Language learning: writing skills Books

Book SynopsisIntermediate and advanced learners will discover how to use the Arabic linguistic features that are key to achieving written fluency. Each unit contains carefully selected exercises where students practise their vocabulary and grammar in a range of registers and contexts: writing a CV, a short story, a love letter, an essay and many more.

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Book SynopsisHow to make time for the work that matters.

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Book SynopsisFrom one of America's great professors, author of Why Teach? and Why Read?--an inspiring exploration of the importance of writing well, for creators, educators, students, and anyone who writes.Why write when it sometimes feels that so few people really read--read as if their lives might be changed by what they're reading? Why write, when the world wants to be informed, not enlightened; to be entertained, not inspired? Writing is backbreaking, mindbreaking, lonely work. So why?Because writing, as celebrated professor Mark Edmundson explains, is one of the greatest human goods. Real writing can do what critic R. P. Blackmur said it could: add to the stock of available reality. Writing teaches us to think; it can bring our minds to birth. And once we're at home with words, there are few more pleasurable human activities than writing. Because this is something he believes everyone ought to know, Edmundson offers us Why Write?, essential reading--both practical and inspiring--for anyone who yearns to be a writer, anyone who simply needs to know how to get an idea across, and anyone in between--in short, everyone.

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Book SynopsisBarbara Turner-Vesselago's first book, Writing Without a Parachute, showed writers how to fall in love with writing. This new book builds on this experience and encourages writers to pursue their work with intention and without inhibition.Freefall into Fiction: Finding Form is designed to help writers, step-by-step, to create publishable short stories, novels and memoirs by finding their own unique balance between the exploration offered by Freefall Writing and the requirements of each particular genre. This book penetrates deep inside the writing process where that balancing act takes place.Trade ReviewBarbara maps the dangerous journey from intuitive 'free-fall' writing to consciously created fiction, making it exhilarating; a lucid, well researched and clearly illustrated guide we can safely follow. A fitting companion to her strongly recommended Writing Without a Parachute. -- Dr Gillie Bolton, author of 12 books on writing including The Writer’s Key: Introducing Creative Solutions for Life.Not so much dipping the toe into writing as taking the plunge, in this book, Barbara Turner-Vesselago guides us through the heart of the creative process, using experiential exercises and practical tips to enable the aspiring writer to develop a 'first draft' into a more expanded and refined piece of work. I have wanted to write for years...this book made me feel that I can't wait to start! -- Debra Penman, co-author of Writing Well: Creative Writing and Mental HealthTable of ContentsPreface. 1. Taking it Forward. 2. The Precepts Revisited. 3. Finding the Essence. 4. Character, Conflict and Trouble. 5. Inhibiting Character. 6. Discovering Plot. 7. Devices. 8. Dialogue in Fiction. 9. Drama. 10. The Genre of Memoir. 11. The Genre of Fiction. 12. Revision.

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Book SynopsisThe use of creative writing as a route to personal or professional development is a powerful therapeutic tool, yet often the most difficult part is knowing how and where to begin. The experiences of others, and the strategies and approaches they have used in their own writing, can provide tried-and-tested models for practice, and 'ways in' that facilitators might wish to recommend to others. Writing Routes is an essential roadmap for anybody setting out on the journey of self-discovery through words. This diverse collection of short pieces introduce and demonstrate many different ways of getting into and thinking about creative writing for personal or professional development. Seventy contributors from a variety of different backgrounds and circumstances explain how they came to write a particular piece and why, how they found ways of transforming their experience into writing, and how it was beneficial to them. Their writing ranges widely, from journal entries and stream of consciousness to