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MARCH11,2016

HowtoBeatWritersBlock
BYMARIAKONNIKOVA

GrahamGreenekeptadreamjournaltohelpwardoff
writersblock.
PHOTOGRAPHBYRENESAINTPAUL/RDA/EVERETT

I
n1920,asixteen-year-oldGrahamGreene
decidedthat,after104weeksofmonotony,
humiliation,andmentalpain,hecouldnolonger
remainatBerkhamsted,theprepschoolwherehe
wasenrolled.Hefled,leavingbehindanoteof
resignationforhisparentshisfatherwasthe
schoolsheadmaster,andwasdiscoveredonthe
heathsoonafter.Theescapeprovedsotroublingto
hisfamilythatitledtoasix-monthstintin
psychotherapy.ItwasafortuitousturninGreenes
life.Hegotabreakfromtheschoolhedreadedand
acquiredahabitthatwouldprovecrucialtohislifeasawriter:Greenebegankeeping
adreamjournal,tohelphimchannelhismentaldistressinamoreproductive
direction.

ForanyonefamiliarwithGreenesprolificoutput,itshardtobelievethathecould
eversufferfromwritersblock.But,inhisfifties,thatspreciselywhathappenedhe
facedacreativeblockage,ashecalledit,thatpreventedhimfromseeingthe
developmentofastoryoreven,attimes,itsstart.Thedreamjournalprovedtobehis
savior.Dreamjournalingwasaveryspecialtypeofwriting,Greenebelieved.Noone
butyouseesyourdreams.Noonecansueyouforlibelforwritingthemdown.Noone
canfact-checkyouorobjecttoafancifulturnofevents.IntheforewordtoAWorld
ofMyOwn,aselectionofdream-journalentriesthatGreeneselected,Yvonne
Cloetta,Greenesmistressofmanyyears,quotesGreenetellingafriend,Ifonecan
rememberanentiredream,theresultisasenseofentertainmentsufficientlymarked
togiveonetheillusionofbeingcatapultedintoadifferentworld....Onefinds
oneselfremotefromonesconsciouspreoccupations.Inthatfreedomfromconscious
anxiety,Greenefoundthefreedomtodowhatheotherwisecouldnt:write.

W
ritersblockhasprobablyexistedsincetheinventionofwriting,buttheterm
itselfwasfirstintroducedintotheacademicliteratureinthenineteen-forties,
byapsychiatristnamedEdmundBergler.Fortwodecades,Berglerstudiedwriters
whosufferedfromneuroticinhibitionsofproductivity,inanattempttodetermine
whytheywereunabletocreateandwhat,ifanything,couldbedoneaboutit.After
conductingmultipleinterviewsandspendingyearswithwriterssufferingfromcreative
problems,hediscardedsomeofthetheoriesthatwerepopularatthetime.Blocked
writersdidntdrainthemselvesdrybyexhaustingtheirsupplyofinspiration.Nordid
writersdidntdrainthemselvesdrybyexhaustingtheirsupplyofinspiration.Nordid
theysufferfromalackofexternalmotivation(thelandlordtheory,accordingto
whichwritingstopsthemomenttherentispaid).Theydidntlacktalent,theywerent
plainlazy,andtheywerentsimplybored.Sowhatwerethey?

BerglerwastrainedintheFreudianschoolofpsychoanalysis,andthatbackground
informedhisapproachtotheproblem.Ina1950papercalledDoesWritersBlock
Exist?,publishedinAmericanImago,ajournalfoundedbyFreudin1939,Bergler
arguedthatawriterislikeapsychoanalyst.Heunconsciouslytriestosolvehisinner
problemsviathesublimatorymediumofwriting.Ablockedwriterisactuallyblocked
psychologicallyandthewaytounblockthatwriteristhroughtherapy.Solvethe
personalpsychologicalproblemandyouremovetheblockage.Thislineofthinkingis
fine,asfarasitgoes,butitsfrustratinglyvagueandfullofassumptions.Howdoyou
knowthatwritersareusingtheirwritingasameansofsublimation?Howdoyou
knowthatallproblemsstemfromablockedpsyche?Andwhatisablockedpsyche,
anyway?

