Therapeutic writing

[Phyrebrat]

It’s been mentioned in the past (mostly by me in blogs I should imagine), but there have been a lot of new members recently so.

I wonder how much of your writing represents some form of therapy for you. If you’re happy to share, please do. Right now in my WIP, I realised I’m working through the recent break up of a 30 year friendship and its slow repair.

There are other things, but that’s at the forefront for me right now.

pH

 

[Vladd67]

Well I had a neighbour maliciously report us to social services, an anonymous report that was obviously from him. After we were quickly told there was no case and my wife could stop stressing and concentrate on her pregnancy at the time. I wrote a short story where the neighbour foolishly attempts to summon a demon to do his bidding but through his carelessness it goes horribly wrong and his mortal body ends up shredded whilst his soul is dragged to hell to be the demon’s slave for all eternity.

 

[Toby Frost]

Writing isn't exactly therapeutic as far as I'm concerned, but I see it as a mixture of escape from the real world and a kind of running commentary on it.

 

[Joshua Jones]

Well, I don't do much therapeutic writing for myself (mine usually involves selling sponsorships to a fundraiser, watching a princess movie with my preschool-aged daughters, or slaughtering things en masse in a turn based strategy game), but, I often encourage others to do so. I work with at-risk youth at the moment, and I like to encourage them to do creative writing as a way of processing their experiences, as well as give them a place to take a break from the difficulties of their lives. I also worked with people with disabilities to help in securing employment, and I encouraged writing as a way of building confidence and regaining their voice.

So, while I don't personally do it much, I have found it to be an excellent therapy tool for some of the populations I serve.

 

[Joshua Jones]

Well I had a neighbour maliciously report us to social services, an anonymous report that was obviously from him. After we were quickly told there was no case and my wife could stop stressing and concentrate on her pregnancy at the time. I wrote a short story where the neighbour foolishly attempts to summon a demon to do his bidding but through his carelessness it goes horribly wrong and his mortal body ends up shredded whilst his soul is dragged to hell to be the demon’s slave for all eternity.

I sense...hostility...

Not that I blame you, though. A false social services report is a big deal. It is one thing not to get along with a neighbor, but to stoop to that level...

 

[Brian G Turner]

Not so much for therapy - but I do think it's important for a writer to put as much of their life experience as possible into their work, including the difficult struggles. I think this is what it means when other writers say to be "honest" with your work.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Well I had a neighbour maliciously report us to social services, an anonymous report that was obviously from him. After we were quickly told there was no case and my wife could stop stressing and concentrate on her pregnancy at the time. I wrote a short story where the neighbour foolishly attempts to summon a demon to do his bidding but through his carelessness it goes horribly wrong and his mortal body ends up shredded whilst his soul is dragged to hell to be the demon’s slave for all eternity.

That’s horrid. Sorry to hear that. It must be very therapeutic. Also M R James would be proud of you

pH

 

[Onyx]

I don't know if I find it therapeutic since it is yet another diversion from the things I need to accomplish while being a source of stress from the standard I want to meet in the material. Very much the opposite effect of interacting on a forum or journaling/blogging. It is a heavy responsibility to get it right, for me.

 

[D3athw4lker]

Well as a newbie to the site I can honestly say I think it's an ace therapeutic tool.

Without going into massive detail I'm currently attending CBT for anxiety and they advised to do something I enjoyed at least once a day. I decided to write as I loved it when I was younger and haven't done it creatively for a while - essays and reports just don't have the same therapeutic factor, as far as I'm concerned!

I've found even the process of just sitting down, even for a couple of hours or so, in a relaxed environment and gathering my thoughts very therapeutic in itself. The possibility of using real life scenarios in a piece of writing lends further therapeutic value in the potential to analyse and work them through from various perspectives and character viewpoints. I've yet to be brave enough to really delve into this aspect if I'm honest!

While reading can be therapeutic in the escapism it provides, it is just as therapeutic for the tales which the readers can directly relate to. The ones that show them there are other people that feel the same way or be in similar situations. It can show them potential outlets and how a character/s dealt with these and provide possible avenues previously unexplored. Writing is no different. In a way it could be even stronger. A book leads the reader through a predefined sequence of events, whereas, the writer has to decide how and why those events play out.

In any case, it's pretty rewarding (if, at times, frustrating during the process) to create a piece of a world - no matter how big or small, realistic or incomparable - that you can claim as completely your own.

 

[Steve Harrison]

Writing is a form of meditation for me and allows me to escape from the real world for a few hours every week. I emerge from each session in a refreshed and positive mood, even when I've just been immersed in violence, death and destruction

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Not knowingly so....

 

[Biskit]

Therapy, no. A place to put the weird or silly crap from my life, yes.

 

[tinkerdan]

Writing from our experience; what a novel idea.

 

[Cathbad]

Writing from our experience; what a novel idea.

Yes! I write about my experiences with elves and dragons.

 

[Mouse]

You know (I think?) that I put a homophobic douchebag from the actual real world into Whitecott Manor.

In L&C I have a vegan demon who murders animal abusers. That was pretty therapeutic.

 

[Phyrebrat]

In L&C I have a vegan demon who murders animal abusers. That was pretty therapeutic.

I'm trying to think how many animal deaths I have in Sour Ground and am pleased to report that I think it will be none; animals are under the dominion of 'other' as opposed to 'man' so they're a little more charmed and protected in the WIP In fact there's a constant appearance throughout the ages, of a kingfisher which is a portent of bad things to come for humans and that even when things are going south for mankind, the animal kingdom remains blissfully unaware.

A pike does get eaten by another pike though. But that's allegorical.

Anyway, back OT I wanted to post the link to this outstanding Writing Excuses Podcast because it deals with the fear of writing and depression in particular.

Fear of Writing.

I've actually started a thread about it in GWD.

pH

 

[janeoreilly]

I try not to use writing as therapy, but I think that things that are going on in the rest of our lives leak through into the work anyway, and sometimes it is difficult to stop them. I was very ill with endometriosis through 2015/16 and the treatment was pretty horrible. It's no coincidence that the book I was working on at the time is quite an angry book with one character in particular who hates his life and everyone in it.

 

[Plucky Novice]

I find writing therapeutic but perhaps for different reasons than others have mentioned in this thread.

Last year I decided to write a novel for no better reason than I've always fancied the idea and it was a carpe diem moment so I started. Some months later I found I loved writing, so much so that it has put my day job in stark contrast. Despite a successful career, I've never aspired to anything professionally, now I do. I want to write books for a living.

For me writing has become therapeutic not because of the act itself or the content but for what it represents. The prospect of a different life.

 

[Toby Frost]

Despite a successful career, I've never aspired to anything professionally, now I do. I want to write books for a living.

I think I know what you mean. I've always regarded myself as fairly idle: it's only recently that I've realised that as far as writing is concerned, I'm pretty driven.

Forum rules prevent me going into much detail, but political developments over the last couple of years (on left and right, at home and abroad) have caused my faith in human decency to go through the floor somewhat. That didn't make me go and write a fantasy novel about a group of moderates being hunted by two varieties of fanatic - at least, not consciously - but I do wonder if I would have been so quick to do so if there hadn't been that background radiation.

 

[monsterchic]

Popping in late to say absolutely, writing has been a form of therapy for me. It's cathartic. And the stuff I write when I'm really digging deep and working through stuff is some of my best and most popular writing.