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Tom Dean is a PhD candidate researching the world of pro-wrestling. His creative/critical project examines pro-wrestling as an art form, a mode of embodied performance in which performers confess the story of their lives through a blend of reality and fiction – the ‘work, shoot confessional’.

Further exploring these narrative dynamics, the creative side of his project is a fictitious biography of a female pro-wrestler, drawing inspiration from the 2005 Edge/Lita/Matt Hardy love triangle storyline.

This blog records his thoughts on creative writing practice, shares his creative work and research, and his frustrations with it, and offers pro-wrestling analysis through an academic lens.

  • Jun 2026

    Exploring the history of kayfabe through fiction writing (part 1)

    | More |: Exploring the history of kayfabe through fiction writing (part 1)
    Exploring the history of kayfabe through fiction writing (part 1)
  • Jun 2026

    On first drafts

    | More |: On first drafts
    On first drafts
  • Jun 2026

    Redemption, collectivism and camera work: Week 7 – Characterisation project

    | More |: Redemption, collectivism and camera work: Week 7 – Characterisation project
    Redemption, collectivism and camera work: Week 7 – Characterisation project
  • Jun 2026

    “I am one of one”: Week 6 (Clash in Italy) – Characterisation project

    | More |: “I am one of one”: Week 6 (Clash in Italy) – Characterisation project
    “I am one of one”: Week 6 (Clash in Italy) – Characterisation project
  • May 2026

    Backstage, in the darkness, where we tell the truth: Week 5 – Characterisation project

    | More |: Backstage, in the darkness, where we tell the truth: Week 5 – Characterisation project
    Backstage, in the darkness, where we tell the truth: Week 5 – Characterisation project
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deany15td

© Tom Dean — 2026
deany15.td@gmail.com
Substack: @workshootconfessional

    • About

Tom Dean is a writer and PhD candidate currently based in York, UK. He holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester, and has studied under the tutelage of MJ Hyland, Jeanette Winterson, George Saunders and Mary Karr.

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