, the chapter explores the concept of spectral collectivity as a means of understanding how writing is never done alone but always in the company of present absent (alien) others. Finally, the chapter considers how writing can be as pleasurable as it can be troubled and troubling and what it might mean to tackle writer’s block through collective (alien and spectral) work.
