Research Paper Proposal

COMP 2000 - Research Proposal

Working Title: Creativity/Healing in Writing of Recovering Alcoholics
Submitted By: Heather Higbee
Research Question: How does writing help heal recovering alcoholics? What styles do recovering alcoholics use in their writing? Writing as a therapy for addictions? (tentative)

Introduction
For my research paper, I will be studying the journals, letters, and writings of recovering alcohol addicts. Through reading these first-hand accounts, I will be able to see how writing aids in psychotherapy and recovery. Moreover, I will be able to see how alcoholics cope with the disease through means of writing and the styles they write in. I am interested in this topic since alcoholism is a prominent feature in both the maternal and paternal sides of my family. As well, it has affected my life a great deal and pushed me to write about my experiences as a mode of relief from the alcoholism in my family. This topic is significant to address in this class because it deals with the use of writing and the creativity in an alcoholic’s writing, using discourse of first-hand accounts to examine the topic. On another hand, I may look at a few different addictions and how writing is used similarly as a therapy for each of these addictions. While this topic is tentative, I will research and see which branch of these topics would work best within our class requirements and be most interesting.

Research Method
I will originally research (via the Internet) different ways I could take the topic of alcoholism, including: How does writing help heal recovering alcoholics? What styles do recovering alcoholics use in their writing? I will research different media I can use, mainly including the first-hand accounts of letters, essays, or stories that alcoholics have written. I will also see what accounts are written by others about the styles alcoholics have used in their writing. After finding sources, I will print out the articles found online. As well, I will find any books that may be helpful on this subject in the library. After printing out the articles, I will highlight the important parts. While reading the books and the articles, I will put facts I find on index cards. I will read through all these facts and cards, sorting them into piles according to similar subjects. Then, I will sort through and put all of the subjects in an order I feel makes the best sense. After this, I will begin composing my Reasearch Paper. After the first composition of the paper, I will re-read and correct any mistakes, emitting or adding any facts where necessary. I will continue working and editing my paper until it is due.