This article describes a combination of a research essay and a creative writing assignment that encourages rigorous academic research while allowing students to get "outside the box" of traditional academic research papers. This assignment has five steps. The first two steps offer the chance to introduce academic research along with summary and paraphrasing. The third step, is for the students to begin developing their own stories. The fourth step in this process seeks to get students thinking of how their research will affect their story specifically. The fifth and final step is to write the stories themselves, with as many drafts and peer reviews as time allows