autobiography, poetry, fiction and drama, and the pieces are organised by theme and genre for ease of navigation, designed to be 'dipped into' as and when they are needed. This rich and varied collection will provide writing practitioners, counsellors and other related professionals with ideas and techniques to share with their clients, and is a useful resource that individuals who write for their own personal and professional development will return to again and again.Trade ReviewThis very readable anthology collects together over 70 contributors who offer a diverse and rich array of personal experience of using creative writing.. I read the writers' words and pieces over a long Bank Holiday weekend by dipping into different parts as the mood took me, and was variously heartened, confounded, warmed and amused. At times, I was stopped in my tracks with the pain and distress of some of the work... a truly wonderful collection of views and writings which I recommend to any reader, and especially to those who might feel the beginnings of a need to put themselves on paper. -- Therapeutic Communities JournalWriting Routes is a book many of us have been waiting for, filling a gap in my bookshelf which I had vaguely discerned but not put shape to. Although the book builds on previous resource JKP handbooks, such as Writing Works (2006), Writing Routes is more than a collection of reflections on therapeutic experience. This is a well-designed navigation tool for exploring the field of therapeutic writing... I would recommend Writing Routes not just to those working in the field, but to any individual embarking on their owntherapeutic writing. -- Lapidus JournalWriting Routes is a diverse collection of personal journeys, which introduces and demonstrates many different ways of beginning and deepening creative writing for personal or professional development. -- The Independent PractitionerDetailed maps are needed for where to start in creative writing and how to proceed. Writing Routes provides just such an atlas, essential information for anybody setting out on the adventure of self-discovery through words. -- from the Foreword by Gwyneth LewisTable of ContentsForeword by Gwyneth Lewis. Preface by Gillie Bolton, Victoria Field, Kate Thompson. Postscript by Fiona Hamilton. 1. Getting into Writing. Edited by Victoria Field. 'Writing a Journal: A Way to My Soul', Satu Nieminen. 'Natalie's Golden Mantras', Alexandra Boyle. 'Writing Yourself Forward', Debbie McCulliss. 'Writing 'Kingfisher', Abi Curtis. 'Poems Invite Us to Write Them', Kate Compston. 'Relaxing into Writing', Ray Russell. 'Happily Ever After...And Then What?', Sarah Salway. 2. Forging Identities. Edited by Kate Thompson. 'Writing Dreams', Juhani Ihanus. 'The Whole Picture', Angela Stoner. 'Letter to a Stranger - Processing the Momentary', Cheryl Moskowitz. 'The Mincer Character', Myra Schneider. 'A Rose by any Other Name Might not Smell as Sweet', Shelley McAlister. 'Lucy', Andrew Rudd. 'Dodging Rednecks with a Grudge', Tim Metcalf. 'Writing Barefoot', Shirley A. Serviss. 3. Writing the Self. Edited by Victoria Field. 'Black Sheep in the Family', Larry Butler. 'People on my Bus', Fran Creffield. 'Midnight Robber', Dominique De-Light. 'Writing as a Process of Coming-to-knowing', Rosie Alexander. 'Writing Inspired', Sue Glover Frykman. 'AlphaWrites: 26 Days to Transformation', Kay Adams. 'Writing Loops', Briony Goffin. 'Finding Your Racket Voice', Sandy Hutchinson Nunns. 4. Writing the Body. Edited by Victoria Field. 'Finding Beauty in an Ugly Situation', Beverly Kirkhart. 'Listening to Body Signals: Triggers from the Past', Jane Pace. 'Straight from the Hip', Sue Ashby. 'Dealing with Chronic Pain', Miriam Halahmy. 'Broken Face - A Poem', Bryony Doran. 'In Watching You I See Myself', Jay Carpenter. 'Creating a Legacy Out of Everyday Living', Claire Willis. 5. Writing the Troubled Self. Edited by Victoria Field. 'Cracks', Rebecca Atherton. 'The Blue Gate', Rose Flint. 'Giving Perspective', Yona McGinnis. 'The Year the Wall Came Down', Maggie Sawkins. 'Stories from the Silk Tent', Lucy O'Hagan, Gilly Pugh and Lizzi Yates. 6. Our Families, Ourselves. Edited by Gillie Bolton. 'Time Capsule', Linda Sliwoski. 'When Melancholia Strikes, Poetry Steps In', Glynis Charlton. 'The Legacy of Mothers', Marliss Weber. 'For Those Who Wish to Sing, There is Always a Song', Margot Van Sluytman. 'The Clock and Me', Nigel Gibbons. 'Come In - to the Life of the Poem', Graham Hartill. 'Never Rub Out, Never Throw Away', Jonathan Knight. 7. Relationships. Edited by Gillie Bolton. 'The Healing Fountain', Penelope Shuttle. 