Writing Works is a guide for writers or therapists working with groups or individuals and is full of practical advice on everything from the equipment needed to run a session to ideas for themes, all backed up by the theory that underpins the methods explained. Practitioners contribute detailed accounts of organizing writing workshops for clients. FOREWORD Blake Morrison 9(2) SOMEONE SAYS David Hart 11(1) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 12(1) Introduction 13(20) What this Book Offers and Why Gillie Bolton 13(5) Running Groups Victoria Field 18(8) Writing Therapeutically and Writing in Therapy Kate Thompson 26(7) Part One: Writing from Without 33(106) 1. Warming Up and Working Together Edited by Kate Thompson 35(21) Where are you Today? Victoria Field 37(2) Hobnobs Angie Butler 39(1) The Magician's Assistant Zeeba Ansari 40(5) Acrostics Larry Butler 45(1) AlphaPoems Kathleen Adams 46(5) Group Poem: The Making of a Group Cheryl Moskowitz 51(2) Telling Tales: Script Conference and Storytelling Exercise Kate D'lima 53(3) 2. Writing about Place Edited by Victoria Field 56(18) I Know My Place Victoria Field 59(3) A Workshop with the Theme of the Sea Judy Clinton 62(3) Riverlines Linda Goodwin 65(2) Inspiration and Serenity: A Workshop in the Outdoors Miriam Halahmy 67(2) A Corridor with Many Doors Susan Kersley 69(1) Image Explorations Myra Schneider 70(4) 3. Writing from Objects Edited by Gillie Bolton 74(23) Singing Baked Bean Tins and Other Talismanic Objects Angela Stoner 75(4) Two Creative Writing Activities: Using Plasticine and Personal Objects Fiona Hamilton 79(3) Empty Box Glynis Charlton 82(2) Roman Story; Feather and Stone Geraldine Green 84(3) Writing Self and Place Helen Boden 87(4) Feeling, Smelling, Hearing, Tasting Perhaps, But Not Seeing Gillie Bolton with Catherine Byron and Robert Hamberger 91(4) Pictures, coloured paper and pens, buttons and skulls Gillie Bolton 95(2) 4. Writing from Published Poems Edited by Victoria Field 97(26) The Dot of the I Roselle Angwin 99(3) Ways of Looking, Ways of Seeing Miriam Halahmy 102(3) In the Guest House of the Heart Sherry Reiter 105(3) How the 'Hang-Out Poets' Came to Be Patricia L. Grant 108(3) A Poem as a Beginning Fiona Hamilton 111(2) The Great Zoo Elaine Trevitt 113(3) On 'Educating the Imagination' Dominic McLoughlin 116(2) Edges, Risks and Connections: Reflections on a Workshop Led by John Fox Leone Ridsdale 118(5) 5. Writing in Form Edited by Victoria Field 123(18) Haiku Gillie Bolton 126(2) Pantoums Kate Thompson 128(3) Why Sonnets? Robert Hamberger 131(3) Ghazal: A Poem of Love and Loss Jane Tozer 134(4) Genre Gillie Bolton 138(1) Part Two: Writing from Within 139(97) 6. What People Need to Write Edited by Kate Thompson 141(17) Series of Three Kathleen Adams 142(3) 'This is the Story of My Birth...' Maria Antoniou 145(2) Voices from the Streets: The Brighton Big Issue Writing Group Dominique De-Light 147(3) Configurations of Self Jeannie Wright 150(2) Lindy's Story Kate Evans 152(3) One-to-One Creative Writing Session: Writing Emerging from Personal Spoken Experience Fiona Hamilton 155(3) 7. Different Masks Edited by Victoria Field 158(23) I am True, I am False, I am Impossible Graham Hartill 161(1) Character Creation from Self and Opposite Alison Clayburn 162(2) Head and Heart Alison Clayburn 164(3) Writing the Shadow: An Exercise for Exorcising the Demons Within Reinekke Lengelle 167(4) Two Colour Vignettes Geri Giebel Chavis 171(1) Contours of the Self: Dialogues with the Multifaceted 'I' Voices Monica Suswin 172(4) Meet Your Writer Exercise Claire Williamson 176(1) Critic Tango: A Workshop on the Inner Critic River Wolton 176(5) 8. Who am I? Edited by Gillie Bolton 181(17) Structured Diaries for Depressed Women's Self-Help Groups Irmeli Laitinen 182(2) Bursting Free: Writing and ME River Wolton 184(4) Motivating for Success Steven Weir 188(2) Two Vignettes Geri Giebel Chavis 190(2) Creating Your Mission Statement for Life and Work Debbie McCulliss 192(2) Personal Heraldic Coat of Arms Annette Ecuyer ee 194(4) 9. Life's Journey Edited by Gillie Bolton 198(14) First Thing Rose Flint 199(2) Who Wrote This? John Hilsdon 201(3) Memory Books Angie Butler 204(2) One-to-One Creative Writing Therapy Sessions Jo Monks 206(2) The Journey of Life: A Workshop with Teenage Cancer Patients Gillie Bolton 208(4) 10. Loss and Change Edited by Kate Thompson 212(18) Mending the Lives of Children: The Humfylumph Carry Gorney 214(3) Writing in Spite of Physical Barriers Judy Clinton 217(2) Exploring Childhood: Lacan and Kristeva Christine Bousfield 219(5) Dear Ray...Love Jean Kate Thompson 224(2) Writing as Evolution Briony Goffin 226 11. Conclusion: Writing Works Gillie Bolton, Victoria Field and Kate Thompson 230(6) APPENDIX 1. MAP OF THE BOOK 236(3) APPENDIX 2. CLASSIC EXERCISES 239(1) APPENDIX 3. USEFUL RESOURCES 240(2) REFERENCES 242(3) CONTRIBUTORS 245(8) SUBJECT INDEX 253(2) AUTHOR INDEX 255