We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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What Causes Writer's Block?

Writer’s block is not the same for everyone. People experience writer’s block at varying degrees of intensity and for different reasons.

Research has found that there are several underlying factors that influence writer’s block in students (Huston, 1998; Boice, 1993; The University of Melbourne, n.d.).

The factors are:

Environmental

Personal health
Physical surroundings

Interpersonal

Competing with others
Fearing criticism from others
Feelings of disconnect from the academic community

Personal

Anxiety
Low confidence
Low motivation
Perfectionism
Procrastination

Skill development

Inexperience with the writing process
Issues with time management
Limited knowledge of the academic discipline

(The University of Melbourne, n.d.)

Additionally, writing expert, Mike Rose wrote a book entitled, Writer’s Block: The Cognitive Dimension (2006), where he discusses his classifications for the causes of writer’s block. Rose differentiated writer’s block into two types: one related to motivation and distraction and one caused by writing anxiety.

For writer’s block caused by a lack of motivation, limited inspiration or internal or external distractions, you may have difficulties in sharing your ideas, lacking direction in your arguments, or doubting your work. Anxiety around writing is the second form, where these anxieties may include feeling as if your work is not good enough, believing the work does not sound technical, thinking your work lacks originality or fearing failure (University of Illinois Springfield, n.d., citing Rose, 2006).