Running head: THE DRIVE TO WRITE The Drive to Write: Inside the Writing Lives of Five Fiction Authors by Emily S. Fine B.A., Oberlin College, 2004 M.S., Antioch University New England, 2011 DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Psychology in the Department of Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England, 2015 Keene, New Hampshire THE DRIVE TO WRITE ii Department of Clinical Psychology DISSERTATION COMMITTEE PAGE The undersigned have examined the dissertation entitled: THE DRIVE TO WRITE: INSIDE THE WRITING LIVES OF FIVE FICTION AUTHORS presented on December 10, 2015 by Emily S. Fine Candidate for the degree of Doctor of Psychology and hereby certify that it is accepted*. Dissertation Committee Chairperson: Theodore Ellenhorn, PhD Dissertation Committee members: Barbara Belcher-Timme, PsyD Daniel Greif, PsyD Accepted by the Department of Clinical Psychology Chairperson George Tremblay, PhD on 12/10/15 * Signatures are on file with the Registrar’s Office at Antioch University New England. THE DRIVE TO WRITE iii Acknowledgments First and foremost, I am exceedingly grateful to the authors who participated in this study for offering me a glimpse into their writing processes and inner lives. Thank you to Richard Russo, Christopher Paolini, Tova Mirvis, Jonathan Lethem, and Mary Doria Russell. Your authenticity, openness, and insight inspired and sustained me. Thank you to my advisor, Ted Ellenhorn, and my committee, Barbara Belcher-Timme and Daniel Greif, for patiently awaiting the final product. You encouraged but didn’t pressure me, which is exactly what I needed at this phase in my life and academic career. Thank you as well to my father for your support, enthusiasm, and helpful edits. I never would have found myself exploring this topic if I hadn’t grown up with your infectious love of reading and writing. You first introduced to me the notion that we live in and by story. I cannot fully express how grateful I am for my mother’s support. When I was excited about an idea or avenue this dissertation was headed you mirrored my excitement and offered invaluable insight. When I was stuck, you helped me find my way out and were always there to bounce ideas off of. You spent hours helping edit my drafts. I am infinitely thankful to have a mother who is a friend and intellectual companion. While I worked on this dissertation I had two babies and moved twice. I completed my doctoral coursework, an advanced practicum, an internship, and a post-doctoral fellowship. Thank you to my family for bearing with me. Thank you to Aaron for your unceasing patience and for always supporting me in following my passion. It was validating to see that my love of this topic inspired you to start reading fiction! Jonathan Lethem said in our interview, “There’s this sort of fantasy that some day you’ll clear everything out and be only writing. But I think the urge to complicate that accompanies the fact that you usually need to complicate that or THE DRIVE TO WRITE iv modulate that in some way, that actually it has to be balanced against other things.” To my two beautiful, hilarious, sweet children, who offer me that modulation and always remind me of what is truly important in life. Love you to the moon and back. THE DRIVE TO WRITE v Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3 Literature Review........................................................................................................................ 5 Mental and Physical Health Benefits of Writing ............................................................ 5 Qualitative Research and Interviews .............................................................................. 8 Research Questions ................................................................................................................... 11 Guiding Framework and Methodology ..................................................................................... 12 Ontology .......................................................................................................................... 12 Epistemology ................................................................................................................... 13 Methodology .................................................................................................................... 13 Methods..................................................................................................................................... 14 Participant selection ......................................................................................................... 14 Ethical considerations and informed consent .................................................................. 15 Interview process ............................................................................................................. 15 Quality control .................................................................................................................. 15 Analysis of results ............................................................................................................. 17 Results—A Descriptive Narrative ............................................................................................ 18 Becoming a Writer ............................................................................................................ 20 Why This Story?—Beginning a Book .............................................................................. 24 Along the Way .................................................................................................................. 32 Finishing ........................................................................................................................... 42 Writing and The Rest of Life ............................................................................................ 45 THE DRIVE TO WRITE vi A Step Back ...................................................................................................................... 55 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 85 A Love of Story ................................................................................................................ 86 The Writing State .............................................................................................................. 87 Enjoyment Amidst Challenge ........................................................................................... 96 Naming, Confessing, and Narrative ................................................................................ 101 Symbolic Play and Fiction Writing................................................................................. 106 Being a Writer ................................................................................................................. 121 Is Writing Fiction Therapeutic? ...................................................................................... 122 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 126 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 126 Implications and Further Study ....................................................................................... 128 Final Thoughts ................................................................................................................ 129 References ............................................................................................................................... 131 Appendix A ............................................................................................................................. 141 Appendix B ............................................................................................................................. 142 Appendix C ............................................................................................................................. 143 Appendix D ............................................................................................................................. 144 THE DRIVE TO WRITE 1 Abstract Authors of fiction often describe writing as a psychologically meaningful and emotionally charged process. While ample research has provided evidence for the mental and physical health benefits of writing (e.g., Pennebaker & Seagal, 1999), few studies have methodically examined the inner life of the fiction writer. This study explored two primary questions: (a) Why do authors write? and (b) How does the act of writing affect them in turn? This study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a guiding methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five authors of fiction, then transcribed and analyzed to generate a rich interpretative account. The motivations for writing fiction were found to be complex and multifaceted and the impact often subtle, but profound. Authors both forget and find themselves in the task of writing. They temporarily leave behind their everyday lives as they become absorbed in the task