Example
When I was a young boy, I used to go the store for my mother and buy groceries. In the winter I would take them home on the toboggan.

Journals

Journals can be useful for many levels of writers. By giving participants the opportunity to write in a "safe, protected" place, you make them more comfortable with the writing process. Participants in the SARAW program can use the WRITE section to write their journal entries. For a more beginning writer, each entry can be saved as one document. A more experienced writer may want to save each day's journal entry as a separate document.

Treat the journal like a diary. Participants should be encouraged to write anything they want in the journal without fear of correction or judgement on your part. Journals can also be private havens for participants to express feelings and secrets. In no way should a journal be corrected, unless the participant invites you to look at his/her work and assist in editing etc. But even this should be discouraged. The journal's focus should be on thoughts and emotions not spelling and grammar. The goal here is to get the participant comfortable with the transfer of his/her thoughts onto the screen. Encourage the participant to write in his/her journal often and to record the date with each entry.

Dialogue Journals

Dialogue journals are a little different from journals because your participation is necessary for the exercise to work. A dialogue journal is a conversation on the computer. Both you and the participant write questions and answers to each other on the WRITE program. Remember to write about topics that are relevant and meaningful to the participant. Even here you do not want to edit the participant's work, however, you can model a correct usage in your next message to the participant.