pen to paper

How To Do Expressive Writing

Expressive Writing a practice you can turn to on a continuing basis. There are no rules. But I can give you tips to make your writing easier and more meaningful.

1. Set aside 20 minutes for writing. Every study says so. Write for 5 minutes or for longer than 20, but try to write non-stop for 20.

2. Can write first thing in morning, but most success has come at end of day. Most important is to have time to reflect on what we’ve written.

3. Create an environment for a healing ritual, someplace different – a location where you don’t work: light a candle . . . burn incense . . . have a meaningful picture or object on the writing table . . . wear a hat . . . take a shower before or after . . write naked if it helps: Ernest Hemingway, Agatha Christie, Victor Hugo all wrote bare.

4. Write when your feelings say you should. Think of it as a medicine in your bathroom cabinet, there when you need it.

5. Expressive writing does not mean impressive writing. It means writing openly and honestly. Imagine you are talking to a stranger you will never see again.

6. Write about what keeps you up at night.

7. Write about topics you’ve been avoiding, even to yourself.

8. Write to learn where you need to go. The writing will carry you.

9. Can write across consecutive days to get it all down.

10. Try writing occasionally from the perspective of another person: spouse, child, parent

Areas to write about:

1. Deepest feelings about the trauma you’re facing & how it’s affecting your life.

2. How you felt while it was occurring.

3. How you feel now.

4. How this upheaval shapes other parts of your life: loved ones, friends, your work, your social life . . . how others see you.

5. How is this event related to who you’ve been in the past . . . who you are now . . . who you want to be in the future.

6. Identify three good things about the trauma that have or may result from the otherwise-negative experience.

7. What inner strengths (your “superpower”) can you bring to bear?

8. Construct what you write into a story with a beginning middle and end [Example of getting a flat tire: setting the scene . . . describing the event . . . what happened afterwards]. This is a way to try to make sense of something we don’t understand.

9. Use the page of Prompts I gave you.

10. In reflection time after writing, ask if you’ve been truly open and honest.

Writing Prompts

Write a short, simple poem like Maya Angelou’s Passing Time, in which you talk about an event in your life or your family that you found to be bittersweet.

Write a poem about a great day you had.

Write your personal version of a poem about an “otherwise” day of your own.

Write your personal version of the Denise Levertov poem – a snapshot of a special visit you made to a family member or friend, maybe one who was ill or compromised in some way.

Write your personal version of a decision you made, whether it turned out to be the right one or wrong. Or do you even know?

Write a healing poem that ends in triumph – maybe about the happy place you go in your mind to be reconciled to your situation. This may be the poem you write again and again in the future, the poem that carries you away from stress.

The first thing I thought this morning

as I swung my legs from the bed was . . .

At two in the morning, every morning,

I wake to brood about . . .

When she was little, my child’s toys

were strewn about the floor always . . .

The dinner dishes are done but

it’s much too early for bed . . .

One part of me has risen up

to be my protector . . .

I passed by the mirror in the hall today

and saw myself for the first time . . .

Dragons don’t live only in fairy tales.

They . . .

When I was still wearing pull-ups my shadow sneaked up on me one sunny afternoon and . . .

I sat outside today, alone for an hour, and the sound was . . .

I pulled down from the shelf today one of those five-thousand-piece crossword puzzles . . .

Coffee or tea? Either one does the trick for me . . .

I’ve never told this to anyone else before but I’ll tell you, because . . .

I wanted to shout but I had to stay silent . . .

I simply said no [or yes]

and that made

all the difference . . .

I should shut the light and write

in the dark because . . .

I can’t imagine living in a dollhouse

with people peering at you all day long . . .

Is there a recipe for . . . ?

I’ve rubbed a hundred lamps and found

genies live only in fairy tales . . .

When I was a kid a dog never followed me home. If one did . . .

I made a promise, once, I didn’t keep . . .

Did I put on gloves to keep from touching.

Or being touched? . . .

Playing hide-and-seek was always [never]

fun for me . . .

if I could change the day as easily as my clothes, I’d . . .

My family calls me

Gimme Bear

because I want all the . . .

A lot of things make me sneeze . . .

Some lucky guys left their footprints

on the moon. I left mine

on the beach . . .

[I all else fails, take any poem you like or enjoy and re-write it in your own words.]

Writing Tips

1. Set aside 20 minutes for writing. Every study says so. Try to write non-stop for 20.

2. Can write first thing in morning, but most success has come at end of day. Most important is to have time to reflect on what we’ve written.

4. Write when your feelings say you should. Think of it as a medicine in your bathroom cabinet, there when you need it.

5. Expressive writing does not mean impressive writing. It means writing openly and honestly. Imagine you are talking to a stranger you will never see again.

6. Write about what keeps you up at night.

7. Write about topics you’ve been avoiding, even to yourself.

8. Write to learn where you need to go. The writing will carry you.

9. Can write across consecutive days to get it all down.

10. Try writing occasionally from the perspective of another person: spouse, child, parent

Areas to write about:

1. Deepest feelings about the trauma you’re facing & how it’s affecting your life.

2. How you felt while it was occurring.

3. How you feel now.

4. How this upheaval shapes other parts of your life: loved ones, friends, your work, your social life . . . how others see you.

5. How is this event related to who you’ve been in the past . . . who you are now . . . who you want to be in the future.

6. Identify three good things about the trauma that have or may result from the otherwise-negative experience.

7. What inner strengths (your “superpower”) can you bring to bear?

9. Use the page of Prompts I gave you.

10. In reflection time after writing, ask if you’ve been truly open and honest.As a skilled ghostwriter, I'll help you bring your book, ebook, or memoir to life. I'll capture your voice and tell your story in a way that engages readers and leaves a lasting impact.

RESOURCES

YouTube videos:

“Why Poetry Doesn’t Suck, by Henrick Hoeg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMArSRrwz2w

“The Healing Power of Poetry” by William Sieghart, author of The Poetry Pharmacy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VQNTiwOEXM

“How to Read Poetry” by former Poet Laureate Billy Collins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff03AY_ucFw

How to Write Better Poems; A Poet Explains

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arE2yyQe1PY

Video library of Dana Gioia, California poet laureate https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dDuuRPo6HXxn69LMLrwyw

“Writing with Andrew” video library