May 26, 2021
Logophile [law-guh-fahyl] – a lover of words. Someone who loves words and language. A word nerd. A word buff. You don’t have to be a word nerd or have an extensive vocabulary or language to engage in expressive writing. Expressive writing comes from your core and is personal writing without worrying about form, spelling, punctuation, etc. It simply expresses what’s on your mind and heart.
Researchers have studied the health benefits of expressive writing and found that just 15 to 20 minutes of writing three to five times can better the physical and psychological health of individuals. Dr. James Pennebaker who conducted research on writing to heal at the University of Texas at Austin, believes that “expressive writing allows people to take a step back and evaluate their lives.” Even blogging or journaling can provide benefits, so you don’t have to write a book or spend hours with a pen in your hand.
The Senior Living Foresight interviewed Angela Burton about her Fire Writers Workshop. “You Provide the Memories. We Help You Glow.” You can list to their interview here.
“Feet to the Fire Writers’ Workshops® OUTLOUD is our way to bring forth personal stories, those irreplaceable voices, the true heart and spirit of people who might otherwise be quiet. Each week we’ll share the conversations and snips of wisdom, laughter and honesty. Most importantly, these written stories are read by the writers themselves in the only way they can possibly be shared – in their own voices. Our goal is a simple one – tell the tales and help people feel valued, cherished, heard and connected.” Check out their Facebook page.
Want help getting started? Below are several resources:
- Psychologist Margarita Tartakovsky provides a handy list of 30 prompts.
- Duke University provides a variety of expressive writing prompts from different themes to help jump start your writing experience.
- The Pandemic project gives you some ways to try out expressive writing to help you deal with COVID-19.
If you know someone who loves to write, or you want to get something for yourself to help inspire you to start writing, here are some fun gift ideas.
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