ABSTRACT

In this paper I outline a grounded theory of psychological wellbeing in creative writing. Building from this theory, I offer an interdisciplinary tool for facilitators and educators in the broad field of writing and wellbeing: The WRITE Model. In doing so, I address a paucity of psychological studies into the wellbeing-promoting processes inherent to creative writing, beyond the now well-trodden paradigm known as expressive writing. Following a number of inductive qualitative interviews with creative writers (n = 14), I defined four conceptual categories: creative writing as (1) Owning experience, (2) Valuing the self, (3) Sharing experience and (4) Transcending the self; the core category was Becoming more. My aim in the present article is to provide both a theoretical discussion of this data and to impart a practical framework for researchers, facilitators and educators. Therefore, the theoretical categories are rendered here as four applied processes, each contributing to a central core process. The four processes are: Working with and Regarding personal material, as well as Transmitting this material and Engaging beyond the self. Each of these processes, according to the theory, contributes to a core process of Identity constructing. Implications and limitations are discussed.

KEYWORDS

Expressive writing, creativity, creative writing, positive writing, positive humanities, positive psychology, well-being, grounded theory, qualitative research.