WA-1

WA-1- Must be posted to your blog by Monday morning, September 17.
Writing as Therapy - Emotional Release—This is an exercise not in thought but in letting go. Do not feel obligated to post a polished piece of writing. This is an exercise to stretch our writing muscles, get ready for the various writing assignments that we will tackle this year.

Here is the process you should follow:
1) Remember a particularly emotional experience. An experience that you do not completely understand or feel conflicting emotions about could prove most productive. Remember that others in your group will be reading it so make sure you’re comfortable sharing this experience.
2) Sit quietly and think about it. Think about it so much that you’re about to burst with happiness, sadness, anger, whatever emotion the experience evokes. Think of it as winding something up tighter and tighter. Or pressing harder and harder on a spring. Do this for at least 10 minutes.
3) Then explode! Explode in words! Write non-stop for 10-15 minutes, as long as it takes to get it out, to unwind the tension. A great author once said that if you don’t cry when you’re writing your readers won’t cry. If you don’t laugh or smile neither will your readers. Let whatever wants to come out, come out. If it sounds weird or scary as it comes out, let it. We will organize our thoughts during the revision process.


**Write from the heart. Don’t worry about anything but getting those feelings on paper.