Journaling for Self-Discovery
You may have never journaled before.
You may have journaled from time to time over the years.
You may even have a regular journaling practice.
No matter your experience with journaling,
this two-week workshop offers two experiences that may be new to you:
Writing in community
Writing from prompts
There is something empowering, nurturing, even magical about writing in community,
just being in a space where everyone is writing.
Why Journaling?
We are living through extremely unsettling times. Some of us are experiencing bursts of creativity, while others feel depleted of any creative energy. Some of us can’t sleep, while others want to do nothing much but sleep.
We are concerned about our futures, our finances, our health, our loved ones. We aren’t at all sure what we will find on the other side of this upheaval. We aren’t sure what kind of world we can help create.
Journaling is a beautiful, empowering way to look inside yourself and explore who you are and who you are wanting to become.
It’s also a way for you to simply take some time for yourself, to relax, breathe, have a quiet conversation with yourself.
Real-Time, Interactive Workshop (Zoom)
Two Thursdays:
May 11 & 18
7 – 9 pm CDT
$100
You can sign up by paying via PayPal.
I will send you a confirmation within 24 hours.
Have questions first? You can contact me HERE.
Will this be a big, impersonal workshop?
Not at all! I’ve taught this workshop for many years – in bookstores and in the living room of my Chicago apartment. I had a big basket of herbal tea on the kitchen counter and cans of sparkling water in the refrigerator. We’d sip and talk and write and share – and form a supportive writing community.
My aim is to create the same inviting, supportive atmosphere in my online workshops.
We meet via Zoom, where we can see and hear each other.
All of my workshops are live because I believe that people learn more in community than off by themselves, listening to a recording, or working with printed materials.
I’ve limited the enrollment to 10 people. Everyone will be heard; no one will be lost in the crowd.
Are you shy? Don’t worry. I promise you that this workshop will be a safe space for everyone.
Who Will Benefit From This Workshop?
This workshop is for anyone who wants to do a bit of exploring:
Writers, visual artists, entrepreneurs, single moms, people with health challenges, teachers, people in healing professions, people undergoing life transitions, stressed-out people, people looking to make a change . . .
Yes, just about everyone can benefit from the quiet reflection of journaling.
I Used to Keep a Diary. Is Journaling the Same Thing?
Not exactly. Think of it this way:
In a diary, the writer Records.
In a journal, the writer Explores.
What Will We Do in the Workshop?
We will write!
We’ll start by discussing some of the ways you can use a journal to enrich your life.
Then, each week, I will share three writing prompts with you – fun exercises that will get you thinking and feeling, talking to yourself in new and meaningful ways.
A prompt is a word or phrase that gives you a jumping-off place for journaling. My prompts are universal enough and open-ended enough for anyone to be able to jump in and explore, but they are also focused enough to keep the you, the journaler, from wandering too far afield. They have a purpose; they suggest a path to begin walking down while allowing you the freedom to go in another direction.
In other words, the prompts are suggestions, not assignments.
Don’t worry: You won’t be asked to share what you write!
But after each writing exercise, you’ll have the chance to talk about what you discovered. These group discussions are fun, enlightening, and supportive.
You will leave the workshop feeling
nurtured and enriched.
When? Where? How Much?
Two Thursdays: May 11 & 18
7-9 pm CDT
On Zoom
$100
The workshop will not be recorded.
You will have the opportunity to interact with other participants in real time, to share ideas and ask questions. And even if you choose not to talk, you will be nourished by being in the “room” with other participants.
This is so much better than receiving a recording that somehow you can never find the time to watch. And if everyone is working on their own, well, there’s no workshop.
You can sign up by paying via PayPal
I will send you a confirmation within 24 hours.
Who is leading the workshop?
My name is Pam Sourelis.
I’m a published writer (both fiction and non-fiction) and an experienced writing instructor and workshop leader. I’ve taught for DePaul and Loyola universities in Chicago, the Illinois Writing Project, Ragdale Foundation (a non-profit artists’ community), and the Masters in Writing Program of Southern New Hampshire University. I’ve independently taught writing workshops for adults for over 20 years.
I’m also a writing coach/mentor, a developmental editor, and an animal communicator.
What Former Workshop Participants Say
– Peter Varnai
– Merida Johns
I took Pam’s journal writing workshop and loved, loved, loved it. It is the gift that keeps on giving. I find it a useful practice in so many ways with benefits I didn’t even anticipate. Pam is an excellent teacher. She keeps the class on-target and engaging…and inspires you to take what you learn and grow with it. Great stuff!
– Leslie Cook
I really loved the simplicity of the prompts. They were straightforward, yet deep, offering a lot of trust to the writer.
I also loved the spaciousness of the time limits. Fifteen minutes felt really good. The time I spent writing in those sessions reminded me how much I benefit from doing this kind of writing–thinking, feeling, exploring on the page.
– April Brossard
I appreciated Pam’s deep knowledge and ability to guide us, and I learned a few things about myself through the journaling process. I loved that it was mostly experiential–writing and sharing (if we wanted). I’m also re-inspired to pick up my pen and journal a bit more often as part of my writing practice, personal growth and exploration, and whatever else turns up.
– Colleen Adrian
This is not another workshop where you just learn something and then never use the knowledge. You will actually implement the knowledge during this workshop!
Pam Sourelis has an brilliant presence, and she has decades of deep understanding of both the craft of writing and the ways of self-discovery.
– Péter Várnai
You can sign up by paying via PayPal.
I will send you a confirmation within 24 hours.
Need to ask a few more questions?
You can contact me HERE.
Not sure about signing up but want to stay in touch?
You can sign up for my weekly, mini-newsletter, Something to Consider, HERE.