Handley Escoline On Writers Block

DRAFT for The AMED Writers’ Group, 19 December 2008 Unblocking our Writing

‘”What is writing?” means ‘Where and when does writing begin?” [Derrida 1974] Introduction

This paper is a work in progress. Its aim is to stimulate reflection, discussion and experimentation on the subject of Writer’s Block (WB). I begin with a short story, which might lead us to agree a working definition of WB and identify some common causes and symptoms of WB. I then introduce the notions of the tripartite writing personality and the writing process as devices for charting our different writing journeys and strategies. Finally, I suggest a variety of tactics for overcoming WB – unblocking our writing - in the hope that at least one of these might resonate with your own circumstances.

Rachel’s story

Rachel has spent 9 years writing her Doctorate on Procrastination as a part-time postgraduate student. She has accumulated a mass of data, but she still hasn’t completed her thesis. Her registration period is in danger of being terminated, and she is almost in despair, because she cannot see how to write up her ideas. She and her academic supervisor are at their wits’ end. She has had a brilliant academic track record as an undergraduate, and when she enrolled for a higher degree, they were both optimistic that she would complete within four years. They cannot understand why it’s taking her so long

Q: What possible reasons can you suggest for the state of Rachel’s writing? What advice might you offer her so that she can bring her writing to a successful completion?

Bob MacKenzie, 4.1.09 1 [email protected] DRAFT for The AMED Writers’ Group, 19 December 2008

Discussion

The chances are that Rachel is experiencing some form of Writer’s Block.

o Have there been moments in your own experience that lead you to identify with Rachel’s predicament, even if this has been on a smaller scale?

o If so, what is your experience and understanding of Writer’s Block (WB) – its causes, symptoms and effects?

o Is WB ‘real’, or simply a figment of the imagination – is it ‘fact’ or fiction?

o What suggestions do you have for dealing with different forms of WB in different circumstances and contexts?

A definition of Writer’s Block (WB)

WB is ‘A usually temporary psychological inability to begin or continue work on a piece of writing.’ (The Free Dictionary: www.thefreedictionary.com, accessed 5.10.08)

Some different explanations of the causes of WB

The literature suggests a range of views on why we might experience WB. Amongst others, causes can be:

o Contextual – WB arises from particular – often temporary - circumstances (many sources)

o Socio-economic – WB unduly affects disadvantaged, underprivileged or oppressed people, such as people who are illiterate, women in certain cultures and social classes, single mothers (e.g. Olsen) o Psychoanalytical – WB is a symptom of an underlying disorder (e.g. Kantor) o Topic-related – the subject matter is tricky (many sources) o Inevitable - WB is intrinsic to the creative/writing process (many sources). o A form of denial or excuse – the claim to be suffering from WB is a cop-out. This can be remedied by discipline and routine (e.g. Bracken).

Some assumptions that I make about WB

To help me through sticky patches, I have developed six assumptions about WB. These are:

1. Writer’s Block (WB) assails most people from time to time, because it’s intrinsic to the natural ebb and flow or yin (shadow side) and yang (light side) of the writing/creative process.

2. When this happens, we can experience WB to varying degrees of intensity, from momentary Writer’s Anxiety through Empty Page Syndrome to full-scale Writer’s Block.

3. When we experience WB, its impact on us and others can be significant.

4. The effects of WB are rarely permanent, though in extreme cases they can be long-lasting.

5. There are ways to help us to recognise and come through WB.

6. We can overcome or avoid Writer's Block by trusting in writing as a process of discovery, by working with the metaphor of the tripartite writing personality, or by changing the specific context or circumstances of our writing.

The tripartite writing personality1

‘Writer's block is caused primarily by one thing: judging your writing before or as you write.’ (Handley, nd).

Handley envisages three essential, interdependent aspects of our writing personality. She calls these:

o The Inventor (Creator) o The Reader (Craftsperson) o The Editor (Critic/Perfectionist)

Handley argues that when our Inventor and our Editor are at work simultaneously, that's a recipe for disaster - Writer's Block is bound to ensue! So it's essential to keep our Inventor and our Editor apart for as long as necessary, especially in the ‘Pre-Writing Phase’.

A potentially helpful device

I sometimes imagine it would be helpful to draw those three aspects of my writing personality as three different ‘avatars’. I could call these ‘Bob the Inventor’, ‘Bob the Reader’, and ‘Bob the Editor’. I could then display the relevant avatar

1 Cf Boulter’s (2005) notion of the dual reading-writing personality in which our reader self is critical parent and our writer self is creative child.

Bob MacKenzie, 4.1.09 4 [email protected] DRAFT for The AMED Writers’ Group, 19 December 2008 prominently to myself and others when I know that this is the aspect of my writing personality upon which I want to draw for the moment.

