Life Writing for Adolescents

Over the years the prevalence of teenage isolation and depression has become increasingly evident. Studies have shown that life writing can boost emotional health. This study's objective was to design and implement an online life writing project for teens wherein the participants were anonymous through user names. The study involved a group of ten participants ranging in age, race, socioeconomic background and writing level. The participants were recruited from foster homes, Girl Scouts, private schools, and Boys and Girls Clubs. The project was based on the craft of life writing (writing about one's life in the genre of creative nonfiction) and included exercises on expressing emotions, writing with the senses, giving constructive feedback, and the revision process. The analysis reveals that those who remained active throughout the entire project improved their ability to write expressively about their lives, give feedback to peers, and engage in the revision process. This program, therefore, can benefit teenagers on many levels, and should prove useful in and out of the classroom.