This research-based dissertation asked whether expert storytellers, represented by acclaimed fiction writers, have an advantage in 'creating themselves'. That is, if we accept that we create ourselves in part through our stories, and we accept that acclaimed fiction writers are among the world’s foremost storytellers, does this give them an advantage in the way they create themselves? Is there some pattern in the way they see themselves or tell their own story that leads to their success? Are there hints in their self-stories about their creativity?
The answers are ‘yes’.
The back-story? Psychological research on creativity in writers and how we create ourselves through stories.
The action? Narrative inquiry into the brilliant minds of Stuart Archer Cohen, Robert J. Sawyer, Eric Kraft, Jennifer Egan, and Nino Ricci.
The outcome? A new theory of storytelling creativity.
