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ORIGINS OF WRITER'S BLOCK Writer's block can be closely related to Depression and Anxiety , two disorders that reflect environmentally-caused or spontaneous changes in the brain's Frontal Lobe . This is in contrast to Hypergraphia , more closely linked to Mania , in which the changes occur primarily in the Temporal Lobe . These processes, and their implications for treatment, are described in neurologist Alice Flaherty's book ''The Midnight Disease''. However, another interpretation of writer's block, sometimes confused with scant output, is given in the book, '' Silences '', by Tillie Olsen , who argues that historically many women and Working-class writers have been unable to devote themselves to, or concentrate on, their writing because their social and economic circumstances prevent them from doing so. It is widely thought that writer's block is part of a natural ebb and flow in the creative process. "Writer's block is a fancy term made up by whiners so they can have an excuse to drink alcohol." - Steve Martin WRITER'S BLOCK AS A CHRONIC PROBLEM There have been cases where writer's block has lasted for years or decades. The most notable example of this in modern literary history was Henry Roth 's writer's block which persisted for sixty years and was caused by a combination of depression, political problems, and an unwillingness to confront past problems. This kind of writer's block seems to be quite rare, and most writer's block lasts between an hour and a week. VARIOUS STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING WRITER'S BLOCK Some authorities have recommended the following to those suffering from writer's block:
DRAMATIC DEPICTIONS OF WRITER'S BLOCK
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