You Want Me to Do What?

Happy Monday y'all! Today I bring you an interview with author Lynn Goodwin. Lynn is the author of You Want Me to Do What? Journaling for Caregivers. I found this to be a wonderful book for caregivers. Be it caring for a child, a parent, a spouse, whatever your situation, journaling can really help.

About the Book:
You Want Me to Do What? Journaling for Caregivers offers encouragement, instructions, and over 200 sentence starts to help anyone start putting their thoughts on paper. Those who have tried it, love it, and Sharon Bray, the author of When Words Heal: Writing Your Way Through Cancer has said, "As someone steeped in the therapeutic value of writing during pain and loss, I think B. Lynn Goodwin's book meets a need that has yet to be addressed."

What made you start journaling?

In college I recorded events and thoughts, because I thought it might matter some day. I went back to it when my mother gave me a red, bound notebook. At first, I would copy quotes from the books I was reading for author interviews. Soon I began reflecting on how they related to my life. A year later I read Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way and began doing daily morning pages, writing three pages of longhand about anything. It cleared my mind and made way for creative thought to bubble up. My journal was a tangible, central clearing house for my brain.

What did you learn about yourself through journaling?

I learned to dig beneath my emotions and find the reasons that my negativity came up. I learned how full my life was and is by making gratitude lists. I learned that there is always more to say, and sometimes the idea that has been eluding articulation will rise to the surface in the next sentence. I learned to process events and discoveries rather than letting them slip away. I learned to write freely, without judgments. They have their place, but it is not in my journal.

How can keeping a journal help caregivers?

A journal is a safe, private place to vent, process, analyze, evaluate and rediscover love and hope. Use it to explore hopes and fears. Use it to find the dreams and love that can fade away when caregiving takes up every hour of the day. Use it to record your experience and your stress. University studies have shown that writing reduces stress and improves health. Writing saves lives. Do not underestimate its power.

Do you have any suggestions for those who are new to keeping a journal?

Write every day if you can, even if you only jot down two or three sentences. If you have no time, start with "If I had time, I would have written..."

Don't judge yourself. Remember, there are no mistakes--only new material.

If judgment gremlins creep into your mind as you write, encourage them to sit on the patio or invite them to play on the freeway. They have no business being in the same room where you are journaling.

I do journal, but often think I have nothing to write about. What should we write about when we are uninspired?

One way to start is to look around the room for a sensory image, the dim glow from a lamp with a yellow shade, the flickering of a silent television in a darkened room, the sounds of cicadas on a summer evening, or the aroma of a vanilla candle. Start by describing the sensory image and see where the writing takes you.

A simpler method is to use one of the 200 sentence starts in You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers. Finish the sentence and write the next one. You are journaling. Want to give it a try right now? Here are five sentence starts to whet your appetite:

Today, I want…

Sometimes I wonder…

It’s hard to admit…

What if…

I will always love…
If you don't want to write, try finishing the sentence out loud, but turn on a tape recorder first. That way, you'll have a record of your thoughts.

Everyone has great stories to tell, but you are not limited to stories. Make a list. Write a letter. Draw a picture. Write a poem. Who will record your experiences from your point of view if you do not?

What projects are you currently working on?

In addition to publicizing You Want Me to Do WHAT? I am working on the next issue of Writer Advice, www.writeradvice.com, running an e-mail workshop for journalers, doing a little editing, writing about my post-caregiving life in personal essays, and writing the stories of my pre-caregiving days when I was a drama teacher and director in high school and college. It's great to be busy.

Thanks Lynn for doing this interview and sharing with my readers. I wish you the best of luck with your wonderful book!