Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-206). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Literary creativity and its shadow, the phenomenon popularly referred to as writer's block, have historically been accorded little attention by literary studies. In my thesis I seek to redress this oversight, illustrating my argument with reference to the creative life and works of Malcolm Lowry. I begin by arguing for a model of literary creativity that takes seriously the roles played by plans and intentions in motivating, sustaining and appropriately terminating literary creative action. I employ this model in order to provide a basis from which to clarify Lowry's own creative method. / I go on to rehearse and evaluate definitions and theories of writer's block from a variety of research paradigms. From these accounts I distill some important general features of writer's block. I argue that writer's block typically occurs as an intervention between stages of the literary creative process. / Finally, I return to detailed consideration of Lowry's creative method. I investigate three critical periods of writer's block in Lowry's later life and examine these interventions with reference to circumstantial, methodological and goal-based considerations. I conclude by drawing attention to the importance for literary studies of an accurate and comprehensive understanding of both literary creativity and writer's block.

This is a collection of creative nonfiction writing including travel memoir, personal essay, and immersion journalism spanning fourteen years and four continents. Themes include overcoming writer's block, traveling as ritual, and seeking the hidden hearts of cities. The pieces feature aspiring romance novelists, the last operational roller skating rink pipe organ in the U.S., and an author whose search to find her voice leads her from the spirit houses of Thailand to the lemon groves of Italy.

This thesis examines two causes of writer's block developed during the revision stage of the composing process: instructors' unexplained notations and unwanted voice alterations within students' texts. The study examines the emotions students experience caused by instructors' actions which Nelson and Rose say contribute to temporary and even permanent cases of writer's block. After exemplifying the connection between emotions and writer's block, the remainder of the study focuses on finding solutions to these causes of writer's block. As a result of my research, I discovered the primary solution is communication between instructors and students.

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Thesis advisor: David A. Karp / A qualitative study based on forty four in-depth interviews with undergraduates experiencing severe difficulties with academic writing, this dissertation examines how structural factors--social class and race in particular--contribute to academic "writer's block." Writing block is more than the "personal trouble" it is typically conceived of being, it is also a "public issue" with definitive structural contributors. All of my subjects perceived writing as a high stakes performance, and their writing blocks can be understood as instances of "choking" in the face of these high stakes. For many working class students, writing block is an expression of dominant cultural capital disadvantage; while for many upper middle class students, writing block represents the psychological costs of privilege. For students with unusual class-race identifications, writing block embodies their liminal social status. In the current economic climate of uncertainty, class status for students across the socioeconomic spectrum has become relatively unstable given individuals' increased risk of downward mobility. As such, academic writing blocks may be construed as angst experienced at the intersection of psychology and structure. This study contributes to and extends the literature on social reproduction in higher education as well as the literature on the price of privilege. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

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“The Weight of Expectations: Deciphering Baggage and Defining Character in ‘Olivia’s Retreat’” charts the conception and development of Stacey Ashworth’s feature length sibling drama while also discussing the subsequent lessons she learned over its seven month evolution. / text