'Burning Want', Les Murray. 'Leaving Tortilla, My Cat', Claire Williamson. 'Wall Writing', Monica Suswin. 'Invoking the Ancestors', Reinekke Lengelle. 'A Heart-shadow Fell at Our Feet: Writing a Sequence of Love Sonnets', Robert Hamberger. 8. Personal Loss. Edited by Gillie Bolton. 'To a Gold Ear-ring, Head of Nefertiti', Wendy French. 'The Final "Good Bye"', Sarah Birnbach. 'Something We Need to Learn to Live Alongside', Yvonne Watson. 'Close up, From a Distance', Deborah Buchan. 'Writing My Mother's Obituary', Leone Ridsdale. 'I'll Never Forget', Joanne Robinson. 9. Managing Transitions. Edited by Kate Thompson. 'Writing, Waiting, Rocks', Mary Lee Moser. 'The Door', Gillie Jenkinson. 'Do the Work: A Writing Exercise that Turns You Around', Reinekke Lengelle. 'Using Dialogue to Move On with My Life', Lynda Heines. 'Writing a Sketchbook', Angie Butler. 'When I Get Old', Judy Clinton. 10. Developing Mindfulness. Edited by Kate Thompson. 'Mindful Moments', David Oldham. 'Writing a Haiku', Carolyn Henson. 'Lost Heart', Elaine Trevitt. 'Loneliness', Julie Sanders. 'I Have a Dream...', Ronna Jevne. 'Conversation with a Ponderosa Pine', Susan Wirth Fusco. 'Frustration and Me', Janice Putrino. 'Searching My Soul through Cyberspace', Christine Nutt. 11. Signals, Lines, and Reflections: Writing on Trains, Fiona Hamilton. Appendix 1. Writing Routes Map: Themes. Appendix 2. Writing Routes Map: Types of Writing. Appendix 3. Contributor Biographies. Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisWriting in Bereavement is a practical creative handbook that will assist counsellors, volunteers and others in their work with bereaved adults. Writing is a powerful outlet for the emotions that accompany grief and it is therefore a valuable therapeutic tool to help those who are bereaved communicate their experiences and adjust to life after their loss.Jane Moss provides imaginative creative writing exercises for groups and individuals, using a variety of genres and literary forms and techniques. She offers advice on how to plan and run successful workshops with the bereaved, and how to evaluate their effectiveness. Using the techniques in this book, counsellors can help grieving individuals find a voice to cope with profound changes in their life, complete unfinished conversations, write for remembrance, use creativity as a respite from sadness, and finally begin to move forward from grief and imagine the future.Trade ReviewJane Moss's Writing in bereavement is a breath of fresh air... At every stage she reflects back on the theory of bereavement support, whilst giving examples of work that might be produced, and how the facilitator may respond. Creating space to reflect by both the facilitator and the participants is the key word, and Moss gives plenty of support and advice on how to approach this. -- Bereavement CareThis book is a useful addition to the literature and will be of great interest to therapeutic practitioners and creative writers alike... Readers who are not already familiar with the literature of therapeutic writing will find themselves gently guided through the principles and practices. -- Therapy Today, Kate Thompson, existential psychoterapists, journal therapist and authorWhen someone we love dies we lose, not only a person "out there", but an organising principle of our assumptive world, the world that, up to that moment, we had taken for granted. Grief is not about forgetting the dead, it is about discovering a new narrative, a new source of meaning to our lives. Jane Moss here shows us a way of helping bereaved people to do just that. It gives us a choice of techniques and suggestions, exercises and insights, that are well supported by research and which we can adapt to the particular needs of individuals at this turning point in their lives. -- Colin Murray Parkes, OBE, MD, FRCPsych, psychiatrist, author and Life President of Cruse Bereavement Care, UKHere is a wealth of ideas and inspiration for those of us aspiring to work creatively with bereaved people using the written word. I found my creative juices begin to flow as I read the ideas for the exercises and how to use them. These will be of enormous benefit for those wanting to start working in this way and will provide added incentive and encouragement for those who already use creative tools. I could use the ideas not only with the bereaved person but also with volunteer supporters in their supervision. The example of the fictional Greenbank writing group will be of special interest to those who want to offer support groups for bereaved people and there is