top of page

FAQ & Resources
-
I can’t handle a two-hour Zoom – it would wear me out.Try a taster event and see how it feels. This isn’t a seminar or lecture, and you're not writing for the whole time, either - You often write for only 5 minutes or so. We alternate explanations, prompts, quiet writing time, and occasional questions or discussion. People often say time passes quickly, and that they feel more relaxed, relieved, or refreshed after Zooming. Since you are Zooming from your own space, you are free to snack, to stretch and move around - just mute your mic and don’t disturb others. If we're writing when you return, your can read the prompt on the screen to rejoin the write. If you have trouble with auditory processing, note that Ruth provides slides during the Zoom that summarize all the essential instructions and prompts. If you prefer to zone out and use her voice as background music while you read the prompts, that usually works well. You can also use Chat in Zoom to clarify, or if you have questions that you don’t want to ask in the open circle. The advantage of two hours rather than one is that it gives you enough time to relax, settle, and write several prompts. Using different modes in one sitting often helps people move through emotions, sift alternatives, find more clarity, and feel satisfied with their work. Ruth sets up an arc that helps you open up an area, explore it, and wrap up. And if you don't care to write between Zooms, you can feel finished for the week.
-
I’m not a group-y person - and “sharing” gives me the creeps.This isn’t a support group or a critique group. People in the writing circle don't give feedback to each other. During each event there are chances to speak - but that is always an invitation and never an obligation. "I'll pass" is always an acceptable response. People may trade tips about methods, or what they’ve noticed about the process of writing a prompt. No one – including Ruth – EVER needs to hear or see the content of what you write. When the floor is opened for sharing and questions, Ruth moderates and responds – you have no responsibility to comment, intervene, or steer discussion back to the topic. And sharing is a small part of the session time.
-
The course sounds good – but I'm too busy to commit to 7 weeks.Lots of people who get value from structured journaling have complicated lives and lots of responsibilities. To make the course more accessible, Ruth teaches the same session on two different days each week – a weekend afternoon and a weekday evening. That gives you an alternate time slot if your usual time runs into a conflict. If neither slot works that week, you also have the option of dropping in when the next course reaches that class. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or tired when class time arrives, consider showing up just for the first ten minutes. We always begin with a “5-minute sprint,” so you can sit down and take just a few minutes to focus and write. If that’s all you feel like doing, then peace out and make up that session another time. People often find that once the sit down and pick up their pen they feel like settling in. You are always the best judge of how the work feels.
-
I’m worried about my privacy.Ruth has one unbreakable rule: WHATEVER YOU WRITE IS PRIVATE. (And we’ll discuss ways to protect or even destroy what you write, if that’s important for your safety.) You can keep your camera turned off if you prefer. Your email address and phone (for texting) won’t be shared with other participants. If you don’t want your name to EVER appear on screen, take time before your first class to create a personal profile on Zoom. Before you click on an event link to join a meeting, open your profile and change your screenname to any nickname you prefer.
-
Why write in a group setting?Having an appointment to meet can help you make the time to work - and it can relieve any pressure you feel that you should be writing more often. Having a facilitator clears away writer’s block – and being given a series of short, structured prompts can be surprisingly helpful. And sharing a facilitator is much less expensive than private time – often less than you’d pay for a haircut. Many neurodivergent people have discovered the trick of “body doubling”– simply sharing space with a friend while you both work on your own tasks. It can be easier to settle in and focus when you're aware that other people are working alongside you. You may find that’s a helpful support for you, as well. Other people in the writing circle may have tips or ideas that you'll want to try. yourself. You'll discover that there's room for many different practices and reactions. That helps affirm that there is no "one best way" to approach journaling - only you can decide from your own experience what methods serve you best.
-
I'm the odd person out in a group - people don't understand my problems, and it doesn't feel safe.For many people in this situation, guided journaling turns out to be a useful and trustworthy. tool. No matter what you are working on, it’s totally yours – no one needs to know your content or your goals, not even the facilitator. You are the author of your own words and the authority about what works for you and what you want to explore. You have the quiet support of other writers, but you don't need to tell them your business. Ruth will teach you techniques, give you guidelines for trying them out, and set up your experience. But your work is yours alone - you don’t need anyone else’s understanding or agreement to do it. You don’t need to confide intimate details, or explain why something bothers you. And you don't need to depend on someone else’s ability to maintain your privacy.
-
I don’t have time for “self-discovery” – I have problems and stresses to deal with.Finding more clarity, making better decisions, untangling messes in your life, getting relief from stresses – these are all solid reasons for using guided journaling. Many scientists, professionals, and managers use reflective writing techniques to self-monitor their work and to guide their own deliberate practice. You can also choose a taster event to work on a particular kind of problem - a stress, a relationship, a life-balance review. If you take the Journal to the Self course, Ruth will begin by encouraging you to consider whether there is some content you would like to work on as you try out the toolkit - what intentions you may have for the time you spend in the course. One beauty of this method is that every person in the circle can be working with different intentions, or even writing in different languages, without disturbing each other.
