March 7, 2011 Overcoming Writer’s Block Peter S. Cahn Director of Faculty Development and Diversity, Department of Medicine

March 7, 2011 Learning objectives  Identify common causes of writer’s block  Apply strategies to overcome procrastination  Establish a regular writing routine

March 7, 2011 History of writers’ block  Not a psychological condition  Didn’t appear until the 19 th century with Romantic poets  Writing no longer in artist’s control but “the product of some invisible influence, like an inconstant wind.”

March 7, 2011 Procrastination  Entered English in 16 th century  Willingly deferring something even though you expect the delay to make you worse off  Why do we go against our own best interests?

March 7, 2011 Thinking about the Future  $100 April 7  $110 April 8  $100 today  $110 tomorrow

March 7, 2011 The divided self  All present at once, competing  Procrastination is bargaining gone wrong  Not something you can beat by trying harder. Selves will always be there.

March 7, 2011 Extended Will  Ulysses strapped to the mast of the ship  Victor Hugo had his valet hide his clothes  Isabel Allende starts a novel every January 8  Annie Lamott keeps an empty picture frame on her desk

March 7, 2011 What’s stopping you?  Temporary mental blank  Getting started  Too many interruptions, distractions  Amount of data overwhelming  Lost interest in topic  Lack of confidence in writing skills

March 7, 2011 Temporary  Take an exercise break  Work on bibliography, formatting  Laugh at the process  Draw a comic strip version, cut into pieces and tape on the wall  Write why you’re stuck  Dress up

March 7, 2011 Getting started  Cover the blank screen  End mid-thought  Free write  Set a realistic goal  How many pages?  I argue that…  Write a letter to your mother

March 7, 2011 Too many distractions  Make writing the first thing you do  Write for 45 minutes, rest for 15  Break the task down into component parts  Internet freedom

March 7,

March 7, 2011 Too much data  Tell a story  Organizational scheme: ABDCE Chronological Case studies Types Previous theories, why wrong, new way of thinking  Reduce variables  Look for the paradox

March 7, 2011 Lost interest  Go to proposal  Look at early article that excited you  Give a guest lecture on the topic  some of the authors you build on  Present at a conference

March 7, 2011 Lack confidence  Join a writing group  Look at finished products  Play the “So what?” game  Start at part that’s easiest  Keep a writing log—note the successes  Write a letter in response to criticisms

March 7, 2011 Maintaining momentum  Write everyday  Keep a notebook  Write at time when most productive  Zotero, RefWorks  Celebrate successes  Don’t take criticism too personally

March 7, 2011  "If you wait for clouds to part and be struck with a bolt of lightning, you're likely to be waiting the rest of your life. But if you simply get going something will occur to you."