The So-Called 'Writer's Block' and How to Deal With It (Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences)

PrerequisitesNew

This workshop is aimed at breaking the stereotype of the so-called ‘writer’s block’, which is in fact a common (and perfectly natural) difficulty of starting to create ‘something out of nothing’, i.e. writing – one of the world’s hardest tasks – the difficulty that should be welcomed, not feared, for ‘something, written without an effort, will be read without pleasure’, according to Dr Samuel Johnson.

This training is provided free of charge to postgraduate researchers, however, the cost of providing the course is £30 per participant.

PhD students in Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences.

Bring a clean notebook

Please note that late comers will not be admitted after 30 minutes

• Learn simple techniques of how not to recoil from a clean sheet of paper, or a blank computer screen.
• Understand that struggling to start is an essential part of the writing process, and putting words on paper is but the last link in a long writing chain.
• Learn how to build up confidence and suppress the natural fear of ‘the scariest thing in the world’, i.e. a clean sheet of paper.
• Learn how and where to start a piece of writing and why a work of fiction is best started from the middle (in medias res), whereas an academic essay – from the end!
• Understand that self-doubt, hardship and internal struggle are inevitable components of any creative activity, writing in particular, because, unlike all other creative endeavours (acting, painting, music etc.), writing has no props and does not generate immediate feedback.

In-person workshop with active participation of the audience and various activities.

Vitali is an award-winning author, journalist, and broadcaster with a global career that spans investigative journalism, creative writing, and public speaking. Born in Ukraine, he became the USSR’s first investigative journalist before defecting in 1990. Vitali has since published 16 books, and his work has been translated into multiple languages.

About the Trainer

He has contributed to major publications such as The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, and has received multiple awards for his columns. Vitali also has extensive teaching experience in creative writing and journalism, having led seminars at universities in the UK, Europe, and Australia. He is a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund and the Royal Geographical Society, with a passion for mentoring and supporting emerging writers.

2 hours