Worded Selves

This chapter outlines a novel theory of the intersections between creative writing, identity, and positive psychology. When we commit elements of our self and experience onto paper, as we do in the creation of literary works, we are—to use an analogy—building ever-multiplying extensions onto the "house" of our individual identity. Thus, through writing, we are involved in a process, both figuratively and quite literally, of becoming more. The construction of these extensions, this chapter will propose, may, therefore, have profound implications for our psychological well-being.