Photo question (October 2020)
Sit before this photo for a few minutes. Just sit. Imagine that the photo has a story to tell you. Or perhaps the photo reminds you of a story. We invite you to pick up a pen your your keyboard and let yourself write the story. Let hope come into the story at some point.
Remember that there are no punctuation or grammar police.
There is only one point to writing. It allows you to do the impossible. … writing makes sorrow endurable, evil intelligible, justice desirable and love possible.
Roger Rosenblatt (2012). Kayak Morning.
Welcome to the inaugural newsletter of Prairie Wind Writing Centre. Whether your interest in writing is personal or professional, writing is an available, affordable, effective tool for enhancing your life.
The following short overview is a reminder of the reasons to write.
Writing supports reflecting on our lives. Our culture abounds with invitations to neglect our inner lives. The seeds of distress are everywhere in the complex world in which we live. It has been said that “if you don’t go within, you will go without.” Writing for the purpose of reflection returns us to our values, priorities and to emotional being, even in times of uncertainty. Having a toolkit for reflective writing is a mental health strategy. Every newsletter provides you with solid research and anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of reflective writing. Each newsletter reflects on a different emotion.
Writing supports helping our clients, students, families and friends. In whatever professional role you have, there is often a place for inviting our clients (and colleagues) to write. Writing can assist them in clarifying goals or feelings, or options during a difficult time. This is true not just for those of us in the mental health fields. By encouraging them to put their thoughts on paper, we are encouraging them to take a greater role in seeing a future in which they wish to participate.
In the role of an educator, being familiar with multiple writing strategies increases the creativity of assignments in this world of on-line learning. Increased motivation means increased learning.
The newsletter offers suggestions for guiding client and student writing.
Writing supports reflecting on our own practice. Many roles in our society are now fraught with additional stressors. During the COVID pandemic, the practice of almost everything has changed. What is commonly called reflective practice is the interface between our personal and our professional lives. The greater the gap between the two in terms of values and behaviors, the greater the distress. Whether you are a truck driver, a hairdresser, a physician or a counsellor, minimizing our burnout potential is important. The newsletter provides examples and strategies for maximizing career satisfaction.
Writing improves writing. The act of writing is a complex experience. It is not just developing a structure and choosing the words. With rare exception, the writing process involves a dance between the writer and the writing. Our beliefs, feelings and behaviors interact with our writing experience. Ronna explores this in her book Living Life as a Writer and in our “Your Inner Author” workshops. Exploring your strengths, needs, frustrations and delights in relation to writing frees your inner author. Whether you write the occasional poem, pour your heart out in a journal, are preparing a formal manuscript or have an ongoing project underway, having a good relationship with your inner author makes writing more meaningful and enjoyable. The newsletter provides tips on how to get to know and encourage your inner author.
Evidence: This month we chose to highlight four different areas of research. The first is work by James Pennebaker who is renown for the research that he has done or spawned based on a protocol he calls “expressive writing.” In the area of relationships, you will find a reference to a study that looked at marital relationship satisfaction and writing. The third article explores the use of expressive writing and work place injustices. The fourth article is a sample of the large body of work in the area of health conditions. The described study looked at a writing intervention with early stage breast cancer patients.
https://prairiewindwritingcentre.ca/category/research/
Suggested reading:
From among the many books related to writing for reflective reasons, we chose a sampling. Deena Metzger’s Writing for Your Life is a favorite for using for understanding our lives. Pat Schneider’s book Writing Alone and with Others is a resource for the beginner writers and for those facilitating writing with groups. Look forward to further suggestions in each newsletter.
https://prairiewindwritingcentre.ca/category/readings/
Recurring features:
In each newsletter will include a:
writing strategy (https://prairiewindwritingcentre.ca/category/writing-strategies/) and a
photograph with a question for reflection
Special book offer
Purchase 10 or more copies of a given book for a class or for friends and receive a free online interactive session with Dr. Ronna Jevne, the author.
We want to hear from you: In the ensuing months we want hear about your interests and experiences with writing. We look forward to your suggestions, stories and questions. Contact Ronna with your ideas.
There is only one point to writing:
It allows you to do the impossible……Writing makes Sorrow endurable, evil intelligible, Justice desirable and Love possible.
Roger Rosenblatt 2012 Kayak Morning.
Prairie Wind Writing Centre has been a dream for many years. Its time has now come. The mission is simple–to enhance well-being through the writing of any genre, aided with the imagery of photography.
We are inviting you to subscribe to our regular monthly newsletter by filling out the form at:
Subscribe to our free Newsletter
We will not inundate you with multiple contacts. We will not share your contact information with anyone. Nor will we solicit any financial support.
