Writing for well-being – new book

“I have been writing a journal for many years, inspired originally by American author Julia Cameron and her enthusiasm for writing daily ‘morning pages’ and for organising a weekly ‘artist’s date’. Journaling has become a place where I can meet myself on the page as I start each day. It’s a time to pause, settle and see what is important to me right now – a chance to identify what is uppermost in my mind and what is struggling to catch my attention. My journals include free writing, lists, poems, scribbles, doodles, collages, drawings, mandalas, photos, memories, worries, intentions, dreams..... it is a place where I can express my creativity and find clarity.

“In 2020 at the start of lockdown I decided to share some of my journaling ideas with my friends online over the period of a week or so. However, we arrived at day 101 and the ideas were still flowing. Friends were sharing their responses on my FaceBook page. I started to put out a weekly video conversation, based on the journaling prompts, with my friend Anna Atkinson. People I had never met contacted me online to ask if or when a book was coming out. An unlooked for and unexpected momentum had built up – I knuckled down and thoroughly enjoyed the process of bringing my passion for creative journaling into a format that might work. Writing the book was a natural extension of my journal writing and a real pleasure.

“I have delivered a few workshops since publication and these seem to appeal to both men and women, but especially to those who have an interest in delving more deeply into the meaning of their lives.

“At the moment this is a stand-alone publication – but new ideas pop into my head constantly. This is the first book I have written – although I do have an interest in writing for well-being and have run workshops for mental health organisations, the probation service and the local hospice. I have been writing for well-being and pleasure since 2000 when I completed a masters degree in the therapeutic aspects of creative writing.”