The writing is the method: Process, method, research in Fiona McGregor’s A Novel Idea

Abstract

This essay argues that fiction writing is a distinct form of research and way of thinking in which the methodology is generated in the writing. Unlike other forms of research, the research problems arise for the writer during the act of writing. However, within an academic setting, writers are often required to set out their methodology in advance of their project and provide a retrospective account in the form of an exegesis. Fiona McGregor’s A Novel Idea demonstrates the practical difficulty in both writing and paying attention to methodology at the same time, thus problematising the exegetical component of fiction writing in retrospect. A way forward might be to require fiction writers within the academy to state their aims for a piece of fiction, recognising that the methodology and knowledge will be generated within the writing. The “original contribution to knowledge” component of these aims can be assessed by the writer’s intention to create something new, whether through formal innovations or approach to subject. In terms of accountability, the writer’s capacity to deliver on their intention can be measured by their previous output and, retrospectively, by an examination of the novel itself and its drafts.