Creative writing

For many people. writing or talking about their experience can be very valuable. We welcome people sharing with their experience or thoughts through writing. We have run creative writing workshops at some of our family days, where the group work on a piece of writing together, each contributing to it. The finished results are often very poignant, powerful and a real work of collaboration.

Expressive Writing- how to get started

The following are all suggestions for ways in which you can use writing to help. Some may appeal to you more than others.

1. 5 minute workout

This is a method often used to push through writer’s block. It frees you up and can feel quite liberating. It’s often called ‘free writing’.
Nobody will ever read it. You don’t even have to read it over yourself afterwards if you don’t want to. All you need is a sheet of paper, a pen, and a timer (you can use your phone). You can start with a 3 minute workout if you prefer and if it works for you, time yourself in 15 minute blocks.
The rules are: none of the usual writing rules apply. So forget writing in sentences, punctuation, spelling, grammar. Just write down whatever comes into your head. If you feel yourself getting stuck, write down flower names or fruit or animal names. As long as your pen keeps moving across the page, you’re getting it out and that’s the aim of the exercise.
If you want to, you can read it later yourself. You’d be surprised at what comes out. A word, a phrase, a thought may strike you. If you do read it over you might like to highlight some words. It can be quite powerful to do this and might just end up as part of a poem.
2. Journalling

We usually journal in the first person. Again, it’s up to you as to whether you want to free write or follow the rules of punctuation, spelling and grammar.
For this exercise, try some journal entries in the 3rd person. This allows you to maintain a certain distance from what is, essentially your own story. It can be an interesting exercise.
Instead of e.g. “This morning when I woke the first thing I did was reach for my phone.”
This becomes “This morning when she/he woke the first thing she/he did was reach for her phone.”
Immediately it reads like a story about someone else, which again, can feel quite liberating.
3. Memories and making poetry

The Way you…
There’s a writing exercise that gives you the beginning of a sentence, then you have to finish the sentence and this sentence then acts as the springboard into a story. You can adapt this to create your own poetry from your memories.
Finishing the memory: The way you…
Putting some memories together can lead to the basis for a poem. This might be an exercise you would like to try at home or with other members of the family.
4. Letters

Writing a letter to the person who you are missing. What would you like to say to them? What would you like them to know?
5. Blogging

This can feel very cathartic and can also help you not only to ‘get it out’ but also get it out in public. It’s possible to keep your blog private but you can choose to share it. Be prepared for comments and bear in mind that you may be taken by surprise to learn that someone you know (or a stranger) is aware of whatever it is you have chosen to blog about.
Can be very helpful and some people find it has a therapeutic value, feeling that by sharing their situation and how it makes them feel, obstacles they encounter and things they find helpful, it might help other people.
There are a number of different blogging platforms on the internet where you can start up a blog for free.

When I was a child, I held seashells to my ear to hear the wind.
Echoes of the Sea.
This shell, smooth and full of time
has many stories to tell.

Fibonacci perfection, the feeling of a shark’s tooth touch.
Creamy surface becoming milk coffee pearl.
The centre whispering secrets.

The shell reminds me of being at seaside when I was a child.
I can hear the sea when I put the shell up to my ear.
It’s the sound of the sea.

Nature’s harsh carapace, helter-skelter of the deep.
Hiding sonorous oceans, once wet
with the mighty waves and within
a hermit. Who?

06/10/2018 Family Members
V.A, C.A, A.G, S.G, T.I

Stillness and tranquillity
In the mind and around me.
Sparkle in the icy ground
And blue sky above me.

Cold blue waves
Against a white curve.
Solid in my hand.
See the crystals glisten
In the passing light.

Harsh and strong.
Edges to hurt.
Colours to love.
Gentle waves on granite.
Patterns to remember,
Like memories.

Family members M.O, J.B, T.O

In a moment of stillness
I find peace in the flicker of a candle

My mum always lights a candle for my sister
She has a little shrine with a picture of her.
In this photograph, she smiles, and she looks at the photographer.

Smooth hewn turning sphere of golden magic with black filled holes.

Round, smooth and holding the fire.

The fire in my heart, flaming with desire.

So perfect- no flaws
Everything comes full circle. But when!

A smooth circle, of strong wood, never-ending- no beginning- no end, like my love for my family

Life goes on in circles; we wait for news of you; our journey has not been smooth, we keep a candle burning;

As a living tree, I wonder about all of the life that you saw pass by…

One piece of wood, looking like one globe of the world. What if the world looked like this?

Soft curving marble-lie around the hard-soft surface of the moon

In a moment of tranquillity, the globe stops revolving.
All is still, frozen in time, just like our memories

Family members and Missing People staff 2020

V.N, V.A, M.J, R.S, J.S, T.O, M.T, B.S, C.M, M.M

“Just so you know, we found a bone

As yet, identity’s unknown

There’s confirmation to be done

But it could be your missing son.

We cannot tell you very much

It’s likely press will be in touch

It’s quite important you’re aware

You could be in the public glare.

We were lucky to find this

These things are so easy to miss.

And it seems strange that this was found

Beside a tree near the playground

By a lady and her son

As they went for their morning run

They were really quite upset

We haven’t checked in with them yet.

This could mean a big breakthrough

And could be closure now, for you.

We’re sure you must feel satisfied

At least you’ll know that he has died.

We’ll let you know if it is him

Creative writing

Expressive Writing- how to get started

Poems

Seashell

Moment in Time

In a moment of stillness

The Message

Finding your way

Sharing your experience