A Method Off the Beaten Track

Abstract

How can you improve your writing processes and your creative projects by examining your own working conditions? In this article, we address this question and the possibilities and challenges of the method called ‘practice-led research’, which is a method off the beaten track in media production studies. We examine assignments by students from the educational program of ‘Screenplay Development’ at the University of Southern Den-mark. Our purpose is to clarify how the students have used practice-led research to enhance their screenwriting, and whether this method has contributed to their talent development. The theoretical framework in the article is constituted by Donald Schön’s (2013) practice epistemology. As our analytical lens we use Robin Nelson’s (2013) modes of thinking, as well as talent development theories by Anders Ericsson (Ericsson & Pool, 2016) and Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi (1996). Based on our findings, we suggest how to get started you’re your creative writing and improve your writing processes.