Analytic Writing as a Form of Fiction

Abstract

This article discusses analytic essay writing. The author maintains that in analytic writing, the psychoanalyst creates something of their own, as they are immersed in trying to help someone else create something of his or her own. The challenges of analytic writing are detailed. It is argued that one must do something original with one's writing. The psychoanalyst must find a way of looking at a situation in their own way. This is where engagement with language comes in: one creates one’s 'own mark' solely through the use of language. One must create something new in order to convey experiences and develop ideas in words and sentences and paragraphs. Ogden maintains that in writing about experiences with patients, he relies on description rather than explanation. Explaining what is occurring in an analytic session tends to lean heavily on cause-and-effect thinking and, consequently, oversimplification; while description better conveys the nonlinearity and immense complexity of the lived experience with a patient. Ogden concludes with a few specific points regarding the writing process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)