Write from the Heart

One of the best, and possibly the safest, ways of letting off steam when something up-sets you is to write about it. You can say absolutely what you want, get rid of your ten-sions, pour your feelings onto paper (and then you can tear it up and throw it away so nobody will ever know what you wrote, if that worries you).

Creative writing is a useful safety-valve, having a definite therapeutic effect, but few peo-ple seem to take advantage of it. Everybody can write; some can do it better than oth-ers, but everybody can do it to some extent. And, like everything else, most of it is prac-tice: the more you do, the better you become.

If you’ve never done any creative writing (or not since you left school), you may not know how to start. On the back of this sheet, I’ve made a couple of lists. Have a look; do any of these things ring bells in you? Do you find meaning in any of them? Then write about it! Write what you feel, what it reminds you of, what you wish you could have done about it at the time, what you’d like to do about it now.

If none of them rings any particular bell, then just pick one at random and write whatever you like about it; what does that word, or that line, conjure up to you? What words and feelings do you associate with it? The human mind is very good at laying down smoke-screens and hiding behind them, blocking anything that might be ‘too risky’ to let out. Pick words at random, write about them, and see what happens. If nothing else, you’ll be writing!


Remember:

The only rule in creative writing is that there aren’t any rules. It’s not like cooking, for in-stance, where the right ingredients have to be put into the mixture in the right order and in the right proportions, where a set sequence has to be followed to obtain the desired result. In creative writing, whatever works for you is valid. There’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way – only ways that work for you or that don’t; or ways that work better than others.

Be gentle with yourself. Don’t dismiss anything you write as ‘rubbish’; don’t compare yourself with ‘better’ writers. It’s amazing how skill comes with practice – and you’ve got the skill. Everybody has. But most people aren’t given the chance to find out that they’ve got it.

Find your own voice. Write in whatever style seems best for you; use the words and styles that you feel comfortable with. Develop your own unique way of expressing your-self; again, practice will make, if not perfect, then better. (Some how-to-write books say that you should begin by copying the styles of other writers, but I’m not too sure about that – why be a tribute band, playing other people’s music, when you’ve got your own music to play? You want to be the first you, not the second somebody else!)

Write for yourself, to please yourself. So you may not be very good at first. Who is? Most of us can cook – but that doesn’t mean you can whip up a 12-course meal for 500 people the first time you enter a kitchen! Start with egg and chips, and work your way up from there – if you feel the need. (Personally, I’d rather eat egg and chips than some fancy meal covered with gunge!)

Don’t pre-judge, or censor yourself. Write exactly what you’re feeling, in your own words. And don’t worry! Nobody’s looking over your shoulder. Nobody’s judging you. Write for yourself. You might feel self-conscious about it at first (everybody does), but stick with it. You’ll probably surprise yourself, if you give yourself the chance.

You might be a little taken aback by the strength of some of your reactions at first. Feel-ings that have been long repressed will come out strongly; this may be the first time they’ve seen daylight for years! If this happens to you, don’t worry; you’ve taken the first step in acknowledging that you have unresolved conflicts. After all, you can’t solve a problem until you admit that the problem exists. Once it’s out in the open, it can be dealt with, and then you can move on. It may be painful, but it really is better out than in. You won’t hurt yourself; you’ll only become stronger - it’s keeping the feelings repressed that causes harm.



Do any of these mean anything special to you? Then write it out!

Ambition - Anger - Back-stabbing - Being controlled - Being ignored - Being laughed at - Being lied to - Broken dreams - Broken promises - Bullying - Childhood - Confidence - Counting your blessings - Depression - Dignity - Disappointment - Discipline - Drink - Family - Family expectations - Father - Fear - Forgiveness - Freedom - Friends - Friendship - Gossip - Gratitude - Guilt - Happiness - Hate - Hope - Innocence - Interference - Jealousy - Loneliness - Lost opportunities - Love - Manipulation - Misuse of authority - Money [or lack of] - Mother - Neighbours - Not being val-ued - Obedience - Obsession - Parting - Power over others - Pride - Quality of life - Relaxing - Resentment - Respect - Sacri-fice - Sadness - Secrets - Self-respect - Sex - Solitude - Stereotyping – Gender, racial, etc - Stress - Taking credit for someone else’ s work - Talking over your problems - Telling lies - The boss - Un-wanted advice - Work colleagues

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A friend in need - Act your age! - Anything for a quiet life - Be grateful for small mercies - Be grateful for whatever you’re given - Beauty is only skin deep - Blood is thicker than water - Cheats never prosper - Cheer up, it could al-ways be worse - Don’t do as I do, do as I say - Don’t look a gift-horse in the mouth - For better or for worse - Heaven helps those who help themselves - Honour thy father and thy mother - If I had the money, I’d— -
If I was you, I’d . . . - If only I hadn’t said that! - If you loved me you’d prove it - It takes one to know one - Just you wait till I get you home! - Men should be . . . - Mother knows best - Nobody really understands me - One rule for ‘them’, another for ‘us’ - Only babies cry - Pull yourself together! - Spare the rod and spoil the child - The past is dead – isn’t it? - Thou shalt not be found out - When I was your age, I . . . - Why can’t I . . .? - Because I say so! - Why can’t people mind their own business? - Why don’t you ever listen to me? - Why won’t they take me seriously? - Women should be . . . - You don’t know when you’re well-off - You think you’ve got problems! - You’ll un-derstand when you grow up - You’re not going out looking like that!