Write On! For Wellness

 
 

Series: Arts & Health
Aired: June 10, 2021
Panelist(s): Jonathan Norton (Dallas Theater Center), Lindsay Ripley, MD (UT Southwestern Medical Center), Jaina Sanga, PhD (Author and Scholar)
Interviewer: Sonia Azad (WFAA)

How can writing impact our health? In what ways can we use writing as a creative practice to cultivate wellness?

Join us for a fascinating conversation with Author, Dr. Jaina Sanga, Professor and Practitioner, Lindsay Ripley, MD, and Playwright, Jonathan Norton discussing how writing can become a tool for wellness.

Writing Prompts from Our Panelists:

1. Think of an object you encounter frequently in your everyday life. Write from the perspective of that object. What questions is it dying to answer? What questions would it ask of you?
- Lindsay Ripley, MD

2. Think of the very last little white lie you told. Really make yourself recall it. Don't let yourself off the hook. Recall it. Now write a two person scene where you get caught in the lie and then lie your way out of it. (2-3 pages total)
- Jonathan Norton

3. Focus on describing a place. Try to describe it in a way that conveys the meaning that the place holds for you. It doesn’t have to be an exotic place. It can be an ordinary location from your daily life -your kitchen, a cafe, a street, a garden. Once you have chosen a location, do the following:

  • Link your description to the senses.

  • Highlight one emotion.

  • Establish the essence of your chosen place.

4. Describe a place from your past beginning with: “I remember…” - Jaina Sanga, PhD

Additional Resources:

Further Reading:

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