TO WRITE: How Does Writing Save YOU?
I make a big claim in my book: Writing saved my life.

Other things saved my life too when I was going through years of life-threatening depressions: Medical treatment (a supportive psychiatrist, lots of meds, lots of ECT, experimental transcranial magnetic stimulation, hospital stays) also saved my life. . . and good people (my husband, my mother, a couple of great bipolar friends) saved my life. Without all three, I'm not at all sure I'd have made it.

Author Alice Walker has also been rescued by writing. She says, "Writing saved me from the sin and inconvenience of violence." Clearly, writing can aid many of us in surviving of life's most difficult trials. Some use writing to touch their spiritual core, some use it to recover from pain, others use it to plan their recovery.

Play with this. . .
Writing continuously for 20 minutes, reflect on why you write. Go deep. What would your life be like if you never did any personal writing such as journaling or crafting poems for yourself? Even if you don't find life-altering reasons for writing, you may find that writing helps you organize your thoughts and plan your day, or perhaps writing allows you to calm and soothe yourself after a difficult experience.

After you've written about writing's importance in your life, go ahead and give yourself 10 more minute (at least!) to write on what you need to write on today. . . . What's happening in my life? How am I feeling? What do I remember? What am I looking at right now? Have fun with this, and remember, this writing thing can help in very profound ways.