Writing is an accessible, affordable, and effective way of deepening our understanding of our inner lives, our relationships, and our place in the world.
For years, we have observed the power of writing. We have seen students transform themselves; patients come to terms with their illnesses; prisoners revisit their futures; and dreams become reality.
It pleases us greatly that there is now solid evidence that supports practicing reflective writing, which was once simply a intuitive exercise.
If you have any questions, please contact us by replying to this email.
Warm regards, Ronna
Subscribe to our free Newsletter and Check out our website at prairiewindwritingcentre.ca
The Prairie Wind Writing Centre will:
To Write or not to write ?
There is only one point to writing. It allows you to do the impossible. … writing makes sorrow endurable, evil intelligible, justice desirable and love possible.
Roger Rosenblatt (2012). Kayak Morning.
Please write a story freestyle, spun out of your impressions of this photo.
Pyramid Writing Strategy (August 2020)
Are you not quite sure what to write about or how to get started ?
Try this personal pyramid strategy.
• Identify a general topic, something you would like to further understand. It can be specific or vague.
• Draw a triangle with one block on the top level. In this block place your answer to the question:
How do I want to feel when I go to sleep tonight ?
• In the two blocks on the 2nd level, place your answers to the question:
What are the two greatest obstacles that I am facing ?
• In the three blocks on the 3rd level, place your answers to the question:
What sources of support are available to me ?
• In the four blocks on the 4th level, place your answers to the question:
What strengths do I have for dealing with stressful times ?
When you have finished, you will have ten options for what to write about.
You can then write about any or all of them.
Be open to where your writing may take you. Your writing may or may not relate to the original topic.
———————————————–
Example topic: How does the person in this example deal with their frustration about COVID restrictions ?
LEVEL 1—How does the person in this example want to feel when they go to sleep tonight ?
LEVEL 2—What are the two greatest obstacles that the person in this example is facing ?
LEVEL 3—What sources of support are available to the person in this example ?
LEVEL 4—What strengths does the person in this example have for dealing with stressful times ?
Adapted from Robert McDowell’s personal pyramid, found in – Poetry as Spiritual Practice
A hole in one
I love a hole in one.
That delightful unexpected
rare hole in one.
I love a long putt
when gravity defies the odds.
Sinks the one I think I have missed.
I love the green
that lies like carpet
waiting for my brilliant putt.
I golf through life
aiming for a hole in one,
wanting success with little effort.
It takes a driver,
one focused swing
for those long fairways.
It takes a wedge
to chip my ball
close to the flag.
It takes a putter
for that last little nudge
before success.
So it goes in life.
One club won’t do it all.
Every stroke counts.
Avoid the out of bounds.
Be cautious in the rough.
Play the game fairly.
Sarah Jane Pennington
If I moved in the world
If I moved in the world
with the joy of a child,
the kindness of a monk,
the gentleness of a falling leaf,
how would I walk?
What would I see?
How would I live this day?
It would matter not
the pace of passersby,
the clutter of storefront windows,
the noise of nothing talk.
I would stand in the busyness,
grounded in love
and smile.
When I break bread
I would give thanks
with every morsel to
the farmer who grew the wheat.
The miller who ground the grain,
The baker who shaped the bun,
The driver who drove the dolly.
I would notice the tulips
in colors painted by God,
asking me to remember Easter.
I would notice the sun streaming
onto gravestones of those I loved
asking me to remember
the gifts that are mine from them.
I would sit quietly
on an old tree stump,
throwing peanuts
onto the forest bed
and laugh
as the squirrels scurry
without so much as a bow of gratitude.
I would walk slowly
with a lightness to my step.
I would feel the earth
rise up to greet me.
I would meander
like a gentle stream
through a summer’s meadow.
If you come with tears,
I would listen.
If you come with pride,
I would listen.
If you come with anger,
I would listen.
I vow to listen.
My voice will be gentle.
Without words
you will know that I care.
You will see me strain
to understand you –
To know the you, you are.
I would sit in stillness
quieting the chatter between my ears.
I would sit in solitude
knowing in aloneness,
the “I” that is “We”.
I would sit in silence
hearing the joy of breathing.
Sarah Jane Pennington
The first snow
The first snow
fell softly,
one flake at a time,
so quietly
even the leaves
stopped whispering.
By daybreak,
the postcard was painted.
I want to utter every word,
think every thought
as gently as the brush
that stroked this winter canvas.
I want the landscape
of my life
to be quiet
and beautiful.
Sarah Jane Pennington
Tomorrow: Poems will be posted from Ronna’s repertoire of amusing common life situations.
Newsletter Archive to include all newsletters based on theme. First newsletter posted August 31, 2020.