Cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and tragedies affect us all, no matter our age, our position in life, or our education. We all know someone in our family or among our friends and co-workers who has suffered. And sometimes, for millions of us, we have been touched very personally. According to statistics, one out of three people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime. For those who have not experienced it directly, there is the unspoken but nagging concern that cancer might pay an unexpected visit one day. This is an unwelcome, but common, bond we share.

Even if you don’t have personal experience with cancer, you may have suffered a tragedy or loss in your life — as a victim of child abuse, crime, abandonment, or neglect, or perhaps by losing someone close to you through illness or accident.

In more than five years of teaching expressive writing techniques to cancer patients and those who have experienced a vast array of tragedies, what I have learned is simple: words can help you heal. A doctor can help heal your body, and a psychiatrist or a good friend with a soft shoulder can help heal your spirit. But, focused and directed writing about what you are going through in the depths of your soul provides a unique and sometimes immediate sense of relief. That experience can also be the beginning of a special kind of healing.

I have written this book for many reasons, first to chronicle a unique and continuing class called Writing for Wellness, and next to provide guidelines for you, the reader, to experience the healing process yourself. I also hope to inspire others to start Writing for Wellness classes in small towns and large cities everywhere.

My personal journey with cancer connects me with those of you who are going through diagnosis or treatment now as well as those who have survived both. Since my parents both died from the disease and many of my friends and family members have as well, I can also identify with the caregivers, children, and friends of the patients.

Each chapter in the book begins with some of my personal experiences. Under Healing Words my students’ writings appear in each chapter, and almost all of the epigraphs (quotations that begin each chapter) are also student-written. It’s Your Turn ends each chapter and contains ideas and suggestions, a prescription, if you will, for you to use to begin writing your own story. There is also a Jump Start section with a sentence or two to help you begin to write.

Throughout the book, I use what we in the teaching profession call the “tell-one, show-one, do-one” method of writing instruction. First, I tell you my experiences through my own writings, next I show you written examples of how others (my students) have expressed themselves on the same topic, and, finally, I ask you to do your own writing on that subject. I find the method to be easy for writers as well as so-called non-writers to follow. Students in my classes who say they used to have trouble getting started discover they can begin writing almost immediately and are eager for the next lesson.

As you go through the writing exercises, listen to your own feelings and guard them. Once you have completed a lesson, there is no need to rush to share a piece of your writing. You may want to wait until you feel very secure with another person. Or you may choose never to share some of the things you write.

Every story starts with the first word.

Enjoy the process.

Julie Davey from Writing for Wellness: A Prescription for Healing