Description
Book SynopsisWhat goes on in creative writers’ heads when they write? What can cognitive psychology, neuroscience, literary studies and previous research in creative writing studies tell creative writers about the processes of their writing mind?
Creative writers have for centuries undertaken cognitive research. Some described cognition in vivid exegetical essays, but most investigated the mind in creative writing itself, in descriptions of the thinking of characters in fiction, poetry and plays. The inner voicings and inner visualising revealed in Greek choruses, in soliloquies, in stream-of-consciousness narratives are creative writers’ ‘research results’ from studying their own cognition, and the thinking of others. The Creative Writer’s Mind is a book for creative writers: it sets out to cross the gap between creative writing and science, between the creative arts and cognitive research.
Trade ReviewHow might writers think about the kinds of thinking that go into writing? Nigel Krauth takes up glimmers of insight offered by neuroscience, psychology, and centuries of writers who ‘notice thought’. If you wonder how to start writing, how to go on with it, or if you suspect you might learn from questions asked by others, this book will become your companion. * Kevin Brophy, Emeritus Professor, University of Melbourne, Australia *
Thrillingly broad in reference and combining the insights of a novelist with the curiosity of a cognitive scientist, this fascinating book will appeal to anyone interested in the workings of the creative mind. * Charles Fernyhough, Durham University, UK *
Nigel Krauth’s new book constitutes a line of flight, one that traces the movement creatives make from the familiar to the arcane, swooping between writing science and neuroscience, imagination and evidence, and navigating all the complex considerations that lie behind the production of a work of literary art. * Jen Webb, University of Canberra, Australia *
Table of ContentsFigures
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1. Depictions of the Creative Writing Mind
Chapter 2. Writers and Thinking, According to Critics
Chapter 3. Thinking and Writing, According to Writers
Chapter 4. The Mosaic Mind: Writing and Divergent Thinking
Chapter 5. The Flow Mind: Writing and Convergent Thinking
Chapter 6. Reflective Questions for Developing Writers and Classroom Discussions
References
Index