much practical help offered for setting up such a group. I am sure this will prove to be a truly useful volume to have for reference and advice for those of us working in the field of bereavement support and counselling. -- Dodie Graves, counsellor, bereavement service co-ordinator and author of Talking with Bereaved People and Setting Up and Facilitating Bereavement Support GroupsMoss helps mourners reach deeply into the wordless silence at the heart of grief, and render what they discover in language that is resonant with meaning and emotion. From acrostics to villanelles, and from the opening group warm-up to the final wind-down, she scaffolds a structure for Writing in Bereavement that fosters continuity and connection in life narratives rewritten by the experience of loss. Whether you work with bereavement support groups or in the intimate crucible of grief therapy, you will find in this book an indispensable muse to your clinical creativity. -- Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD, editor of Techniques of Grief Therapy: Creative Practices for Counseling the BereavedBereavement can be a dark and lonely place. This book shows how writing in groups can help bereaved people to find companionship and to begin to map out their own paths through this alien landscape. The book is thoroughly researched and offers a clear and systematic toolkit for professionals. On top of this, it is an engaging read that should leave readers feeling inspired to try this approach within their own work. -- Anne Cullen, Manager of Psychosocial and Spiritual Care, Princess Alice Hospice, Esher, UKTable of ContentsAbout the Author. Acknowledgements. Preface. Introduction. 1. An Overview of Writing in Bereavement. 2. Starting to Write. 3. Keeping a Journal. 4. Working with Form. 5. Writing Through Grief. 6. Life Writing in Bereavement. 7. Reflecting on Change. 8. Writing for Memorial. 9. Endings. 10. Reflection and Feedback. 11. A Facilitator's Journal. 12. Resources for Establishing a Writing Group. 13. Useful Terms. 14. Sample Writing Sessions for Groups. Writing Exercises and Prompts. Postscript. References. Further Reading. Index.

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Book SynopsisExamining the potential of creative writing as a therapeutic tool, particularly in terms of its influence on the self and personal development, The Self on the Page is divided into two parts. In Part One representative practitioners provide an overview of current work in the field, based on their experience of conducting courses, workshops and research projects with creative writing students, and clients as diverse as people with learning disabilities or dementia and people in hospices, using various genres of creative writing from poetry to autobiography and literary fiction. This section also contains many practical suggestions for writing techniques that can be used for personal development, whether working with writers' groups or with client groups in health care and the social services.Part Two explores the theoretical background to the therapeutic uses of creative writing, with particular reference to psychoanalysis, philosophy of language, and literary and social theory. Illustrating a wide range of different approaches, the contributors provide an introduction to thinking about creative writing in a personal development context with suggestions for further reading, and look at the potential evolution of therapeutic creative writing in the future.Academics with an interest in textual practice, language and cultural theory; practitioners and theorists of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis; arts therapists and their educators; arts providers.Trade ReviewAn absolute pleasure to read. I now have a broader understanding of the issues involved in creative writing, and look forward to the development of this exciting area both in research, and my own practice. -- The Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling & Pschotherapy.The Self on the Page embraces a highly complex issue and is important and exemplary in many ways: it is compellingly written, useful, lucid and inspiring. Unequivocally, it provides an engaging entry into the topic of creative writing and personal development. This is a book for immediate reading and constant reference. -- Auto/Biography University of Sussex publicationThe seven projects the editors have chosen to present are deeply engaging, intriguing, thought provoking. -- Therapeutic Communities.This book is divided into two sections: in part one practitioners from a variety of settings