Write for your Life

In this edition of Write Enjoy Repeat (link in bio), Shelagh remembers first writing by practicing her lettering in handwriting books and getting callouses from holding onto the pencil too tight.

Shelagh shared her written responses to the prompts which I delivered during a workshop earlier in the year (similar to the questions I ask on the podcast), and enjoyed hearing back what she wrote as she read it out. Writing gives her structure, a way to focus, to notice, to explain and to play. It’s a way to say things to herself and others.

 

Shelagh invites you to try writing because, “It’s good for you - you’ll feel better!” “You could give yourself some space inside to meet yourself and know that you’re enough.”

The prompt from this episode if you fancy trying a piece of writing is “The coming home-ness of it.” Just write those words and keep writing, see what comes. 

 

Shelagh recommends The Country Girls by Edna O’Brien.

 

Do get in touch if we've inspired you to pick up a pen either again, or for the first time. For more about my work to help people to discover, look after and  express themselves through writing, go to cpsdayoff.com.

#writingprompt #freewriting #writing #loveofwriting #trysomethingnew #writingforlife #journalling #ednaobrien

Photo by Haidan on Unsplash

In this edition of Write Enjoy Repeat, Katie talks about how she was encouraged, as a child, to write poetry by her grandmother. Writing still gives her a sense of connection to her grandmother to this day. Now she likes to write for the freedom it gives her. The element of surprise at what falls out of her head when she puts pen to paper. It gives her a great release - a place where she can “express emotion without judgement”, which is the prompt for this episode. It also gives here a sense of who she really is, a sense of identity.

Katie says you should try writing because it’s a great outlet and it gives you an opportunity to reframe and rationalise your thoughts.

The prompt from this episode if you fancy trying a piece of writing is “Expressing emotion without judgement.” Just write those words and keep writing, see what comes.

Katie is currently enjoying ‘My Friend Fear’ by Meera Lee Patel. To hear more from Katie, her Instagram is @katiedenyer_coaching.

 

Do get in touch if we've inspired you to pick up a pen either again, or for the first time. For more about my work to help people to discover, look after and  express themselves through writing, go to cpsdayoff.com.

#writingprompt #freewriting #writing #loveofwriting #trysomethingnew #writingforlife #journalling #meeraleepatel @meeraleepatel

Photo by Daniel Haaf on Unsplash

In this edition of Write Enjoy Repeat, Justine talks about how she and her schoolmates used to write letters to each other, sharing all the secret, juicy stuff.

Now she likes to write as an outlet for her interior world. As an introvert she finds it a very private and safe way to process things - a safe way to be heard. She also enjoys the creative playfulness of writing.

Justine recommends you try writing because if you’re stuck in ‘not writing’, there’s likely to be a block there, even if you’re not aware of it. She says if you give a bit of free writing a go, “You’ll be surprised by what comes up.”

The prompt from this episode if you fancy trying a piece of writing is ‘Expressing what I couldn’t say out loud...’ Just write those words and keep writing, see what comes. 

 

Justine has several books on the go, but her ‘go to’ for a quick 'part conversation/part rant' read is Caitlin Moran who is a columnist and author. Do get in touch if we've inspired you to pick up a pen either again, or for the first time. For more about my work to help people to discover, look after and  express themselves through writing, go to cpsdayoff.com.

#movember #writingprompt #freewriting #writing #loveofwriting #trysomethingnew #writingforlife #journalling #caitlinmoran

In this edition of Write Enjoy Repeat, Lee talks about how he can remember writing at an old fashioned school desk at home when he was 4. He now likes to use writing as a processing tool to get stuff out of his head.

Lee uses writing to chronicle his own life and hopes that some of what he writes might help others in the future, as well as his future self. Lee recommends you try writing because he says you can surprise yourself and discover  things about yourself and others. It helps to uncover what’s going on - getting things out and onto paper.

The prompt from this episode if you fancy trying a piece of writing is ‘spark creativity’ which is something Lee enjoys about writing. Just write those words and keep writing, see what comes. Lee’s favourite author is Douglas Coupland, Generation X is his most popular book, but Lee recommends having a look at them all and choosing one that suits you.

 

Do get in touch if we've inspired you to pick up a pen either again, or for the first time. For more about my work to help people to discover, look after and  express themselves through writing, go to cpsdayoff.com. #writingprompt #freewriting #writing #loveofwriting #trysomethingnew #writingforlife #journalling #mentalhealth #douglascoupland

In this edition of Write Enjoy Repeat, my final Movember guest Shah talks about how he came to writing a bit later in life in university where he took Creative Writing as a degree.  

 

Writing allows him to escape and be centred and really helps with his mental health; writing about how he’s feeling, his emotions, where they come from etc. Shah likes to use prompt cards to get his creativity and imagination going.

 

Shah recommends you try writing because you have nothing to lose. There is no right or wrong answer..Shah also recommends going somewhere to find your Zen, be it a nice cafe, or sitting in nature. The prompt from this episode if you fancy trying a piece of writing is ‘a blank piece of paper’. Just write those words and keep writing, see what comes. This prompt was taken from Shah’s comment “Let your flow of consciousness appear on a blank piece of paper.”

 

Shah’s favourite books are The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey.

 

Shah’s Instagram account is: @shahdust_24

 

WER ENDING

Do get in touch if we've inspired you to pick up a pen either again, or for the first time. For more about my work to help people to discover, look after and  express themselves through writing, go to cpsdayoff.com.

#movember #writingprompt #freewriting #writing #loveofwriting #trysomethingnew #writingforlife #journalling #mentalhealth

In this edition of Write Enjoy Repeat (featuring all male guests for Movember uk.movember.com), Alex talks about how he first started enjoying writing at university when he switched to an Anthropology degree and began essay writing. He enjoys writing for the sake of writing, for the pleasure of it. He enjoys the process and how it helps him to work through things, give him clarity and  shape his thinking. Overall he finds it therapeutic. 

