Complexity Theory’s Potential For Creative Writing: Open Systems, Nonlinearity, Chaos And Emergence In The Twenty-First Century Trauma Novel
About
"The past fifty years have seen an explosion of interest in Complexity Theory amongst scholars of physical, biological, social and cognitive/psychological sciences. However, its potential for the arts and, particularly, Creative Writing, remains unexplored. Meanwhile, amidst increasing psychological awareness, Trauma Fiction has emerged as a distinct, hugely popular genre. Complexity Theory’s interconnecting ideas about order/disorder, connectivity/feedback, chaos and emergence present our world as a collection of open systems - biological, social, cognitive - interacting with and changing each other in order to evolve and self-organise (Jonson, 2007; Morin, 2008; Thiese, 2023). A writer is an open system; a novel is too, and so are its characters.
My critical research analyses Complexity Theory, current literary theory and trauma-centred Creative Writing. Literature reviews of Complexity Theory and literary theory identify connections between Complexity Theory and trauma-focused Creative Writing. Close analyses of contemporary trauma-focused novels (Porter, 2014; Tallent, 2017; Watson, 2024) and my own research-led creative practice question how a Complexity Theory framework may enhance writing process and outcomes. I investigate how translating nonlinearity, connectivity and emergence into literary techniques including structural experimentation, metafictive form and symbolism may provide a new methodological approach to Creative Writing practice.
My novel, Flight, explores trauma's effects on the individual and the environment. On a failing, mixed-method English farm in drought, 14-year-old Anya seeks her missing father in the hope of escaping her abusive home. Nature is central; notably, a swallow’s alternative perspective helps Anya begin to make sense of individual and environmental trauma. Flight is a research-led, reflective case study, exploring the effectiveness of Complexity Theory principles and associated literary techniques identified through critical research.
These creative and critical elements work synergistically to research, develop and present an original methodology for Creative Writing: the conscious application of Complexity Theory’s principles by the trauma novelist."
