Tag Archives: depression

I think (positively) therefore I write. Beating blocks with tools from cognitive therapy.

Posted on July 13, 2011 by

David Burns wrote a self-help best seller, Feeling Good, based on principles of cognitive therapy, a psychotherapy modality pioneered by Aaron Beck and others. Much of the advice in this book is applicable to writers who are struggling. Cognitive therapy … Continue reading →

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Writing’s not easy in The Big Easy: John Goodman is blocked in “Treme”

Posted on July 1, 2011 by

Typically, when a protagonist has a writing block, it means he/she will have to face adversity, resolve inner conflicts, grow and learn, then find love and write again. Not so for John Goodman in the first season of the HBO … Continue reading →

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Better writing productivity through chemistry? Marcus Boon’s “The Road of Excess”

Posted on June 24, 2011 by

Marcus Boon’s book,“The Road of Excess” chronicles the chemically induced altered state habits of a number of famous writers. Boon discusses the history of anesthetics, narcotics, psychedelics, cannabis and stimulants within the literary world. The stimulants are the drugs he … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Writing Block Problems, Famous writers, The Blocked Writer's Book of the Dead, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Depression, Gwyneth Lewis, and writing

Posted on June 7, 2011 by

As summarized and explored in a psychological study by Thomas and Duke (2007), writers are no strangers to depression.  I briefly discussed this issue in a previous post, and it has been a subject of considerable discussion in the scientific community and in the … Continue reading →

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Enjoy accounts of blocked writers in agony? Check out Geoff Dyer’s “Out of Sheer Rage”

Posted on May 24, 2011 by

Out of Sheer Rage: Wrestling with D.H. Lawrence was originally intended to be an academic study of D.H. Lawrence, or maybe a novel…or something. It turned out to be “or something” –  a darkly hilarious and agonizing first-person account of not-writing. … Continue reading →

Posted in Famous writers, Mental health and writing blocks, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If you only write once in a while, should you try to change?

Posted on April 25, 2011 by

Only you know the answer to this one. Even though I’m generally a proponent of regular, consistent writing for those who have the urge to write more, there are an infinite number of ways that writing happens. The question is … Continue reading →

Posted in Famous writers, Mental health and writing blocks, The Blocked Writer's Book of the Dead, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Sylvia”……. definitely not a feel-good flick, but it has some decent writer’s block scenes

Posted on April 15, 2011 by

I put the movie Sylvia in my DVD player with trepidation. I knew I wasn’t in for a laugh-fest, but I’m compulsive about watching movies that depict the writing process, so I soldiered on. The movie turned out to be quite … Continue reading →

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Dealing with Relapses

Posted on April 11, 2011 by

If you find that you are unable to make a plan, or that you start off well but get blocked again after a while, do not despair. This is not a sign that there is no hope, only that there are additional … Continue reading →

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Paul Giamatti…self-loathing writer in “Sideways”

Posted on March 28, 2011 by

Paul Giamatti beautifully portrays the ravages that manuscript rejection can inflict on an aspiring author in the movie Sideways. He has had a few near misses with his dark, ponderous novel – giving  just enough hope to perpetuate his agony. When … Continue reading →

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Procrastination or gestation?

Posted on March 22, 2011 by

Sometimes a writer needs to gestate, integrate, contemplate and maybe even vegetate for a while. This may involve pulling away from the keyboard or notepad and staring off into space, pacing in circles, or lying on your futon in the … Continue reading →

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