June 28, 2010
Though emotional writing is often equated to expressive writing or writing therapy, emotional writing is essential to telling your life stories.
One of the vital components of Reflective Writing Therapy, emotional writing will make your readers emotionally vested in your writing, keeping their attention until the end of the story.
Readers–regardless of background or life experiences–will always relate to one thing: human emotion. Anger, sadness, joy, disgust has never escaped any of us; and if you can capture the rawness of emotions, your writing will translate to people of different backgrounds.
Tips for Emotional Writing
- Capture how you felt. While the art of descriptive writing relies on sight, sound, taste, etc., emotional writing relies on the conveyance of realistic and relatable feelings.
- Practice meditative writing. Think of Free Writing with a Topical twist. Simply free write on a particular emotional scene you would like to include in your piece, you will be amazed at the words that flow onto the page.
- Peruse your journal. Emotional writing to infuse into your literature could be as easy as rereading your journal entries. Borrow the emotions from different experiences that may be applicable to a newly written experience.
June 13, 2010
A good book discussion involves fellowship and vigorous discussion. A great book discussion also involves the author and door prizes.
Join us on June 19 at the Oak Park Public Library for the discussion of the new e-book, Profit from Your Past: Crafting Publishable Literature Using Reflective Writing Therapy.
Every one attending will receive a $3 rebate off the e-book. If purchased online prior to the book discussion, a partial refund will be issued electronically. If purchased at the book discussion, the rebate will be applied at the time of purchase.
Everyone who brings a friend, who is not a member of the Writing Reflections Meetup group, will receive a free journal.
Everyone who attends will be entered into a raffle to win one of the following prizes:
- One-hour coaching/editing consultative session ($125 value)
- $50 Border’s gift card
- A copy of the 2010 Writer’s Market
RSVP today.
June 6, 2010
Most writers think “Reflective Writing Therapy” is a practice exclusively for journalers. But Reflective Writing Therapy promotes creativity just as much as it promotes emotional well-being.
In fact, I credit Reflective Writing Therapy with helping me become a better writer. This is because Reflective Writing Therapy relies on three writing elements used to create dynamic literature: Emotional writing, Narrative writing, and Descriptive writing.
Emotional writing is the foundation of Reflective Writing Therapy, which allows the full expression and release of an emotional experience. A great story must include the emotional investment of not only the writer but of the reader. The emotion of the story is what allows the reader to relate to the content.
Narrative writing is used in Reflective Writing Therapy to enable a person to reflect on the event, attempting to answers questions about why the event happened, what it means, and its significance. A great story must include narration because it sets the overall tone of the piece. It offers point of view of who is telling the story.
Descriptive writing is used in the Reflective Writing Therapy process to help a person immerse themselves completely back into the scene of an event, aiding them to recall details they may otherwise have not remembered. A great story must include description because this is an effective tool of engaging readers.
These three rhetorical elements are essential to crafting a powerful story. When a writer includes vivid descriptions, this enables the reader to be placed in the scene along side of the writer.
To learn more about the Elements of Dynamic Literature, read the new e-book Profit from Your Past: Crafting Publishable Literature Using Reflective Writing Therapy.
