The Benefits of Expressive Writing

Expressive writing has many benefits. Writing about life helps people, among other things:

• get healthy! Research shows that people who write about emotional upheavals require fewer doctor visits and are generally happier.
• combat depression! Writing a gratitude journal helps with mood. Expressing yourself lets you ditch your stress for a while.
• build their brain! People best express themselves in different ways–through words, music, movement. Some people prefer to be alone to be inspired. Others think best by talking to people. Trying a variety of writing activities can spur new ways of thinking, resulting in stronger, smarter writers!

Magination Press’s book, Neon Words: 10 Brilliant Ways to Light Up Your Writing, provides young writers with writing prompts and book-making activities to help them learn about creative writing by honoring, strengthening, and playing with their ideas and words.  Writing activities can spark imagination and allow young writers to make their writing more powerful, but they can also help kids engage with words to be more present in life and to use language arts techniques for self-discovery and emotional well-being.

Take a writing activity about antagonists, for example. In the Villainous Voices activity, writers are invited to think about a disagreement they’ve had with someone else, but from their adversary’s point of view.

In a story, the reader sides with the protagonist: the main character, the lead actor. It’s the character we find ourselves rooting for. The antagonist, on the other hand, is often the one who causes problems: the villain, the one who creates the story’s tension. They’re the character we hope gets the short end of the stick.

Have you ever read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by “A. Wolf”? (The author is really Jon Scieszka.) As the title suggests, you don’t usually hear the wolf’s take on the classic folk tale. In Wicked, Gregory Maguire writes a back story for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, giving the villain–that is, the Wicked Witch of the West–the leading role; this is a complete departure from the original.Now it’s your turn. List a few people with whom you’ve had a disagreement. People you’ve argued with. People who see a situation from a different vantage point than you. Anyone in your life is fair game:

• Your mother
• Your father
• A sibling
• Other relative
• A friend or ex-friend
• A teacher
• A pet

Think about the argument:

• Where were you? (scene)
• What happened? (action)
• What was said? (dialog)

If it helps to take notes first, or jot down key points, go for it!

Now retell that story, only this time as the person you clashed with. Invite them to speak as the protagonist. Look for the positive thinking that you couldn’t see in the heat of emotion. Be honest. What do you think motivated them–and now you?

Why would you want to do this? Writing-wise, it helps you get into the head of each of your characters to make them more complex, authentic, and honest. You want them to ring true, even if they’re fictional.

In real life, this helps you empathize with others, improving your people skills. It gives you clarity of logic, helping you better understand why people act or say what they do. You may discover that making assumptions about someone’s behavior doesn’t always give you the full truth of  a situation.

Creative writing is a powerful form of self expression that can help your child explore their feelings, experiences, and dreams, as well as build empathy for and understanding of others.

This article is a modified excerpt from Neon Words: 10 Brilliant Ways to Light Up Your Writing by Marge Pellegrino & Kay Sather.