Creative writing gives a sense of pleasure and achievement; it can offer new insights and be shared with others. Creative activity often enables us to regain a needed sense of autonomy and clarity in times of stress and confusion.
Below are just a few ideas that you might like to try:
Mindmaps
A mindmap can be a great starting point for creativity.
They range from the very simple (left) to a complete piece in its own right (below)
Typically you would select a theme such as HOPE and create as many associations as possible without stopping to think too deeply. Having created your mindmap you can develop the most interesting strand and explore it further. This could turn into a poem, memory, story or even a second more elaborate mindmap.Lists
Never underestimate the humble list - most of us enjoy writing lists and this familiar activity can be surprisingly powerful used in creative ways. For example a long list of moans can be a beneficial way of unburdening ourselves without burdening others. Also we often find that by writing down every single complaint we get to a point when our sense of humour or at least a little lightness creeps back in.
Difficult decisions can be made easier by dividing your paper into two columns and listing all the things in favour on one side and all those against on the other. We may still decide with the heart and not the head but the process will often give clarity.
Free Writing
What seems to be the trouble?
The idea of free writing comes under many different names but essentially it involves picking up a pen and writing continuously for a fixed length of time - say 15 minutes. It can be a great way of discovering what’s really troubling us. It doesn’t matter where you start, just keep going and see what arises.
The Unsendable Letter
Writing a letter that you don’t intend to send can be very liberating. You can convey anger, grief, despair or any other powerful but unexpressed feelings in a completely safe way. Some people read the letter aloud to an empty room, others share it, and some simply read and destroy.
Journals and Notebooks
You may carry one of these already and the benefits of keeping a notebook are well recognised. Some people say that the notebook that they always carry can seem like a friend. Our notebook can be a place for keeping a record of our experiences and enables us to go back and see how we have progressed.
Word-weaving
If you enjoy writing short fiction, try this. Choose four or five words or ideas, either things that come easily to mind or select words at random from a book. You will need at least a couple of nouns. Having chosen your words, create a story employing them all as fancifully as possible. Here is a crossword solution - these make great starting points.
