User:Mandasoar/sandbox

Writer's block

It has been suggested that writer's block is more than just a mentality. Under stress, a human brain will "shift control from the cerebral cortex to the limbic system". The limbic system is associated with the instinctual processes, such as "fight or flight" response; and behavior that is based on "deeply engrained training". The limited input from the cerebral cortex hinders a person's creative processes, which is replaced by the behaviors associated with the limbic system. The person is often unaware of the change, which may lead them to believe they are creatively "blocked". In her 2004 book The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer's Block, and the Creative Brain (ISBN 9780618230655), the writer and neurologist Alice W. Flaherty has argued that literary creativity is a function of specific areas of the brain, and that block may be the result of brain activity being disrupted in those areas. '''Not to be confused with writer's block, agraphia is a neurological disorder caused by trauma or stroke causing difficulty in communicating through writing. Agraphia cannot be treated directly, but it is possible to relearn certain writing abilities.'''

 As far as strategies for coping with writer's block Clark describes: class and group discussion, journals, free writing and brainstorming, clustering, list making, and engaging with the text. To overcome writing blocks, Oliver suggests asking writers questions to uncover their writing process. Then he recommends solutions such as systematic questioning, freewriting, and encouragement. A recent study of 2500 writers aimed to find techniques that writers themselves use to overcome writer's block. The research discovered a range of solutions from altering the time of day to write and setting deadlines to lowering expectations and using mindfulness meditation. '''Psychologists who have studied writer's block have concluded that it is a treatable condition once the writer finds a way to remove anxiety and build confidence in themselves. '''

The sentences in bold are the ones I've added to the writer's block wikipedia paragraphs. Let me know if the sentences feel like they belong in the paragraph and add important information.

Amanda L. and Ashley C. review
- I think wording of the the section about agraphia shouldn't be included if you're saying it isnt writers block

- I would deepen the points about how writers block can be treated and give more ways.

- wording is understandable though.

SOURCES

Rose, Mike, and Conference on College Composition Communication, Issuing Body. Writer's Block : The Cognitive Dimension / Mike Rose ; with a Foreword by Marilyn S. Sternglass and a New Preface. 2009. Studies in Writing & Rhetoric. Web.

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/umboston/reader.action?docID=1979910


 * "My pilot surveys suggest that at least 10 percent of college students block frequently, and the boom of "writer's block" workshops stands as a reminder that writer's block is a problem outside of the classroom as well." p1
 * "A student can possess basic skills but still not produce much because she is tired, bored, or, in some way, not committed to completing the writing task at hand. But one could not speak of blocking here, for the student's skills are not truly brought into play. The second boundary is that blocking presupposes some degree of alertness and of effort." p3
 * "Writer's block, then, can be defined as an inability to begin or continue writing for reasons other than a lack of basic skill or commitment. Blocking is not simply measured by the passage of time (for writers often spend productive time toying with ideas without putting pen to paper), but by the passage of time with limited productive involvement in the writing task. Certain behaviors (i. e., missing deadlines) are associated with blocking. Feelings of anxiety, frustration, anger, or confusion often characterize this unproductive work." p3
 * "Editing becomes anti-productive and premature when the writer unduly attends to mechanical/verbal surface while roughing out ideas or writing a first draft. She is refining surface instead of testing ideas and thinking freely." p5

Castillo, M. "Writer's Block." American Journal Of Neuroradiology 35.6 (2014): 1043-044. Web.

http://www.ajnr.org/content/35/6/1043


 * "The most common causes cited for writer's block are lack of inspiration, illness, depression, financial pressure, and a sense of failure."
 * "Writer's block is a modern notion, and the term was coined in 1947 by Dr Edmund Bergler, a famous Austrian psychiatrist living in New York City."
 * "Writer's block is better termed “creative inhibition” or “creative block.”5 It is becoming more prominent: it was little known by the early Romantic writers, became more prominent during the epoch of the French Symbolists, and last, was rampant (and became a recognized entity) during the period of the great American novel."
 * "Agraphia is the ultimate writer's block because it refers to the physiologic inability to write, but, in this case, lesions in the brain, such as those induced by trauma or stroke, are present and explain it. Agraphia results from damage to the Wernicke area and is nearly always accompanied by other language disabilities."

Huston, Patricia. "Resolving writer's block." Canadian Family Physician 44 (1998): 92.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2277565/


 * "Writer's block is a highly treatable condition. A systematic approach can help to alleviate anxiety, build confidence, and give people the information they need to work productively." p1
 * "Psychologists who have worked in this area conclude that writer's block is 'not a difficult problem demanding extraordinary therapies.' Writer's block can be resolved." p93

Review from Josseline and Tatianna
You did a good job stating that Agraphia was not the same thing as writer's block. You should explain the last sentence more and say some ways to build your confidence and not just state that it helps. The source was good.