Blocked in Hollywood: A Phenomenological Study of Writer’s Block

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the lived experience of five professional movie screenwriters who have suffered writer’s block, with the objective of gaining insight into the underlying psychological conflicts leading to this syndrome. The data include participant interviews; interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to organize and code the transcripts. Data analysis revealed five themes regarding participants’ experience of writer’s block: original material, personal writing, self-doubt, procrastination, and the instability of screenwriting. The participants’ reports indicated that their anxiety is closely tied to—and even fundamental to—the creative process; this differentiates writer’s block from pathological anxiety, because, for a writer, anxiety is a necessary byproduct of creative exploration. These aggregate themes were further interpreted through the lens of psychodynamic theory, and three more aggregate themes emerged: conflict-based anxiety, harsh internal criticism, and failure to mourn and engage reparation. This interpretation found that writing from the depressive position through depressive anxiety can facilitate writing, whereas writing from the paranoid-schizoid position through persecutory anxiety can inhibit writing. Clinical implications of this research include the finding that a therapist with an understanding of the psychodynamics of writer’s block can assist patients in embracing block as a natural and essential part of the creative process.