Writing for Self Discovery

Writing is such a powerful way to access emotions and information about yourself or a problem without the need for talking it through with a therapist. If you feel you need to gain a better understanding about something but would rather not seek professional help at this stage why no consider using an alternative method that could have profound effects.

The 3 exercises below have been taken from the book “ Writing for Self Discovery” by Myra Schneider and John Killick and their aim is to give you a way to find out more about yourself or a current challenge.

Give yourself time and permission to sit down and work through these and see what they bring up. You might be very surprised!

The Search

You are lost in a large, anonymous building which has many floors, corridors and doors. You are looking for someone or something. Who or what is it? Describe the building and your search. At last you hear music on the other side of a door. The sound moves you and you stand very close to the door. How does the music make you feel? What does it make you think of? Do you go into the room? Write about all this.

The Wall

You are standing by a high wall which stretches in both directions as far as you can see. Describe the wall and its effect on you. You hear a voice on the other side. Do you make contact with someone; find a way over or through the wall? What happens and how does it affect you? Write about this.

Crossroads

You are walking by yourself, maybe have been walking for a long time. Picture your surroundings, what you are carrying, how hard or easy the journey has been, how you are feeling. Describe all this. You come to a crossroads. You have a choice of two different ways forward. They are very different from one another. There is no obvious way of deciding which direction to take. Describe the different routes. What is your reaction to them? Write about what you do, what happens, how you feel?

If you are interested in creative writing ask us about the local writing wheel starting in 2007.