TY - JOUR
T1 - An Analysis of Writer’s Block
T2 - Causes and Solutions
AU - Ahmed, Sarah J.
AU - Güss, C. Dominik
N1 - Sarah J. Ahmed & C. Dominik Güss (2022) An Analysis of Writer’s Block: Causes and Solutions, Creativity Research Journal, DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2022.2031436
PY - 2022/1/1
Y1 - 2022/1/1
N2 - Previous research findings suggest that multiple factors contribute to writer’s block and that blocking may occur at any part of the writing process. The aim of this study was to investigate different causes of blocking and discover the most effective solutions for writers. 146 writers completed an online, mixed-method survey about their experiences with writer’s block. Four causes of writer’s block were described by the respondents and supported by existing literature: physiological, motivational, cognitive, and behavioral. The most common causes of blocking were physiological and motivational, and interfered with the composition process of writing more often than idea generation. Writers described twelve effective solutions. The four most useful strategies were taking a break from writing, working on a different writing project, forcing themselves to keep writing, and discussing ideas with others. The findings also revealed an association between different causes of blocking and the cognitive processes involved with different parts of the writing process. Professional and semiprofessional writers did not significantly differ in the types of blocks they experienced, solutions they considered effective, and the length of writer’s block they experienced. The findings presented may provide readers with helpful strategies for overcoming writer’s block.
AB - Previous research findings suggest that multiple factors contribute to writer’s block and that blocking may occur at any part of the writing process. The aim of this study was to investigate different causes of blocking and discover the most effective solutions for writers. 146 writers completed an online, mixed-method survey about their experiences with writer’s block. Four causes of writer’s block were described by the respondents and supported by existing literature: physiological, motivational, cognitive, and behavioral. The most common causes of blocking were physiological and motivational, and interfered with the composition process of writing more often than idea generation. Writers described twelve effective solutions. The four most useful strategies were taking a break from writing, working on a different writing project, forcing themselves to keep writing, and discussing ideas with others. The findings also revealed an association between different causes of blocking and the cognitive processes involved with different parts of the writing process. Professional and semiprofessional writers did not significantly differ in the types of blocks they experienced, solutions they considered effective, and the length of writer’s block they experienced. The findings presented may provide readers with helpful strategies for overcoming writer’s block.
UR - https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2022.2031436
U2 - 10.1080/10400419.2022.2031436
DO - 10.1080/10400419.2022.2031436
M3 - Article
SN - 1040-0419
VL - 34
SP - 339
EP - 354
JO - Creativity Research Journal
JF - Creativity Research Journal
IS - 3
ER -