Q: Might this work for you? Which aspect of your writing personality do you want to draw upon at this stage of your current writing project?

Writing as a process of discovery

Writing of any kind is an activity or process (a verb), as well as a product or outcome (a noun). The writing process takes time. For much of that time, it can be a solitary – even lonely – process. It calls into play at different times each aspect of the triple writing personality. One way of understanding the writing process is as an iteration and interaction of three key sets of activities and phases, each of varying duration. These are encapsulated in a Before/During/After framework:

‘BEFORE’ (Sometimes called ‘Pre-Writing’)2

Pre-writing is the initial stages of developing ideas, momentum and a context for our writing. This incubation or preparation stage is often messy, and it can be scary.

1) Inventing (1)

During this stage, we give rein to our passion, dreams, imagination, impulses, playfulness, inspiration, opinions, originality, and spontaneity. This is where we aim to produce a first, very rough draft, and it can be an exhausting time.

2) Pausing

2 Combine Inventing and Pausing, and see my notes from the AWG of 19 December 08?

At some point, we take some time out, stepping away from our script. This temporary distancing allows us to stand back, and to recharge our batteries.

DURING3

3) Reading

This stage involves questioning, advising and directing ourselves. It is during this time that we read our first draft privately, as 'objectively' as we can, asking ourselves questions about our writing, and deciding what needs to be done next. At this stage, we are aiming to identify for ourselves how our writing project can be concluded.

4) Inventing (2)

Here, we are re-visualising, re-writing and re-vising until we think we’ve got it. We are crafting, polishing and sculpting the piece – we 'tinker with words, and fashion sentences and paragraphs to make them strong and true.' (Handley)

5) Editing (1): Obtaining a first, internal opinion

Now, we are being hyper-critical and perfectionist, driving our writing 'to be as good as it can be.' As Author, we will be reading our latest draft aloud to our Editor (our alter ego). Our Editor will be hearing and seeing things that have escaped the two other aspects of our writing personality.

6) Editing (2): Obtaining a second, external opinion

3 Combine Reading, Inventing [2], and Editing [1]?

Now we will be feeling ready to solicit feedback in the semi-public domain. Having considered what to do with this feedback, we will start submitting our writing for publication, for scrutiny by a particular group of readers. Our writing is now beyond our control.

Unblocking our Writing – what works for us?4

Various symptoms of WB are reported. These include:

o Boredom with the topic o Finding any excuse not to start or resume writing o Feeling anxious about what to write o Stress o Feeling awkward o Other

Tactics and strategies for dealing with WB5

Q: What will you do the next time you feel that WB is looming?

Different writers find that different devices, methods or techniques work for them, especially in the early stages of the writing process, to tap into the wellsprings of their writing. These include:

o Indulging our ‘pre-writing’ phase o Using creative problem-solving techniques o Beginning anywhere but the beginning o Talking about our writing to a critical friend o Identifying and profiling an ‘ideal reader’, and writing for them

4 Include more linking sentences and paragraphs. Expand 5 Add an opening paragraph on CPSTs (Tudor Rickards)

o Writing something else entirely different, then returning to our sticking point o Speaking our ideas into a voice recorder o Imagining and profiling an audience that’s different from our ultimate audience, and start writing for them o Adopting or inventing a writing routine or ritual o Organising our writing spaces differently o Trying to write in a different place or medium, or at a different time o Imagining ourself as an entirely different author, and writing for a while in that persona

Q: What approach might you adopt to unblock your writing?

Conclusion Most of us experience some form of WB at various times in our writing projects. This can occur during any of the three phases of the writing process, and especially in the earlier stages. Thankfully, there are ways to recognize, overcome or live with WB, should we experience its onset. In particular, we can do this by trusting in writing as a creative process of discovery, by working with the tripartite writing personality (especially by keeping our Inventor and our Editor apart for as long as possible), by changing the specific context or circumstances within which our writing is taking place, or by adopting particular writing tactics and strategies that work for us.

Envoi As this is a work in progress, I would welcome any comments or suggestions to help me improve my writing on WB.

Bob MacKenzie, 4.1.09 8 [email protected] DRAFT for The AMED Writers’ Group, 19 December 2008 Acknowledgements These notes are drawn from many sources, some consciously, others less so. I’m aware of a special debt to Elaine Handley for her ideas on the tripartite writing personality (my term) and on the writing process.

For more information on her ideas, visit Handley, E. (nd). Dealing with Writer's Block. New York, esconline. http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/ accessed 4.10.08

Bob MacKenzie, 4.1.09 9 [email protected]