Genre Cross-Writing: A Methodology for Writing as Our Selves

Abstract

Creative research methods are not prominent in the field of writing studies. I define creative research methods as artistic tools that can be utilized when trying to gain knowledge that brings depth or a new perspective to a topic, knowledge that might not be discovered when using traditional research methods. However, these tools and methods can bring dynamic, unconventional thinking into writing research, including undergraduate research. This paper offers an example based on my own work, which started with a class project that became the pilot for more formalized research. I feature genre cross-writing, a creative method that I first developed as an autoethnographic tool that I used to see how all of my identities worked together. Genre cross-writing also helped me explore the complexities of other people, their identities, and the genres they write. I coupled genre cross-writing with a heuristic designed to assist exploration of the different kinds of identities we embody. I encourage other researchers to consider incorporating creative methods into their work to gain more perspectives on the intricacies research can bring to the surface.