Asitturnsout,though,Berglersthinkingwasntfaroffthemark.Inthenineteen-
seventiesandeighties,theYaleUniversitypsychologistsJeromeSingerandMichael
Barriostriedtogainamoreempiricallygroundedunderstandingofwhatitmeantto
becreativelyblocked.Theyrecruitedadiversegroupofwritersfictionandnon-
fiction,poetryandprose,print,stage,andscreensomeofwhomwereblockedand
someofwhomwerefine.Theblockedwritershadtofitasetofpre-determined
criteria:theyhadtopresentobjectiveproofoftheirlackofwritingprogress(affirming,
forexample,thattheyhadmadenoprogressontheirmainproject)andattesttoa
subjectivefeelingofbeingunabletowrite.Thesymptomshadtohavelastedforat
leastthreemonths.

BarriosandSingerfollowedthewritersprogressforamonth,interviewingthemand
askingthemtocompleteclosetosixtydifferentpsychologicaltests.Theyfound,
unsurprisingly,thatblockedwriterswereunhappy.Symptomsofdepressionand
anxiety,includingincreasedself-criticismandreducedexcitementandprideatwork,
wereelevatedintheblockedgroup;symptomsofobsessive-compulsivedisorder,such
asrepetition,self-doubt,procrastination,andperfectionism,alsoappeared,asdid
feelingsofhelplessnessandaversiontosolitudeamajorproblem,sincewriting
usuallyrequirestimealone.

Notallunhappywriterswerecreatedequal,however.Theyfell,BarriosandSinger
discovered,intofourgeneraltypes.Inonegroup,anxietyandstressdominated;to
them,themainimpedimenttowritingwasadeepemotionaldistressthatsappedthe
joyoutofwriting.Inanothergroup,unhappinessexpresseditselfinterpersonally,
throughangerandirritationatothers.Athirdgroupwasapatheticanddisengaged,
whileafourthtendedtobeangry,hostile,anddisappointedtheiremotionswere
stronglynegative,asopposedtomerelysad.Thesedifferenceswouldturnouttobe
consequential.Differentkindsofunhappywriters,BarriosandSingerdiscovered,are
blockeddifferently.

Therearesomeexperiencesthatalmostallblockedwritershaveincommon.Almost
Therearesomeexperiencesthatalmostallblockedwritershaveincommon.Almost
allofthemexperienceflaggingmotivation;theyfeellessambitiousandfindlessjoyin
writing.Theyrealsolesscreative.BarriosandSingerfoundthatblockedindividuals
showedlowlevelsofpositiveandconstructivementalimagery:theywerelessableto
formpicturesintheirminds,andthepicturestheydidformwerelessvivid.Theywere
lesslikelytodaydreaminconstructivefashionortodream,period.

Thesurprisewasthatthesemotivationalandcreativeshortfallsexpressedthemselves
differentlyforthedifferentkindsofunhappywriters.Thefirst,moreanxiousgroup
feltunmotivatedbecauseofexcessiveself-criticismnothingtheyproducedwasgood
enougheventhoughtheirimaginativecapacityremainedrelativelyunimpaired.
(Thatsnottosaythattheirimaginationswereunaffected:althoughtheycouldstill
generateimages,theytendedtoruminate,replayingscenesoverandover,unableto
moveontosomethingnew.)Thesecond,moresociallyhostilegroupwasunmotivated
becausetheydidntwanttheirworkcomparedtotheworkofothers.(Noteveryone
wasafraidofcriticism;somewriterssaidthattheydidntwanttobeobject[s]of
envy.)Althoughtheirdaydreamingcapacitywaslargelyintact,theytendedtouseit
toimaginefutureinteractionswithothers.Thethird,apatheticgroupseemedthemost
creativelyblocked.Theycouldntdaydream;theylackedoriginality;andtheyfeltthat
therulestheyweresubjectedtoweretooconstrictive.Theirmotivationwasalsoall
butnonexistent.Finally,thefourth,angryanddisappointedgrouptendedtolookfor
externalmotivation;theyweredrivenbytheneedforattentionandextrinsicreward.
Theywere,BarriosandSingerfound,morenarcissisticandthatnarcissismshaped
theirworkaswriters.Theydidntwanttosharetheirmentalimagery,preferringthatit
stayprivate.

I
nonesense,BarriosandSingersfindingsechoedBerglerstheories.They
discoveredthatmanysymptomsofwritersblockarethekindsofproblems
psychiatriststhinkabout.Unhappywriters,itseemed,wereunhappyintheirown
ways,andwouldrequiretherapiestailoredtoaddresstheirspecificemotionalissues.
BarriosandSingerwerentpsychiatrists,howevertheywerepsychologists.They
decidedtocontinuetheirworkbystudyingtheaspectofwritersblockthatcouldbe
measuredexperimentally:thevividnessanddirectionalityofmentalimagery.

