Therapeutic Writing for Breast Cancer Patients - How to Get Started If You"re Not a "Writer&quo
You've read or heard that writing is supposed to make you, as a breast cancer patient, feel better.
But you're not a "writer" - and you may feel rather intimidated by the prospect of creating poetry in particular.
Here's an easy way to get started with therapeutic writing projects of your own.
First of all, stop worrying about "good" writing.
This is not an English class.
You get to write the way you speak, and chances are that you can speak just fine.
So here are a few tips to get you started: 1) Just write what comes to your mind Get a pen you like (or get out your computer) and start writing anything that comes to mind.
The key is to keep writing.
Don't censor yourself.
2) Add more detail After a while, look at what you wrote, and try to expand on the interesting parts.
Add more detail.
The more specific you get, the better.
Instead of writing, "I had breakfast," you could write "I had some Starbucks Mocha Java, some eggs sunny side up, and bowl of health food store granola with dried goji berries and walnuts.
" Doesn't the more detailed version sound far more interesting? You can literally see what you had for breakfast.
3) Use a tape recorder If you still have trouble, or if you just want to expand your options, grab a tape recorder and maybe a friend, and talk to your friend while the tape recorder is turned on.
Talk about your feelings, tell a story, talk about what it was like to sit in the doctor's office and have him or her hem and haw about what might be wrong with you.
Or write about what you wish people would say when they try to make you feel better and it tends to backfire.
Then listen back to your audio and try to transcribe it.
It's a great exercise that I used to ask my students to do when they had writer's block.
Most of the time, they were quite impressed by their newly discovered eloquence, and that built their confidence in their writing abilities.
4) Whatever you write is the right thing to write It's YOUR writing, so don't sweat it.
Anything you write is okay.
Sure, not everything you write is ready for prime time, but that's not the issue here.
5) Share your writing Share your writing? Sure!You don't HAVE to if you don't want to, but it can be one of the most exhilarating and self-empowering things you'll ever do.
Find a writing group or an open mike reading, pick out a short piece of writing you're proud of, take a deep breath, and read your poem, your story, or your short essay out loud.
But you're not a "writer" - and you may feel rather intimidated by the prospect of creating poetry in particular.
Here's an easy way to get started with therapeutic writing projects of your own.
First of all, stop worrying about "good" writing.
This is not an English class.
You get to write the way you speak, and chances are that you can speak just fine.
So here are a few tips to get you started: 1) Just write what comes to your mind Get a pen you like (or get out your computer) and start writing anything that comes to mind.
The key is to keep writing.
Don't censor yourself.
2) Add more detail After a while, look at what you wrote, and try to expand on the interesting parts.
Add more detail.
The more specific you get, the better.
Instead of writing, "I had breakfast," you could write "I had some Starbucks Mocha Java, some eggs sunny side up, and bowl of health food store granola with dried goji berries and walnuts.
" Doesn't the more detailed version sound far more interesting? You can literally see what you had for breakfast.
3) Use a tape recorder If you still have trouble, or if you just want to expand your options, grab a tape recorder and maybe a friend, and talk to your friend while the tape recorder is turned on.
Talk about your feelings, tell a story, talk about what it was like to sit in the doctor's office and have him or her hem and haw about what might be wrong with you.
Or write about what you wish people would say when they try to make you feel better and it tends to backfire.
Then listen back to your audio and try to transcribe it.
It's a great exercise that I used to ask my students to do when they had writer's block.
Most of the time, they were quite impressed by their newly discovered eloquence, and that built their confidence in their writing abilities.
4) Whatever you write is the right thing to write It's YOUR writing, so don't sweat it.
Anything you write is okay.
Sure, not everything you write is ready for prime time, but that's not the issue here.
5) Share your writing Share your writing? Sure!You don't HAVE to if you don't want to, but it can be one of the most exhilarating and self-empowering things you'll ever do.
Find a writing group or an open mike reading, pick out a short piece of writing you're proud of, take a deep breath, and read your poem, your story, or your short essay out loud.