We have all been there. Trying to write a paper yet feeling as if you hit a wall because you have absolutely no idea what to write about. I can’t even count the amount of times I have stared at a blank Word document for what seemed like an endless amount of time, then leaving the computer frustrated that I could not come up with a single topic. So is writer’s block real or is it just a myth?
Bruce Holland Rogers tackles this question on Writers Store. People have a variety of opinions on the subject and Rogers points out the main two groups, which are those who think writers block does not exist and those who very strongly believe it does. He believes that both could be right. Those who say that it does not exist, reason that if you just actually try hard enough it will go away and Rogers offers that even the idea of just starting something is difficult to overcome. Like when you procrastinate a project or homework and then the deadline keeps getting closer and closer but the amount of work seems so overwhelming you don’t even want to start. Then you end up staying up all night finishing it. For those who do believe it is real, it is possible that if you possibly start a paper without much of an idea of where you want to go with the story, it is easy to not have much confidence in your story. Then you end up sitting there trying to force yourself to come up with an idea, which just causes anxiety and almost worsens the situation.
Another hypothesis by others is that writer’s block is very much real and is neurological. Robert T. Knights and Marcia Graboweeky wrote a chapter called, “Prefrontal Cortex, Time, and Consciousness,” for The New Cognitive Neurosciences. They suggest about our frontal lobes control our ability to think about the future, or the past, shifting between the two with ease which is required in writing a story. They believe that writer’s block occurs when these processes are interrupted which is called, “Executive Dysfunction.”
It is difficult to prove any of these hypotheses because of the lack of scientific evidence. Topics similar to writer’s block are difficult to test therefore the majority of opinions out there are based on individual writers experiences. Whether it is real or not, if you ever find yourself looking blankly at a paper for an extended period of time without being able to come up with any ideas, it is suggested you step back and take a break to refresh your mind and divert your thoughts elsewhere for awhile.
Sources: http://www.writersstore.com/the-myths-of-writers-block/
http://www.writing-world.com/life/block.shtml
Picture: http://www.aacc.edu/creativewriting/image/writing-2.jpg
Neuropsychologist Russell Barkley describes “Executive Dysfunction,” as the following. When we can effortlessly shift between thinking about the past or the present, which is used to create continuity to an imagined story and our ability to mentally shift between the story in our heads and the present and the “Executive Dysfunction” is when this process is interrupted. He uses the example of wanting to write a story but cannot concentrate and spend all your time checking your email.
Executive Dysfunction
Thank you and yes that is how I thought of the topic because I felt stuck on what to blog about. Yes sorry I was not clear on “Executive Dysfunction,” so let me elaborate.
I have trouble getting my work done on time as well. It is very hard for students to realize that procrastinating will not be helpful in the future. I think procrastination also puts a lot of stress and pressure on the human body. Someone is short with time and has to get something done by a deadline. I know if stresses me out when I procrastinate. I do think writer’s block in real. It is difficult for people to come up with things when they aren’t inspired enough. They need that edge or motivation to do something or give them an idea to make something great.
I agree that it would be very hard to perform a study on tis topic to find out if writer’s block is real or not. Neuroscientists would have to have a large, controlled, group of writers (to rule out any possible confounding variables), and perhaps give them a difficult topic to write about (one on which no one really knows much information about) and somehow record how their brain reacts to this test. I am no neuroscientist, so I am not sure if this test could even tell if writer’s block is real or not. But I do wonder, what causes an interruption of the frontal lobes (Executive Dysfunction)? Here are some ways to avoid writer’s block. http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Writer's-Block
This post is very relevant to our blog assignments. I often find that I have writers block when trying to come up with blog topics. I feel writers block does exist. Sometimes you don’t understand the assignment well enough to come up with something to write or you do understand but just don’t know where to begin.
This post is so relevant to the whole blog post assignment. There’s always a moment when I finish a blog and have to start another and have no idea what I’m going to write about. I’m only speaking for myself, but I feel like writer’s block is very common among people. Great post, but I’m still wondering what Executive Dysfunction has to do with not being able to write.
This is a very interesting topic. Also whether it is real or not, it would be hard to discover. How do you even create an experiment to study this.