Meeting Myself Coming Back
An online writing course about returning to diaries and writing again.
Thurs 9 Jan – Thurs 13 Feb 2025
Emma’s journal has been her closest friend throughout her life. A place to be herself, express herself, get stuck and unstuck, find herself, find solace and clarity. She had her first powerful moment of insight and breakthrough when journalling as a teenager and has not stopped the personal writing process since. In 2020 she began revisiting these writings (piling up high in banana boxes in the attic) to begin a process of midlife review and also knowing as a creative writer that there would be gold in there. Sure enough, re-reading every February’s journal from age 14 to 43, she wrote again, creating a new piece of work – a script-in-hand performance called Full Circle including poems and fragments of the original diaries. The process brought her new clarity and acceptance about her life and became the study for her Masters degree in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes, see her article in LIRIC journal.
Emma offers this process now as a 6 week course during which you will be supported and guided to revisit a journal of your own and make something new of it. We change all the time, we are not who we were 5, 10, 20 years ago. Returning to diaries can feel daunting yet for those of us who have kept them we know how important they are and instinctively feel they not to be disposed of lightly. So what to do with them? This course gives an opportunity to begin to look again at our diaries in a supported, guided, creative way – feeling the feelings that may arise, cultivating gentleness for self (then and now) – and re-writing our story from where we are now, an ever-changing mark. From there we can look ahead with more clarity about our diaries, our lives – and what we might want to do with both going forwards.
Every week there will be writing, discussion and self-care practice and guidance. Returning to diary material can be challenging. The course is not therapy and you will be encouraged to take care of yourself throughout the 6 weeks, giving yourself kindness, time and space to process what arises. Supported by Emma and the group you are part of, you will be guided through a vibrant, staged, creative process aimed at bringing transformation to your relationship with yourself and your words.
Week 1: Introduction – Beginning – the practicalities
Week 2: Diary-reading – Opening the book
Week 3: Reflective writing – Writing in response to first reading
Weeks 4 & 5: Writing again – Re-storying life, reconciling selves
Week 6: Conclusion – Sharing new stories, reflecting on the journey, going forwards
‘I enjoyed everything about the course. Being with a lovely group and sharing our life experiences. I loved Emma’s gentleness, how she held everything and was clear about the exercises and the aims of the course.’
‘I loved reading and working with a small part of my journal in the context of a framework, with a goal, however ‘open-ended’ that goal may have been.’
‘I enjoyed the opportunity to go back to my journal entries and be reminded of the joy and delight in the world I experienced then… It was a delight to meet myself again, I had forgotten about her and it was good to meet her again and remember.’
‘The course gave me a different angle from which to view a possible novel.’
‘A wonderful facilitator, insightful and genuinely caring. Thank you for your ideas, enthusiasm and depth.’
Thurs 9 Jan – Thurs 13 Feb 2025
2pm – 4pm
6 consecutive weeks
Pay As You Feel £150-£200 for 6 weeks
Deposit £50 to book
Instalment payment available
Further information Meeting Myself Coming Back Further Information
To book please complete Meeting Myself Coming Back Booking Form
More information contact emmadecent@talk21.com