-
I'm in psychotherapy, and I don’t want a workshop that might interfere with that.Try sharing this description with your counselor or therapist, and discuss whether this work may be helpful for you at this time. Then sample a taster event and see how it feels to you. Structured journaling is not psychotherapy, and Ruth will not be giving you counseling or advice about your life or problems, so there’s no built-in competition. When Ruth is teaching you a new tool, she will mention guardrails and precautions to help you avoid feeling overwhelmed as you write.(For example, she’ll ask you to pick a topic that has *some* energy or emotion, but not one that is particularly painful or high-stakes.) A Zoom event allow you to learn new techniques and to briefly try them out. You can go on to apply the technique to more charged or painful topics when you have enough privacy, support, and emotional energy. Ruth uses techniques developed by Kathleen Adams (a Counselor) and James Pennebaker and Ira Progoff (both Psychologists). All three systems respect the variety of needs and experiences that different journalers have, and none of them trespass on the therapy relationship. With the structure of a prompt, you do your own thinking and feeling in your own privacy. People often find that their writing reinforces work they are doing in therapy, or helps them find more clarity as they explore a theme or practice new ways of thinking or perceiving. When strong feelings do emerge as you write, you can take those into your next therapy session. Many people have found that journaling is useful as a support, an opportunity to continue processing and exploring whatever they're working on with their therapist. Others use their journaling tools for purposes that are not a focus in their current therapy.
-
When I try to journal, I get overwhelmed or upset.Putting your rage on the page is one approach to journaling. Some people find that is most of what they write. Venting or vomiting strong emotions is one good use of journaling - but that's only one channel. There are lots of techniques for setting up containers and guardrails to keep your work in a productive zone where it doesn't overwhelm you. Starting with a dump of emotions can clear mental space for you to use other tools. As the only author of your journal, you are the authority who decides what you need and what is helpful at a given time. The more tools and tricks you learn, the better you’ll be able to adjust your approach to meet your needs, and to soothe yourself when you’ve done enough.
-
I’ve never been able to write every day - and I don't have time for a new chore.Sometimes people do like to write daily – but, there’s no requirement to do that, or to “keep a diary.” The Journal to the Self course is structured so you can do all your writing during the Zoom meetings, and then close your journal between sessions with no homework at all. Many people find that making a weekly appointment for a Zoom session, or signing up for one or two events a few times a year, is plenty to make a positive difference in their lives. There are many different ways you can structure your journaling. Ira Progoff named his system the “Intensive Journal” because people could come to a weekend retreat to write intensively, and then put the journal away for months or years.
-
I’m not a good writer.At these events, you are not making a product to be judged or improved, and Ruth will suggest some tricks to outrun your own Inner Critic. You write to hear your own voice, not to please or impress other people. You're not writing to produce a manuscript. We begin with simple instructions for short bursts of writing. You'll be using your pen or keyboard as a tool to let your thoughts and feelings emerge out to a page where you can see them. You'll make discoveries or work things out as you are writing, and again as you look back at what you've put onto paper. Technical skill in writing isn't relevant.
-
I freeze when I start a blank page - or I just go around in circles.Many people feel frustrated when they try journaling on their own. Ruth's techniques offer good ways to avoid these traps. There are tools for getting started without angst, and many tricks for shifting your perspectives and for using different brain modes. Any of the taster events will let you sample a few, and see how they can work together to help you explore and clarify. The 7-week Journal to the Self course teaches a varied toolkit of techniques, and has you try each one out as you learn. By the end of the course you will have many options when you feel blocked or stuck in a loop.
-
Writing by hand is hard for me.“Bad handwriting” is no problem, as long as you can read it yourself. But keyboards are fine, too! You could Zoom on your phone while you type on your laptop. Blind participants have used Braille machines to type and re-read. You could mute your Zoom audio and speak into a dictation program. Also, some of Ruth’s techniques use jotting, diagramming, or sketching instead of writing sentences in prose. You may find that some of those techniques feel easy and natural for you. Many people have had frustrations or challenges with writing or journaling, and there are often good workarounds or alternatives.
-
I prefer live, in-the-room events.Most years Ruth offers at least one live, public workshop at the Arkansas Pen Show. The 2025 Show will be March 21-23. Time slots and other details will be posted in February on this website and at the Show website, https://www.arpenshow.com/ To inquire about arranging other live events, use the CONTACT form to email Ruth.
-
Do you have a payment plan? Do you offer discounts?For the 7-week Journal to the Self Course, you can reserve a spot for $50, and be invoiced to pay the balance when the course begins. Other spaced payments can be arranged (with a surcharge to cover additional transaction fees). A few scholarships for the course may be available. Discount codes are available for taster events if you have never written with Ruth. Please use the CONTACT form on this website to email Ruth and discuss your request.
bottom of page