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Last week, the well-known science magazine Nature published a summary review of the work of a researcher very well known to creativity experts: Paul Silvia.
Silvia is a researcher and teacher in psychology at Greensboro University in North Carolina. The Nature article, which is a summary of the following, describes how he became interested in the blank page syndrome — the creative block — and how he discovered strategies to overcome it. Strategies that have since been the subject of numerous scientific studies, which have come to study the psychological mechanisms behind our blockages when it comes to getting ideas out of the hat.
A look back at this fascinating scientific analysis when you are interested in creative sciences.
Understanding writer's block
In 2003, Paul Silvia was working on his first book on the psychology of motivation. Despite a publishing contract already signed, he did not make progress and spent nine months without touching his project. This somewhat stressful paradox under pressure from his publisher led him to explore the writing strategies of professional authors and to consult his psychological colleagues.
Here are the tips he learned from his numerous interviews, which are all tips for getting out of a creative block.
Avoid procrastination
Silvia identified several causes for the writer's block, such as confusion between thought and action. He realized that waiting for perfect moments or big blocks of time is often a form of procrastination.
Create routines
Silvia recommends treating writing like a course to be taught: block specific time in your calendar and stick to it. To overcome his own blockage, he chose to write every morning from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., creating a routine that reduced pressure and increased his productivity. ” Productivity is built on momentum,” he writes. “It's self-reinforcing to see something move forward. ”
Productivity is built on momentum. It is self-reinforcing to see something move forward.
A strategy well known to readers of Julia Cameron's book” Unleash your creativity ” who is talking about the” Morning pages ”, like a routine exercise, which should not require reflection, but rather the determination to complete the task without asking questions...
Clarifying the message
Andrea Armani, a chemical engineer at the University of Southern California, observes that students often have trouble starting to write an article because they don't know what they want to say.
She recommends asking yourself some essential questions:” What is the hypothesis? What is the point of my article? What am I trying to prove? ” This clarity makes it possible to structure the article around a central idea, thus facilitating writing.
The key point to remember here: the core idea. Do not lose sight of the common thread, the why of the writing action. When it comes to creativity on topics other than writing, you'll say you're trying to stay in a corridor of thought. Absolute paradox, which I often mention in my creativity conference Thin (k) novation : we have to limit ourselves to a restricted field when we might think that creativity comes from various and varied digressions.
Plan first
Silvia stresses the importance of planning. Developing a clear plan helps to avoid bottlenecks at the start of the project.
Armani suggests starting with figures and graphs to structure ideas.
Soto Valero, advises planning each paragraph by asking questions in the document.
Start by doing imperfectly
To combat the blank page, it's helpful to start by writing something, even if it's imperfect.
Researcher César Soto Valero, a “computer scientist” at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, uses models to gain confidence and speed, while Von Hagen suggests writing down raw ideas to start the process. ” If you have it on paper, and you have something to work with, then you can just edit and review ” she said.
This is exactly the principle of PMV, the minimum viable product, a concept that I regularly mention in my innovation conference: launching a product or an idea deliberately knowing that it is imperfect, for the sole purpose of advancing your approach in an iterative mode. In short, being in action, with action enriching thinking through feedback from the field.
Visualize and write out of order
Using mental strategies can help. Soto Valero likes to imagine the section finished before starting to write, making the blank page less intimidating. For her part, Armani advises writing the methods first, then the results, to avoid getting stuck on the introduction.
Collaborate and reduce pressure
Getting feedback can help overcome the blockage. It is also essential to remember that the goal is not perfection, but clear scientific communication. ” This is not the time for complex sentences ”, says Armani. ” You need to be clear and to the point. ”
Still the minimum viable product!
Foster collaboration
Getting feedback on a draft can help overcome writer's block, especially if the collaborator is a mentor or a more experienced peer. Constructive criticism is part of the learning process. ” Having someone else watch the work can help overcome the blockage ” says Von Hagen.
Again: the minimum viable product is useless if the walls it builds up in front of you (of rejections, failures: it's made for that) are not accompanied by constructive feedback on how to change direction or improve your idea. That is the whole principle of this PMV: to move forward by trial and error to be guided by the reality on the ground!
Take a step back and plan ahead
Because writing is hard work, it's helpful to include some wiggle room in the calendar to deal with the unexpected. Armani recommends starting to write when around 75% of the research is complete. For his part, Soto Valero finds it useful to take a few days off before writing again, which creates motivation through guilt.
In conclusion
Writer's block is a very common but totally surmountable experience that affects anyone who wants to challenge themselves creatively.
If you want to read the full article (in English), It's over here !
