The supervisor as practice-led coach and trainer: getting creative writing doctoral candidates across the finish line

Abstract

Multitasking supervisor-trainers who oversee the hybrid creative writing thesis have to be as informed and proactive as those guiding the careers of elite athletes. They function as manager, coach and trainer all in one. These roles are complicated by the multiplicity of theoretical and structural pathways available to shape the hybrid thesis. Since each new project poses new challenges, how candidates and supervisors respond has moved the discipline of creative writing forward, helping to define what kind of knowledge it can produce as well as what skills it can foster. There cannot be, therefore, one supervisory model. The dialectical process of supervisors interrogating their performance replicates, to some extent, how candidates undertake practice-led research, which involves posing questions and modifying strategies as a thesis progresses. Nevertheless, the successful collaborative hard science supervisory model can be adapted to creative writing doctoral supervision to improve performance on micro and macro levels. These ‘hands on’ supervisors not only work effectively with students individually. They also set up external structures such as creative mentorships and, most importantly, exploit the power of the group. Scheduling practice-led research seminars that unpack the methods of creative writing research can be particularly useful. They demonstrate this type of research in action and allow refinement of research questions. Supervisors can also manage regular creative writing postgraduate support groups. Members do more than simply workshop; supervisors and students provide collegial modelling, professional development opportunities and publishing guidance. In sum, they foster a team mentality that does not stifle creativity but encourages the completion of creative and critical work. By functioning on micro and macro levels, therefore, supervisors guide candidates through the research maze so that each thesis can embody an individual vision.