say how they use writing to help personal development, and part two puts forward theories linked to using autobiography as a form of psychoanalysis. Targeted at anyone working with people, whether as a group or individual, in any setting, this interesting and unusual book benefits from a wide range of viewpoints. -- Therapy WeeklyI would certainly urge drama-therapists to read this. I found it stimulating and often moving. Once or twice I discovered things in it which led me to revise assumptions I habitually make about the importance of the written word, and the sources and nature of its power to heal. Much of the text is informative and helpful, particularly the final chapter, in which the two editors draw conclusions about the potential for future development of writing as a psychotherapeutic resource. -- DramatherapyThis collection of essays will surely be welcome in all kinds of contexts. The editors have collected a fascinating range of material, all complementing each other, and providing an overview of the current thinking about how creative writing is a form of therapy or at least, a tool for self-knowledge. The essays cover general formal concepts such as the wonderful Peter Abbs on autobiography to the applications of writing in workshop and therapeutic sessions. The book introduces a subject that ought to take centre stage in writing courses: creativity as a satisfying end in itself, rather than something that leads to huge advances and reading tours. In other words, the writers here are aware that we live in a society in which emotional and spiritual communication are being increasingly marginalised rather than being a focal part of our ways of living together. Gillie Bolton's work with GPs, for instance, is partly about the nature of doctors as family members, listeners and friends ... I can't recall the last time I read such a positive, life-affirming book on what is often called "arts in society" as if it were a concept grafted onto "reality" in some way. Some of the work here uses literary theory and some keeps the focus firmly on the practical and immediate; but what all the essays offer is a selection of fresh approaches to areas we all seem to be aware of in conversation, but rarely have the chance to develop or satisfy our curiosity. The lines of thought here are so thought-provoking that some of the investigations and enquiries should lead to more substantial work in the future. This is a timely statement of intent from all of us involved in proving that writing is not simply a kitchen table hobby for would-be novelists, but something deep and integral to the personality. It is a need and professionals in classrooms and in clinics are recognising this. I know that I shall be using some of the ideas here to add to my resources for teaching, particularly in courses on writing for community and writing autobiography, largely because the spirit of the book is about transformations. -- Writing in EducationTable of ContentsIntroduction, Celia Hunt and Fiona Sampson. Part 1 Current Practice of Creative Writing in Personal Development. 1.Writing and the Voice of the Child: Fictional Autobiography and Personal Development, Celia Hunt 2.The Self as Source: Creative Writing Generated from Personal Reflection, Cheryl Moskowitz, creative writer 3. The Web of Words: Collaborative Writing and Mental Health, Graham Hartill, Newport and Abergavenny MIND 4.`Men Wearing Pyjamas': Using Creative Writing with People with Learning Disabilities. Fiona Sampson. 5.Writing or Pills? Therapeutic Writing in Primary Health Care. Gillie Bolton, Sheffield University. 6. Final Fictions? Creative Writing and Terminally Ill People. Colin Archer, freelance writer. 7. A Matter of Life and Death of the Mind: Creative Writing and Dementia Sufferers, John Killick, Dementia Services Development Centre, University of Stirling Part 2: Theoretical Contexts for Creative Writing in Personal Development. 8.The Creative Word and the Created Life: The Cultural Context for Deep Autobiography, Peter Abbs, University of Sussex. 9. Thinking about Language as Our Way through the World: Some Sources for a Model, Fiona Sampson. 10. Writing, the Self and the Social Process. Mary Stuart, University of Sussex. 11. The Empty Word and the Full Word: The Emergence of Truth in Writing, Trevor Pateman, University of Sussex. 12.The Transformative Effect of Reading, Janet Campbell, University of Sussex. 13. Autobiography and the Psychotherapeutic Process, Celia Hunt. 14.Towards a Writing Therapy? The Implications of Existing Practice and Theory, Fiona Sampson and Celia Hunt.

