Storying qualitative longitudinal research: sequence, voice and motif

We suggest here that the analysis, interpretation and representation of qualitative longitudinal (QL) data requires methodological innovation leading to new forms of representation that elude the usual temporality of writing research. To illustrate this argument, we outline a case history method-in-process developed to condense intensive volumes of biographical data generated over 12 years, and deal with the intersection of different timescapes through which individuals move (biographical, generational, historical). We describe changing strategies for managing, analysing and representing data employed by the Inventing Adulthoods team, examining our practice in the light of key methodological issues raised by qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) and making that reflexive and collective research practice explicit.