278 — Why we write

What is it about writing that fires up our souls? And, for those who hate it, is there any hope?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Ross D and Gemma are joined by friend-of-the-show Julie Drybrough to answer these questions.

We discuss:

• writing for work, fun and reflection
• techniques to spark creativity
• how writing in groups can give you more freedom.

Show notes

Details of Julie's 'Write Nights' series can be found on her blog at: fuchsiablueblog.wordpress.com/write-nights-at-fuchsia-blue 

Details of Dr James Pennebaker's 'writing to heal' are online at: emotionalaffair.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Writing-to-Heal.pdf 

See also: Pennebaker, J. W. (1999). Health effects of expressing emotions through writing.

And, from Positive Psychology: positivepsychology.com/learned-optimism 

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D shared that he'd started taking notes with Evernote: evernote.com 

Gemma discussed the VR app 'Notes on Blindness', based on the film of the same name: notesonblindness.co.uk/vr 

And Ross discussed The Paper Sky, by Eleanor Mansell: canterburypress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781848257672/the-paper-sky 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Julie Drybrough - @Fuchsia_Blue