| Start your writing practice by getting yourself | | | | understand why we couldn't go on together. |
| seated with pen and paper or in front of a | | | | So I began the story of our vacation and wrote |
| computer. Fifteen minutes a day, three times a | | | | about all the things that had gone wrong. It was |
| week will serve well, though you should feel free | | | | very painful and it made me feel bad. But then |
| to write as often as you wish. | | | | later, I felt better. I had new insights that began |
| Make yourself comfortable and set the clock for | | | | to explain to me why all this had happened." |
| 15 to 20 minutes. Then write as fast as you can | | | | In the end, she decided not to show the story |
| without regard for style, spelling, or punctuation. | | | | she had written to her children. So my friend kept |
| Write. Don't think. Keep the words flowing by | | | | the insights and threw away the paper the story |
| imagining them coming from deep inside you or | | | | was written on. |
| out of the universe. | | | | Remember that your writing is about you - not |
| Remember that your expressive writing will | | | | about how mean and evil other people are. They |
| become easier and more natural through regular | | | | may be "not nice" folks who did "not nice" things |
| practice and use. Here are some of the benefits | | | | to you, but your personal writing sessions are |
| reported by people who have started a writing | | | | about you. For the most part, you cannot control |
| practice: | | | | others. You can, however, control some things: |
| - They are more productive and focused. | | | | - How you will react to what happened to you. |
| - They experience a reduction of stress. | | | | - What you will learn from what happened to you. |
| - They feel better about themselves. | | | | - How you will change your life because of what |
| You should be aware of some caveats. This is | | | | happened and how it made you feel. |
| your personal writing, so keep it that way. If you | | | | If your writing makes you laugh or cry, keep |
| can't keep your writing safe and personal, just | | | | going. |
| write it and then let it go. Some folks have told | | | | If you come up against great and painful |
| me that they often write about what is painful | | | | resistance, back off and write about another |
| and hurtful to them and then with ceremony burn | | | | event. Your writing practice will let you know |
| the paper at the end of their writing session. | | | | when it's time to visit issues that are too hard to |
| For example, an acquaintance told me what she | | | | face early on. |
| learned when she wrote about her African | | | | Start your own writing practice today. Write for |
| vacation. She said, "It was on that trip that our | | | | just 15 minutes about whatever bothers you or |
| 23-year-old marriage began to unravel. | | | | about any emotionally charged event in your life. |
| For the sake of the children, we managed to get | | | | It would be great to do this every day, but if |
| through another year, but then the kids were | | | | time pressures prevail, write a minimum of three |
| grown and away so we went ahead and got a | | | | times a week for at least six weeks. At the end |
| divorce. This confused our children, who didn't | | | | of six weeks, take stock of your progress. |