My research aims to explore teachers' literacy experiences and teaching practices in New Zealand intermediate schools through the lens of multiliteracies pedagogy (MLP). However, upon the initial semi-structured interview, I realised my (mis)assumptions and learned that it could be demanding and challenging for teachers to narrate their literacy teaching beliefs and practices. Consequently, I reworked my interview protocols and switched from semi-structured to unstructured interviews. Then I conducted them in conjunction with the collection of observational data. I also extracted the key elements of MLP -- diversity, multimodality and a repertoire of pedagogy -- and substituted them with terms and practices more familiar to the teachers. Through this experience, I discovered that honesty, flexibility and adaptability are some of the essential characteristics when conducting research as a novice researcher.