Combining writing block treatments: theory and research

Four traditional formats of treatment for writing blocks (automaticity, regimen, self-control, and social skills training) proved insufficient to maintain unblocking in professorial writers for periods of an academic year. A combined application of the four historically prominent interventions was clearly more effective in terms of stable productivity, manuscripts finished and submitted, and manuscripts accepted for publication. Because writing blocks are too often conceptualized and treated by way of lore, a theory of blocking is proposed that clarifies the fundamental steps in effecting lasting unblocking.