Maria Anam & Miski Dahir, Ottawa ON — Ever been stuck? Just plain stuck? No idea what to write?  Working hard on that paper, lab report, essay, summary, technical report, or even a poem and you can’t picture how the next sentence will come along let alone how to start it? It’s completely normal and happens to the best of us. Writer’s block is the inability to come up with words to express ideas which inhibits you from continuing to write. The term “Writer’s block” was coined by Edmund Bergler, a psychiatrist who brought the term into literature in the nineteen-forties (Konnikova).

 

Science behind it

Though there have been no scientific papers published on writer’s block, there have been discoveries regarding Broca’s area. Broca’s area is a brain region located on the left side of the frontal lobe. It was named after the first scientist to report aphasia, as there was the failure to form words when the Broca’s area received any damage.

 

A study performed in 2005 required participants to write a story given a set of three words. Some were asked to “be creative” while others were asked to “be uncreative”. After this task was complete, an fMRI was taken to see the blood flow in various brain regions to see whether there was an increased or decreased level of activity. The study found that there was an increase in activity in the prefrontal cortex. This was not only seen on the left side (Broca’s area) but also in areas including the anterior cingulate cortex (The conversation). This area is part of the limbic system, a system involved in emotion formation, processing, learning, and memory. This showed that activation in these areas are important in “making associations between unrelated concepts – a critical skill for a great writer” (The conversation).

 

William J. Cromie from The Harvard Gazette took a jab at writer’s block. Harvard Medical School neurology instructor, Alice Flaherty, states that any creative work requires both the frontal and temporal lobes to work together: “If the temporal lobe activity holds sway, an aspiring scribe may turn out 600 logorrheic pages. If the temporal lobes are restrained by frontal lobe changes, the result might be pinched and timid.”.

 

Cromie also touched on seasonal affective disorder as it comes into play around autumn. This is a type of depression that occurs during the shorter days in the winter season. Geographical location can play a factor as nordic countries have a great reduction in daylight during winter. It’s important to note that there is an option to reduce SAD symptoms “SAD can be relieved by sitting in front of light boxes that provide an indoor equivalent of a sunny day.” (Cromie).

 

How to fight it

Circadian rhythms help regulate our sleep and awake schedule, which can dictate our ability to make progress on a writing task. Kelton Reid from The Copy Blogger suggests to work at different times during the day in response to having difficulties in writing. “… so if you’re having trouble writing in the middle of the day, try writing later in the afternoon or evening when your cycle may bend more toward insight.”.

 

Boost flow idea flow by reading others’ writings. But as The Conversation suggests “Just make sure you’re only inspired by their writing and not copying from it.”

 

Section your work into pieces and work on them separately to just get ideas down on paper. Once you finish a section, cross it off the list. This helps you to be more realistic to see how much actual work you’ve actually completed (The Conversation).

 

Try another creative task as the frontal lobe will be better engaged and activated (Chari). They also suggest free-writing as it “… challenges your brain, particularly the frontal lobe, to come up with words and a story.”.

 

Location change can help cleanse your brain and its attention. “A different writing environment, such as the park or the nice restaurant across the street could be what your frontal lobe needs to get back to work.” (Chari).

 

Physically move around to increase blood flow to the brain, specifically the frontal lobe (Chari). “Dance, do yoga, go out for a run, or take your dog out for some playtime. Sometimes even a few minutes of meditating and deep breathing exercises can help to relax and focus your mind”.

 

Resources

Cromie, W.J. (2004, Jan 29). The Brains Behind Writer’s Block. Retrieved from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2004/01/the-brains-behind-writers-block/

Chari, V. (2017, Jul 5). Drawing Blanks: The Science Behind Writer’s Block. Retrieved from http://learnatcentral.org/2017/07/05/drawing-blanks-the-science-behind-writers-block/

Konnikova, M. (2016, Mar 11). How to Beat Writer’s Block. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/how-to-beat-writers-block

Reid, K. (2018, Feb 19). How to Outsmart Writer’s Block with Neuroscience. Retrieved from https://www.copyblogger.com/outsmart-writers-block/

The Conversation. (2015, Oct 18). Coming up Blank: The Science of Writer’s Block. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/coming-up-blank-the-science-of-writers-block-47853