Writing Through Writer's Block: Lessons from Modern American Fiction

Recent fiction is teeming with blocked writers: from John Updike's Henry Bech to Stephen King's Paul Sheldon and Mike Noonan. From David Foster Wallace's Mark Nechtr to the autofictional figures of Jordan Castro, Salvador Plascencia, Nam Le, Ben Lerner, Sheila Heti, and Andrew Martin. Writing Through Writer's Block offers the first book-length analysis of the archetype of the blocked writer. From the scenes of writer's block enacted in these fictions, we gather pedagogical lessons that are germane to writers of all kinds--creative and academic, advanced and novice--and particularly useful for the growing contingency of faculty whose teaching responsibilities lie in both literature and academic writing.

Author: Aaron Colton
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Published: 10/28/2025
Series: New American Canon
Pages: 282
Weight: 1.14lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781685970321