Theduoproposedasimpleintervention:exercisesindirectedmentalimagery.While
someoftheblockedwritersmetingroupstodiscusstheirdifficulties,Barriosand
Singeraskedotherstoparticipateinasystematicprotocoldesignedtowalkthem
throughtheproductionofcolorfulmentalimages.Thesewriterswouldsitinadim,
quietroomandcontemplateaseriesoftenpromptsaskingthemtoproduceandthen
describedream-likecreations.Theymight,forexample,visualizeapieceofmusic,or
aspecificsettinginnature.Afterward,theywouldvisualizesomethingfromtheir
currentprojects,andthengenerateadreamlikeexperiencebasedonthatproject.The
interventionlastedtwoweeks.

Itprovedrelativelysuccessful.Writerswhodparticipatedintheinterventionimproved
Itprovedrelativelysuccessful.Writerswhodparticipatedintheinterventionimproved
theirabilitytogetwritingdoneandfoundthemselvesmoremotivatedandself-
confident.Theexercisedidntcurewritersblockacrosstheboard,butitdidseemto
demonstratetothecreativelystymiedthattheywerestillcapableofcreativity.
(Greenesdreamdiariesdidmuchthesameforhim.)Inmultiplecases,theexercises
led,overtime,tothealleviationofwritersblockevenintheabsenceoftherapy.
Bergler,itseems,waspartlyright:emotionalblockagesdidexist.Buthewaswrongto
assumethat,inordertomovepastthemcreatively,writersneededtoaddresstheir
emotionallives.Infact,theprocesscouldgotheotherway.Addressingthecreative
elementsaloneappearedtotranslateintoanalleviationoftheemotionalsymptoms
thatwerethoughttohavecausedtheblockinthefirstplace,decreasinganxietyand
increasingself-confidenceandmotivation.Therapydidntunblockcreativity;creative
trainingworkedasaformoftherapy.

Itmaybethatlearningtodocreativeworkofanykindnotjustdirectimagery
exercisesmayhelpcombatwritersblock.ScottBarryKaufman,apsychologistwho
isthescientificdirectoroftheImaginationInstituteattheUniversityofPennsylvania
andaco-authorofWiredtoCreate,says,Whenonefeelswritersblock,itsgoodto
justkeepputtingthingsdownonpaperideas,knowledge,etc.In2009,Kaufman
co-editedavolumecalledThePsychologyofCreativeWriting;duringthatprocess,
hebecameconvincedthatallowingforerrorandrealizinghownonlinearaprocess
creativitycanbewasanessentialstepforovercomingblocksinwriting.Ithinkone
musttrustthewritingprocess.Understandthatcreativityrequiresnonlinearityand
uniqueassociativecombinations,hesays.Creativepeopledoalotoftrialanderror
andrarelyknowwheretheyaregoingexactlyuntiltheygetthere.

That,intheend,seemstobethemainmessageofresearchintowritersblock:Its
usefultoescapefromexternalandinternaljudgmentbywriting,forinstance,ina
dreamdiary,whichyouknowwillneverbereadevenifitsonlyforabriefperiod.
Suchescapesallowwriterstofindcomfortinthefaceofuncertainty;theygivewriters
mindsthefreedomtoimagine,evenifthethingstheyimagineseemludicrous,
unimportant,andunrelatedtoanywritingproject.Greeneoncehadthefollowing
dream:

Iwasworkingonedayforapoetrycompetitionandhadwrittenoneline
BeautymakescrimenoblewhenIwasinterruptedbyacriticismflungatme
frombehindbyT.S.Eliot.Whatdoesthatmean?Howcancrimebenoble?He
had,Inoticed,grownamoustache.

Inreallife,havingyourpoetrycriticizedbyT.S.Eliotcouldcauseyoutodoubtyour
poeticgifts.Butimaginingitinadreamhastheoppositeeffect.Thatdreamcould
becomethesourceforastory.And,ataminimum,itservesasareminderthat,no
matterhowblockedyoumaybe,youstillhavethecapacitytoimaginesomethingnew
nomatterhowsmallandsillyitmayseem.
MariaKonnikovaisacontributortonewyorker.com,whereshe
writesregularly(http://www.newyorker.com/news/maria-
konnikova)onpsychologyandscience.

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