Each session began with freewriting and led into directed-writing prompts. Freewriting is a timed exercise (for our group it was five minutes) which has no prompt. It is a chance for group members to write about whatever is on their minds. As an opening exercise, it allows the group to mull over the events of the week and pulls them into writing and sharing. It helps everyone to be centered and focused. It is also a great way for the facilitators to check in with each participant without using up lots of class time. Our directed-writing prompts were based on everything from quotes and photos to objects and fairytales. The ideas for the prompts came mostly from classroom discussion. At first, the exercises were light, fun and rather impersonal (e.g., "I want to write about..." and "I don't want to write about..."). As the sessions progressed, so did the prompts. They became both more imaginative and personal (e.g., "What do you deserve from life?").

Although Janet and I wanted the students to have the chance to write about more complicated issues, we knew they needed a chance to become comfortable in the group before sharing intimate life stories. As the group became more comfortable with the process and each other, we began asking more difficult questions. The prompts required more imagination, reflection and risk. Janet and I listened very closely as the group read their "I want to write about" and "I don't want to write about" lists. Many of the students listed such topics as events in their past, bad relationships and sad stories as ones about which they didn't want to write. We never prompted the participants to write about these things. However, when we asked them to write about their dreams, hopes, self-image and memories, they touched on many of these "don't" topics.

The structure Janet and I designed was like a spiral. We began slowly and worked our way up to the riskier work. The group bonded in the same way. We couldn't have asked the more indepth questions at the beginning because the group didn't know each other and there was no trust. As the writing deepened, so did the friendships. This may be why the participants wrote about the topics they had earlier listed as off limits. At the start, they couldn't imagine wanting to share that information. On our last day, we wrote about "What I still want to write about." The lists included "the ups and downs, the heart love of my life that I have," "I want to find out what I am afraid of, guilty of and angry at," and "pain and happiness in life." One person wrote, "my poems would be about laughter, heartaches, and the joy of life... How peaceful you can feel with yourself."