 

Alex recommends giving writing a try because you have nothing to lose, there are no rules. You don’t know what will come out and where it will take you. He encourages people to sit down with a pen and paper and just get stuff out of your head. And this is the prompt for today “getting a load of stuff out of my head…” So write down those words and see what comes out, or follow Alex’s advice and pick something that’s been whirring around in your head and write about that.

 

Alex’s favourite book is God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

 

Here is Alex’s blog: dialmformyeloma.blogspot.com

Do get in touch if we've inspired you to pick up a pen either again, or for the first time. For more about my work to help people to discover, look after and  express themselves through writing, go to cpsdayoff.com.

#movember #writingprompt #freewriting #writing #loveofwriting #trysomethingnew #writingforlife #journalling #bernadineevariso #girlwomanother  #arundhatiroy

In this edition of Write Enjoy Repeat (featuring all male guests for Movember uk.movember.com), Mark talks about how his first memory of writing was writing a short book - complete with pictures - about a Russian scientist who went up in a rocket, but instead of going to the moon actually ended up somewhere like Clacton. He now likes to write for himself and for work, staying open to what can happen. Above all he enjoys the process of writing and sets himself up for success by having a lovely notebook that he enjoys writing in, nice pens, etc. He also gets inspiration for different writing venues, of course, when Lockdown rules allow.

He recently read and enjoyed ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Bernardine Evaristo and also  recommends Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.

 

Mark recommends you give writing a go because it’s a useful way to realise what you’re thinking about. The prompt for this episode is ‘I forgive myself before I write anything.” So if you fancy giving some writing a go, write down those words and keep writing.

If you’d like to find out more about Mark, go to https://www.arrestedart.com/.

 

Mark has taken part in Movember in the past. As a beard wearer, he allowed his goatee to grow longer and enjoyed playing around with wax to style his moustache. For more information about Movember - movement supporting men’s health - go to https://uk.movember.com/.

 

Do get in touch if we've inspired you to pick up a pen either again, or for the first time. For more about my work to help people to discover, look after and  express themselves through writing, go to cpsdayoff.com.

#movember #writingprompt #freewriting #writing #loveofwriting #trysomethingnew #writingforlife #journalling #bernadineevariso #girlwomanother  @bernadineevaristo

In this edition of Write Enjoy Repeat (featuring all male guests for Movember uk.movember.com), David talks about how he loved to read and learn as a child and entered writing competitions in comics like the Beano.

 He now writes about the criminal justice system and historic organised crime amongst other things. He also likes to write for his mental health and says that being creative is a great coping mechanism to help feel less isolated, give you a voice and release feelings. When David was in prison he did creative writing courses and found that he could be free in his mind even though he wasn’t physically. David says you should give writing a go, especially during the pandemic. He says it’s a great way to mess about with your feelings and re-frame your life.

David has a Podcast called ‘What can be’ where he talks about the criminal justice system and will also be featured in The Best New True Crime Stories: Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues & Criminals by Mitzi Szereto next year.

His favourite author is Bryce Courtenay, and David recommends ‘The Potato Factory’. If you'd like to give some writing a go today, try writing from the prompt “Imagination can take us anywhere”. Just write those words and keep writing. A few years ago, David did grow a moustache in prison along with his fellow inmates and raised around £200 for Movember. For more information about Movember - movement supporting men’s health - go to https://uk.movember.com/. For more about David and his writing, go to:

journeyofareformedman.net

And

https://www.nationalcrimesyndicate.com/taking-down-the-outfit-an-interview-with-fbi-special-agent-elaine-smith/. Do get in touch if we've inspired you to pick up a pen either again, or for the first time. For more about my work to help people to discover, look after and  express themselves through writing, go to cpsdayoff.com. #writing #Movember #mentalhealth #writingpromt

In this edition of Write Enjoy Repeat (featuring all male guests for Movember uk.movember.com), Paul talks about how he remembers first writing his wishlist to Santa Claus. Now he likes to write to check in and connect, both with himself and others. He likes to write about different ideas and points of view as well as reflecting on things he’s written when they’ve had some time to age. Paul says you should try writing because “It’s a great way to express yourself and connect with your thoughts.”

If you'd like to give some writing a try today, write from the prompt “Express yourself and connect with your thoughts.” Just write those words and keep writing. Paul will be sporting a moustache during Movember. For more info on Movember - movement supporting men's health - go to uk.movember.com.

Do get in touch if we've inspired you to pick up a pen either again, or for the first time. For more about my work to help people to discover, look after and express themselves through writing, go to cpsdayoff.com.

In this edition of the Write Enjoy Repeat podcast, Tamara talks about trying to emanate the poetry of her mother and grandmother as a child, how she now writes for work and for pleasure, though sometimes writing can be hard work when there’s a deadline involved. She said “you can’t sit around and wait to be inspired!”. But when it flows, it’s really enjoyable.. She loves to get inside the heads of the characters she creates… she said “We’re all an extension of each other” which I’ve chosen as the prompt for this edition.. Tamara says you should try writing because it can bring you joy, whether it’s a poem, a story, or a stream of consciousness.

So if you’ve not written in a while, or have never tried, write out those words, then keep writing and see where your pen takes you.

Tamara’s favourite authors are Toni Morrison (recommends Sula) and Thomas Hardy (recommends Tess).

Do get in touch if we've inspired you to pick up a pen either again, or for the first time. For more about my work to help people to discover, look after and  express themselves through writing, go to cpsdayoff.com.

Photo by Alex Gruber on Unsplash