Writer’s Block in Extended Academic Writing: Exploring Causes & Solutions

Writer’s Block in Extended Academic Writing: Exploring Causes & Solutions Desmond Thomas, University of Essex

B’s MA dissertation nightmare • An experienced teacher, English NS, doing a mid-career Masters. Played a prominent role in supporting less able course participants. • Wrote eight 3000-word essays (or equivalent) without apparent problems. • Could not finish the Masters dissertation. Submitted only 3 chapters – in draft form but high quality nevertheless. Received a minimal pass grade for the incomplete work submitted.

What happened? The main issues A complete block preventing writing. Why? • Two supervisors • Over-ambition followed by motivation loss • Perfectionism • A new job • Fear of failure/sense of shame • Lack of psychological support • A combination of all of these?

The case of Alice V. (PhD writer) “Alice’s Adventures in and out of Academia” • http://aliceinacademia.tumblr.com/ Alice is a prolific writer and AHRC-funded PhD student who has just received a referral in her PhD viva and now must re-write substantial parts of her thesis. She is struggling to maintain focus and motivation.

Conclusions from B’s and other cases • Dissertation and thesis writers will have access to technical support related to specific writing tasks – courses, workshops, guides, websites • But psychological support may be lacking even though reasons for failure are often linked to psychological aspects of writing. For example: http://thesiswhisperer.com/2014/03/26/why-do-people-quit-the-phd/ • On their list: ‘pluralistic ignorance’, loneliness, feeling you don’t belong, personality clashes, loss of motivation, loss of interest

Psychological (affective) aspects of writing: useful categories • Initial motivation and getting started: managing initial expectations vs those of readers • Maintaining motivation, self-confidence, control and ownership • Ability to cope with negative feedback and rejection of written work. Resilience and ‘Emotional Intelligence’ (Goleman 1996) • Ability to manage stress • Ability to deal with writer’s block This workshop will focus mainly on the last of these though all seem interconnected

Workshop aims: I would like to … • Explore a range of practical solutions to the problems created by writer’s block in extended writing (dissertations/theses) • Support BALEAP professionals in their own research writing • Help to enable them in turn to provide psychological support for their own student writers (An ambitious agenda for a 2-hour session)

The nature of writer’s block 1 What I really want is this. On the day the manuscript reaches the publisher, I want him to stand up – after he’s read it through, of course – and say “Gentlemen, Hats off!!”” “So you see,” Grand added, “it’s got to be flawless. (Albert Camus, La Peste)

The nature of writer’s block 2 On awakening he appeared to himself to have a distinct recollection of the whole, and taking his pen, ink, and paper, instantly and eagerly wrote down the lines that are here preserved. At this moment he was unfortunately called out by a person on business from Porlock, and detained by him above an hour, and on his return to his room, found, to his no small surprise and mortification, that though he still retained some vague and dim recollection of the general purport of the vision, yet, with the exception of some eight or ten scattered lines and images, all the rest had passed away like the images on the surface of a stream into which a stone has been cast, but, alas! without the after restoration of the latter. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kubla Khan or a Vision in a Dream: a Fragment)

The nature of writer’s block 3 Blocked writers are now being treated with antidepressants such as Prozac, though some report that the drugs tend to eliminate their desire to write together with their regret over not doing so. Others are being given Ritalin and other stimulants, on the theory that their problems may be due to the now fashionable condition of attention deficit disorder. We are even getting biological theories of literary creativity and its stoppage. (Joan Acocella, “Blocked: Why do writers stop writing?”, The New Yorker 14.06.04)

Writer’s block situations & implications: Which (if any) are familiar to you? • I don’t know how or where to begin • I thought I knew what I wanted to write but suddenly I’m not so sure • I lose the plot and can’t remember what I want to say next • I keep writing the same paragraph and cannot go beyond it • I lose any sense of direction and don’t know where my writing is leading me • I feel that what I am writing is trivial and of no real interest to the reader

Conclusions Some situations are more dangerous than others particularly where there is a lack of: • Motivation to continue • Confidence in the value of the written text • Apparent direction

What are the causes of writer’s block? • Outside distractions/Lack of time/Tiredness • General anxiety • Perfectionism • Negative feedback/lack of feedback • Trying to live up to very high standards established by others • Lack of confidence in the end product • A feeling that I am heading for ultimate failure • English language difficulties

Possible solutions for WB • I tell myself to persevere and that determination will win out • I walk away and do something completely different • I talk to someone about the ‘blockage’ • I talk to myself about the ‘blockage’ • I print out a section of my work and examine it off-screen • I try to get inspiration from reading something relevant

One author’s view Being temporarily unable to write, however, or for that matter to perform any creative endeavour, is not a bad thing in itself. Properly interpreted a block is the best thing that can happen to a writer. Resistance is a vital regulator of the creative process because it obliges us to suspend our plans and reconsider the nature of our relation to the creative forces. (Nelson, V. 1993, On Writer’s Block: a New Approach to Creativity, Boston: Houghton Mifflin)

Coping with rejection 1 The readers we have never met, and who may not in reality exist, are the ones with the sharpest teeth waiting for the writer to show vulnerability or lack of understanding or technique so they can tear into them. They know just the phrase or look (which we hear or see in our mind) to make us over-question ourselves. They are the ones who habitually stand around us as we type or write, smelling their prey. (Kate Evans 2013:39, Pathways Through Writing Blocks in the Academic Environment, Sense Pub.)

Coping with rejection 2 The first reaction to rejection is usually a mix of shock and anger. Most reputable academic journals will provide feedback that is both useful and informative if you consider it carefully. Some of the criticism will be justified, some perhaps not. First, you must recover from the psychological blow of realizing that your efforts have been considered inadequate by specialists in your field. In a normal series of events, you will then absorb the feedback, pick yourself up and overcome your disappointment. (Thomas, D. 2016, The PhD Writing Handbook, Palgrave)

The importance of small incentives All of these can make a big difference: • A sympathetic listener • A conversation with others experiencing similar difficulties and mutual support • A friendly word from a supervisor • Getting your ideas published • Having a conference proposal accepted

Writer’s Block in Extended Academic Writing: Exploring Causes & Solutions