Year
2019
Season
Summer
Paper Type
Master's Thesis
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
NACO controlled Corporate Body
University of North Florida. Department of Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. C. Dominik Guess
Second Advisor
Dr. Juliana Leding
Department Chair
Dr. Lori Lange
College Dean
Dr. George Rainbolt
Abstract
Previous research suggests that writer’s block can have multiple causes and occur at any part of the writing process (Boice, 1985; Flaherty, 2015; Kaufman & Kaufman, 2013). A survey was distributed to a sample of 146 writers with experience in a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres. Research objectives concerning the causes and characteristics of writer’s block were investigated using mixed-method, qualitative and quantitative analyses. Effective solutions provided by writers were presented and described. Blocks with physiological and motivational components were the most frequently reported in general and were found to interfere with the composition process more than the creative process. Writers who wrote daily reported shorter periods of writer’s block than those with less consistent writing habits. These findings suggest that there may be an association between components of blocking and cognitive processes associated with specific parts of the writing process.
Suggested Citation
Ahmed, Sarah J., "An Analysis of Writer's Block: Causes, Characteristics, and Solutions" (2019). UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 903.
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/903