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Book SynopsisWriting is a means of making sense of experience, and of arriving at a deeper understanding of the self. The use of creative writing therapeutically can complement verbal discussions, and offers a cost- and time-effective way of extending support to depressed or psychologically distressed patients. Suitable both for health-care professionals who wish to implement therapeutic writing with their patients, and for those wishing to start writing creatively in order to help themselves, The Therapeutic Potential of Creative Writing provides practical, well tried and tested suggestions for beginning to write and for developing writing further. It includes ideas for writing individually and for directing groups, and explores journal writing, poetry, fiction, autobiography and writing out trauma, with established writers and those who have taken up writing for private enjoyment.Trade ReviewOccasionally I have suggested to parents that they write down some of their thoughts and feelings in the form of a journal or a letter. Nearly always the act of writing seems to have a curious therapeutic effect. Thanks to Gillie Bolton's book, I shall be doing this more often. Gillie believes that while it is good to talk, it is even better to write. She teaches therapeutic writing to doctors, nurses, clients, prisoners, just about anybody who is interested…I am certainly going to do some therapeutic writing myself now and then, when I am ready, I shall suggest it to some of my troubled patients. If you read this book (and I think you should), you will want to be doing it too. -- Family PracticeThis is a bubbling cauldron of a book. I doubt if I have ever felt so driven to follow an author's enthusiasm to try out her ideas. Just take a sheet of paper and a favourite pen, she says, and for six minutes write whatever comes to mind. So I did, and what happened surprised me, because I hadn't really thought much of the notion. Gillie Bolton runs creative writing courses, and counsels and works as a therapist. She is convinced that writing is a true, gentle and accessible way for anyone to express themselves and that this can lead on to new understanding through rereading and perhaps revising the writing. She shows how the slowing down of thoughts to the pace of a pencil is an editing process that helps order ideas out of the internal chaos, but not one that stultifies subconscious experience from leaking out…We are shown how to get started and allow people to feel that it is not only safe but that it might also be fun, to let their pens flow across the page. Examples are given of therapeutic writing groups in prisons, hospices, among demented patients and the mentally ill, for such groups can thrive in surprising settings. Gillie Bolton runs writing groups for GP's and makes the case that, instead of a prescription, doctors could offer certain patients a pen and a blank sheet of paper and then be willing to read whatever they might write. -- The British Journal of General PracticeGillie Bolton states that she has aimed this book at those of us, including therapists, who are interested in using creative writing as a way in which we can get to know ourselves better. The author says that the book is a `straight-forward how-to guide to therapeutic writing' and that it `offers endlessly creative questions and tantalising paths to follow'…for those therapists interested in using creative writing for themselves or with their clients, this book may provide inspiration. -- British Journal of Occupational PsychologyThe book offers explicit guidance on how to engage in, and how to help others engage in, therapeutic writing. But it also offers insight into why such writing is effective as a healing agent…Bolton's books will be invaluable to a wide range of mental health workers and human potential practitioners and to people seeking a means of addressing their own suffering and aspirations for self-understanding and self-expression…an excellent addition to the reading lists of counsellor training courses, especially in connection with personal development components. Not to be missed, either, is the potential for this kind of therapy to be added to the creative repertoire of practitioners needing to maximise therapeutic benefits in a short time by stimulating client ownership of the therapeutic process. -- British Journal of Guidance and CounsellingCreative writing may seem at first glance to be a long way from nurse education, but this would be a mistaken judgement. Gillie Bolton is a published poet who has worked with a range of those who work in health care - clients, students and experienced practitioners - to develop their skills in writing for themselves. Creative writing offers a process of self-exploration which is under the control of the writer and which promotes self-healing. Her book offers ideas and inspiration whichever hat you choose to wear. All of us have sore places in personal and professional lives which are easy to ignore much of the time, but which can pop up unexpectedly and cause trouble. Nurse educators may need to revisit difficult times in their own career, and creative writing offers an easily accessible and confidential way to do this. Those wishing to find new ways of encouraging students to write diaries which are reflective in reality as well as in name will find new approaches in this book. Educators may also be stimulated to consider the ethics of the assessment of reflective diaries by comparison with the standards of a different discipline. Finally there are specific areas of health care in which creative writing can be of particular help to clients - palliative care, care of the elderly and mental health are three which feature in this book. Gillie Bolton emphasises that creative writing can not take people any further than they wish to