Table Of Content

This page intentionally left blank the psychology of creative writing ThePsychologyofCreativeWritingtakesascholarly,psychologicallookatmultiple aspectsofcreativewriting,includingthecreativewriterasaperson,thetextitself, the creative process, the writer’s development, the link between creative writing andmentalillness,thepersonalitytraitsofcomedyandscreenwriters,andhowto teachcreativewriting.Thisbookwillappealtopsychologistsinterestedincreativity, writerswhowanttounderstandmoreaboutthemagicbehindtheirtalents,and educatedlaypeoplewhoenjoyreading,writing,orboth.Fromscholarstobloggers toartists,ThePsychologyofCreativeWritinghassomethingforeveryone. ScottBarryKaufman,Ph.D.,completedhisdoctorateincognitivepsychologyat Yale University in 2009. He also holds an M.Phil. in experimental psychology fromtheUniversityofCambridge,wherehewasaGatesCambridgeScholar,and a B.S. from Carnegie Mellon University, where he studied psychology, human– computerinteraction,andvoiceperformance.Inhisresearch,hecombinesvarious perspectives,includingcognitivescience,philosophy,andevolutionarypsychology, tofurtheranunderstandingofintelligenceandcreativity.Inadditiontopublishing morethan20bookchaptersandarticlesinprofessionaljournalssuchasIntelligence and Journal of Creative Behavior, he is co-editor of The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence (with Robert J. Sternberg, forthcoming). Kaufman’s work has been covered in media outlets such as The Philadelphia Inquirer and Men’s Health. Additionally,hewritesablogforPsychologyTodaycalled“BeautifulMinds.”He is the recipient of the 2008 Frank X. Barron student award from Division 10 oftheAmericanPsychologicalAssociationforhisresearchonthepsychologyof aesthetics,creativity,andthearts. JamesC.Kaufman,PhD,isanassociateprofessorofpsychologyattheCalifornia StateUniversityatSanBernardino,wherehedirectstheLearningResearchInsti- tute.Dr.Kaufman’sresearchfocusesonthenurturance,structure,andassessment ofcreativity.Kaufmanistheauthororeditorofbookseitherpublishedorinpress, includingCreativity101,EssentialsofCreativityAssessment(withJonathanPlucker andJohnBaer),InternationalHandbookofCreativity(withRobertJ.Sternberg), and Applied Intelligence (with Robert J. Sternberg and Elena Grigorenko). His research has been featured on CNN, NPR, and the BBC and in the New York Times and New Yorker. Kaufman is a founding co-editor of the official journal fortheAmericanPsychologicalAssociation’sDivision10,PsychologyofAesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. He is also the editor of International Journal of Creativ- ityandProblemSolvingandtheassociateeditorofbothPsychologicalAssessment andJournalofCreativityBehavior.HeistheserieseditorofthePsych101series. Hereceivedthe2003DanielE.BerlyneAwardfromAPA’sDivision10,the2008 E.PaulTorranceAwardfromtheNationalAssociationofGiftedChildren,andthe 2009WesternPsychologicalAssociationEarlyCareerAward. The Psychology of Creative Writing Editedby ScottBarryKaufman YaleUniversity JamesC.Kaufman CaliforniaStateUniversityatSanBernardino CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521881647 © Cambridge University Press 2009 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2009 ISBN-13 978-0-511-59538-7 eBook (EBL) ISBN-13 978-0-521-88164-7 Hardback ISBN-13 978-0-521-70782-4 Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Information regarding prices, travel timetables, and other factual information given in this work are correct at the time of first printing, but Cambridge University Press does not guarantee the accuracy of such information thereafter. Formy“GrannySmith,”JeannetteRobbinsGorodetzer,whoseditties,spirit, andgoodcheerIshallcherishandrememberforeverandever.LikeI promised,thisoneisforyou. – sbk Formymother,NadeenLaurieKaufman, whoreadeverystory,poem,orplayIeverwrote, completewithredmarkingsinthemargin (“Show,don’ttell”). Iloveyou,Mom! – jck contents Contributors pagexi Foreword xv RobertJ.Sternberg Preface xix Acknowledgments xxiii parti: thewriter 1 ThePersonalitiesofCreativeWriters 3 JanePiirto 2 TheCreativeWriter,DysphoricRumination,andLocus ofControl 23 SamanehPourjalali,E.M.Skrzynecky,andJamesC.Kaufman 3 “ThemoreIwrite,thebetterIwrite,andthebetterIfeelabout myself”:MoodVariabilityandMoodRegulationinStudent JournalistsandCreativeWriters 41 AdèleKohanyi 4 CharacteristicsofEminentScreenwriters:WhoAreThoseGuys? 57 StevenR.PritzkerandDavidJungMcGarva 5 TheTearsofaClown:UnderstandingComedyWriters 80 ScottBarryKaufmanandAaronKozbelt partii: thetext 6 TheEvolutionofCreativeWriting 101 DanielNettle vii viii Contents 7 LiteraryCreativityandPhysiognomy:ExpressivenessinWriters, Readers,andLiterature 117 MartinS.Lindauer 8 TheLiteraryGeniusofWilliamShakespeare:EmpiricalStudies ofHisDramaticandPoeticCreativity 131 DeanKeithSimonton partiii: theprocess 9 InSearchoftheWriter’sCreativeProcess 149 ToddLubart 10 WritingasaCollaborativeAct 166 R.KeithSawyer 11 WritingasanInteractionwithIdeas 180 MarkA.Runco 12 CreativeCognitioninScienceFictionandFantasyWriting 196 ThomasB.WardandE.ThomasLawson partiv: thedevelopment 13 WritinginFlow 213 SusanK.Perry 14 Writer’sBlockandBlockedWriters:UsingNaturalImagery toEnhanceCreativity 225 JeromeL.SingerandMichaelV.Barrios 15 PretendPlay,EmotionalProcesses,andDevelopingNarratives 247 SandraW.Russ 16 TheHealingPowersofExpressiveWriting 264 JanelD.SextonandJamesW.Pennebaker partv: theeducation 17 HowRewardsandEvaluationsCanUndermineCreativity (andHowtoPreventThis) 277 JohnBaerandSharonS.McKool 18 TeachingWritingbyDemythologizingCreativity 287 GraceR.WaitmanandJonathanA.Plucker 19 CreationandResponse:WellspringtoEvaluation 316 GenevieveE.ChandlerandPatSchneider