Write It Out: The Journal as a Tool for Growth and Lasting Change. Journal Writing Workshops and Retreats

About Writing It Out: The Journal as a Tool for Personal Growth and Lasting Change

Anyone can keep a journal. This practice doesn't require any particular level of writing talent. We bar the doors to the critics and judges (especially those in our own minds) and have playtime with writing. That leads to some serious writing.

There are endless options and styles of journal-writing. Write It Out Journal Workshops employ kinesthetic, sensory, and other methods in combination to access multiple sources of creativity and self-knowledge.

While it may seem counterintuitive to engage in private writing with other people, we find that the writing community helps all participants go more deeply into a journal-writing practice.

The central focus of our work involves the Big Questions in our lives. We develop habits of observation, reflection, meditation, movement, and playfully creating artwork in our process of inquiry. We ultimately meet our own wisdom and develop habits to access it more often and more deeply.

Objectives:

During and After a Write It Out Journal Workshop, participants will:

Honor one’s writing practice with the gift of time, energy, focus and risk-taking.
Access deeper wells of creativity through play, using a multisensory approach to the writing experience.
Access the deep wisdom of the Self.
Begin to ask some Big Questions about our lives and share some answers, insights, or new perspectives with companions on the journey.
Establish a journal-writing practice that gently holds the writer accountable for achieving specific, measurable goals over time.
Experiment with writing as a kinesthetic exercise, or Writing with the Body.
Learn methods for "harvesting” old journals for text that will continue to sustain the writer.
Meet other reflective writers.
Use private writing in community, as contradictory as that may seem, to propel one’s practice.
Explore the possibility of sharing one’s writing, from reading aloud in the warmth and safety of the Journal Workshop to mining Journal Gems for publication.
Gather resources to support the transformation from private journal writing to writing for publication.
Establish a comfortable continuity in the practice of journal-writing in an Ongoing Journal-Writing Group.
Enter into a place filled with laughter, tears, silence, challenges, epiphanies and exuberance.
Engage in fantastic fun.
Enjoy the good food that is an integral part of our mission.

Instructions for Journal Workshop Participants

Wear comfortable clothes.
Bring a sweater or dress in layers if you are sensitive to temperature variations and indoor heating and cooling systems.
You may bring a favorite journal, notebook and writing implements if you like, but many materials for the workshop will be provided or be available for purchase.
We will begin and complete the workshop sessions promptly, in order to get the most of our time together and to respect our obligations outside the Workshop. However, no one will get a demerit for tardiness. Please come and go as you please, simply bearing in mind the concentration of other writers.
We will honor the emotions of others with our respectful silence. We will bless them with compassionate witnessing. We will not intrude with solace, advice or commiseration. We will trust process and all its mystery.
Opportunities will be offered for participants to read aloud from their writing. No one is required to do so. There will be no critique or commentary offered for those who chose to share. Other participants may discover kernels of inspiration for their own writing, while the reader gains a new dimension on hearing his words aloud.

Essential Condition for Participation: Confidentiality

By participating in this Journal Workshop, each writer explicitly and implicitly agrees to honor the CONFIDENTIALITY of all other participants.

If you disagree with this essential condition of participation, we can provide suggestions for other writing and journaling experiences you might want to investigate instead of this Workshop.

Individual privacy is sacred in our Workshop. For example, if a writer is asked a question about his or her name, profession, family, or favorite color, he or she may decline to answer, even if he or she has read out loud a deeply personal journal entry. This is a good, safe place to practice establishing that boundary. Good manners about self-disclosure are far less important than a feeling of personal safety. For some, that may mean total anonymity.

Direct questions may result in ridiculous answers, and that is the fun part of this very serious item.

Caveat about dealing with emotionally difficult material

Write It Out Journal Workshop Facilitators are very sensitive and caring people who have thought a lot about matters of the mind and heart, but they are not necessarily licensed mental health professionals. Strong emotions frequently come up during Journal Workshops; indeed, those are just what some of us are most fervently seeking. However, if you find it to be too much, simply and literally “close the book.” Gently move on to a lighter subject, or take a break. Practice self-care.

Caveat about dealing with physical activities

We may engage in some kinesthetic activities for physical comfort and in support of “play.” Please feel free to refrain from or modify any suggested creative activity or movement exercise to take best care of your own physical and emotional needs.

Customized Journal-Writing Sessions

Write It Out Journal Workshop Facilitators are available for Customized Journal-Writing Sessions for any group or organization. We can focus on themes relevant to your group, adapt exercises from the Workshop, or simply educate your group about the value of writing journals.

Individual Consultation

Sometimes journal writers need individual, private attention to achieve new insights into their Big Questions or their Journal Writing Practice. When it’s time to share the writing, Facilitators can help transform journal work into essays, articles, stories, letters to share or a component of a lifetime legacy. We can also help identify further sources of support or aspiration for Journal Writers during times of difficulty or celebration.

Contact Us If you would like to register for an upcoming event, schedule a speaking event, or simply have questions about the Write It Out Journal method.

Thanks for your interest!