go - unlike therapeutic talk which can sometimes result in both client and nurse getting out of their depth. Nurses who use this tool to help their patients heal themselves should therefore be careful how they discuss what has been written. Above all, those who encourage others to write creatively should first try it. So buy this book- but be warned, it can be addictive! -- Elizabeth R Perkins MA PhD Cert EdMany people find that writing their thoughts down is therapeutic. It can clarify the vague ideas and feelings wandering around in one's head and illuminate them. I can highly recommend a new book that helps with this process: The Therapeutic Potential of Creative Writing: Writing Myself. The author, Gillie Bolton, is research fellow in medical humanities at Sheffield University Institute of General Practice and an award-winning poet. She works with groups, which include health professionals, as a faclilitator. Members of the groups have found it life enhancing, healing and nurturing to express themselves in this way. Many have introduced patients, clients and students to it. Her book explores the potential of writing as therapy in a straightforward `how to' guide. It explores the use of journal writing, fiction and poetry and is full of practical ideas. -- Dr Moira Brimacombe, SheffieldThe book is eminently practical. It provides a wide range of valuable suggestions for working with clients, with groups, and for working on one's own. It is also clearly written…I would highly recommend this book as being useful, accessible and above all, written with compassion. -- Dr Christina Mason, St Josephs Hospice, LondonTable of Contents1. Introduction. 2. Therapeutic writing: How and why: The healing pen 3. Keeping a journal: `The diamonds of the dustheap'. 4. Writing openers: Unbuttoning, opening the box. 5. Images: How to find, create and use them - Echoes. 6. Dreams which put us in touch with ourselves: `The royal road'. 7. The power of poetry, fiction, autobiography: `Something hatches'. 8. Waiting to help you take control of your own life: This is my decision! 9. Writing and groups: Laugh and cry with each other. 10. Writing out trauma: A bobble hat, a pair of jeans, and Grandad. 11. Writing at the doctor's, the hospital, the hospice: Writing on prescription. 12. Writing in prison, the old people's home: `Reach for the stars'. 13. Approaches to therapeutic writing: `But who are you?' 14. Conclusions: `Thought made flesh'. Appendix: Useful contact addresses. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisIt was the author's own experience of fictional autobiography that led Celia Hunt serendipiditously to appreciate that such writing could be therapeutic. She noticed, for example, and this was subsequently echoed in many of her students' experiences, a beneficial psychological change - and increased inner freedom, greater psychic flexability (perhaps the key to creativity and psychological health), a stronger sense of personal identity. This book tells us about the hows and whys of such therapeutic change.'- AutoBiographyJournal.com'A critical examination of the therapeutic possibilities of autobiographical fiction that draws on perspectives from both psychoanalytic and literary studies.'- The Journal Of Critical Psychology, Counselling and PsychotherapyTherapeutic Dimensions of Autobiography in Creative Writing brings together theory and practice from psychoanalysis, literary and cultural studies and the growing field of creative writing studies. It highlights the importance of autobiographical writing not only as an opening into fiction writing, but also as a powerful therapeutic tool.Celia Hunt discusses how autobiographical fiction can be used in therapeutic work by art therapists, psychotherapists and creative writing tutors, as well as in personal development by writers of any kind. She draws up guidelines for a successful course on autobiography and creative writing, and presents case studies and practical ideas for writing about the self.She shows how writing autobiographical fiction can help people to explore significant events and relationships in their lives. Finding a writing voice in this way clarifies and strengthens the writer's sense of identity, leading to a fuller realisation of his or her potential in life.Table of ContentsPart I: Finding a Writing Voice. 1. The notion of `writing voice'. 2. My creative writing course - `Autobiography and the imagination'. 3. Therapeutic dimensions of finding a writing voice. 4. The dual role of the creative writing course. Part II: Fictionalising Ourselves 5. Writing and self-exposure. 6. Using oneself as a first person narrator - Sarah's story. 7. Karen Horney's theory of inner conflicts. 8. Sarah's story from the Horneyan point of view. 9. Using oneself as a fictional character - Jane's story. 10. Problems of shelving the critical faculty: A Horneyan understanding. 11. Therapeutic dimensions of fictionalising ourselves. Part III: Fictionalising Significant People in Our Lives. 12. The voices of others in our personal narratives. 13. Finding a voice for our parents and siblings. - Jennifer's story. 14. Therapeutic dimensions of the `dual voice'. 15. Finding a form for a fragmented identity - Jessica's story. 16. Becoming authors of our personal narratives. 17. Fictional autobiography and narrative therapy. Part IV: Fictional Autobiography in Self-therapy and Psychotherapy. 18. Fictions of the self in autobiography and psychotherapy. 19. The possibilities of a psychoanalytic autobiography. 20. The question of transference: Writers as readers of their own texts. 21. Writing versus speaking in therapy. 22. Fictional autobiography in self-therapy and psychotherapy. Conclusions: Tensions between `Writing as Art' and `Writing as Therapy'? Appendix: Reflections on the Research. References. Index.

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