Post by Old Dragon (Al) on May 23, 2004 15:43:32 GMT 1
TRPD Creative Drama/Therapy Writing Course
The TRPD Therapy Writers’ Project group is a self-help project group and, as a result of the publication of instalments of Rosebud’s story ‘In the Word of the Rose’, it has been asked to make the following details available for anyone wishing to utilise them.
Part one is simply the beginning of the course. Further modules are available for personal study or with the help of a personal tutor/facilitator – details available from writers@trpd.freeserve.co.uk and on personal application.
There is no charge for this course – expenses being covered by the voluntary contributions of those wishing to join the group and participate in its activities.
SERIES ONE - MODULE 1 – part 1
Personal Questionnaire.
This set of questions have been designed to assist students to focus on experiences in their lives from which they can draw inspiration or for explorational purposes. During each module it is up to students choosing to follow the course what they choose to reveal about themselves through their writing and will remain confidential between them and their appointed tutor/course facilitator.
There is no need to complete all questions before participating. It is entirely up to students how much they utilise the questionnaire or even if they wish to do so at all. They may simply use it for inspiration or to help focus on specific aspects as they might relate to a fictional character that they have created. However, it has been our experience that we cannot truly know others, including our fictional characters, until we begin to know our true selves. What motivates and makes us ‘tick’ – and why.
If you wish to participate, please take time to answer each question of your choice as honestly as you can and in depth – this for your own benefit. Your answers can be built upon and expanded gradually, giving you a valuable reference work which can be utilised by yourself in a variety of ways. For example, as a source of knowledge and inspiration if you are a writer, or to help you gain understanding and insight into your own or your characters’ personalities and the experiences that have influenced your own or their development.
However you choose to utilise the Personal Questionnaire, your appointed tutor/facilitator does not need to see any of your answers to these questions unless you wish to include them in pieces of work relating to the exercises suggested at the end of each module.
Part One - Childhood. (Pre-teenage years.)
1. What kind of childhood did you have?
2. What were your interests and hobbies as a child?
3. What are your happiest childhood memories?
4. What experiences most disturbed you as a child?
5. Write down any phrases or sayings that you recall as being familiar during your childhood? I.e. “Little boys/girls should be seen but not heard.
6. A) What were your feelings and how did you react or respond when hearing those phrases? B) What are your feelings now when recalling those phrases?
7. Who were the people that you most liked and most disliked as a child?
8. What particularly do you recall most about those people?
9. Did you feel loved or unloved?
10. Did you experience anything as a child that you found deeply moving?
11. What were your main fears or worries as a child?
12. What were your childhood ambitions?
13. Did you have any close friends in who you could confide as a child? What were those friends like?
14. Did you have any fantasy friends?
15. If you have siblings, how well did you get on with them?
16. If you were an only child, did you wish that you had siblings and why?
17. Did you ever run away from home or threaten to do so? Why?
18. Did you prefer to play alone or with friends? Why?
19. Were you competitive as a child and do you recall any competitive experiences, either positive or negative?
20. Did you enjoy experiencing lots of different things and adventures or did you prefer to stick with familiar pastimes?
21. Were you ever expected (or forced) to participate in any sports, games or hobbies that a parent was keen on?
22. Were their any subjects that you felt you were unable to talk about with a parent? If so, what were those subjects?
23. Did you ever feel that life was ‘unfair’? In what ways did you feel that?
24. Think of a single word that you feel completes the following sentence for you and then write a brief account of your childhood that qualifies the statement:
“I had a/an …………………….…. childhood.”
Part Two – Teenage Years
1. What kind of relationships did you have with your parents during this period of your life?
2. What were your interests and hobbies? How had they changed since childhood? What influenced the changes, if any?
3. What are your happiest teenaged memories?
4. What experiences most disturbed you at this time?
5. Write down any phrases that you recall as being familiar during this period. (E.g. “You just don’t understand!”)
6. A) What were your feelings and how did you react when hearing or using those phrases? B) What are your feelings now when recalling those phrases?
7. Who were the people you most liked and disliked at that time?
8. What do you most recall about those people? Do you still keep in touch with them and feel the same way about them now?
9. Did you feel loved or unloved as a teenager?
10. Did you experience anything profoundly or deeply moving at that time?
11. What were your main fears or worries as a teenager?
12. What were your teenage ambitions and did you achieve any during those years?
13. Did you have any close friends with whom you could confide during this period? Who were they and what were they like? Did you ever feel they had let you down or perhaps been indiscreet?
14. Did you have boy or girlfriends? If so, did your parents approve or not?
15. What do you most recall about your early sexual relationships? (Positive and negative.)
16. Did you begin working or attend college or university at this time?
17. Did you live at home with family or begin to experience independent living for the first time? What do you recall about the experience?
18. Did you marry as a teenager or live with a partner? If so, what are your most pronounced memories of that experience? Are you and that partner still together?
19. Did you become a teenaged parent? If so, do you consider that a positive or negative experience?
20. Did you enjoy or experience lots of different things, travel, adventures etc., or was your freedom restricted in some way? What experiences did you have or in what ways were you restricted?
21. Think of a few words that best describe your teenaged years and write a brief account to qualify your choices.
Part Three – Adulthood.
1. How would you best describe yourself and your most notable characteristics?
2. Do you consider yourself successful or unsuccessful? Perhaps both in different areas and, if so, examine both areas or make two lists giving examples and the reasons why you think this is so.
3. Are you content with your life or are there aspects that you wish to change? If so, what are they?
4. What experiences or events are most instrumental in you being where you are today?
5. What have you achieved in life by planning and working towards the achievement and what have you achieved my accident, good luck or misfortune?
6. Do you generally feel different from other people? If so, in what ways.
7. What are the most traumatic events that you’ve experienced as an adult?
8. What do you want to accomplish in your life?
9. Do you feel loved and appreciated or otherwise? What makes you feel as you do?
10. How do you feel about your life so far?
11. Who are the most important people in your life today and what makes them so?
12. What are your present worries or concerns? (Both tangible and intangible.)
13. What kind of people do you prefer to be with and why?
14. What kinds of people do you dislike most and why?
15. In what way has your taste in the company you keep changed since childhood?
16. Do you have any habits that you consider to be damaging to you in some way? If so, what are that and why do you feel it is so?
17. What are the most moving experiences you’ve had to date and why were they so?
18. What places have you visited that impressed you most and why was that so? What places least impressed you and why?
19. What relationships have you experienced that have had a significant effect on your life? Why do you feel this is so?
20. What do you most like or dislike about your present situation or career?
21. How and where do you most like to relax and with whom?
22. How well do you get on with your neighbours?
23. Imagine that you wish to place an advertisement in your local paper, and on your own behalf, for each of the listed columns. Write your adverts and then imagine that you are someone reading each. Write down the thoughts that the other person might have on reading your advert.
a) Work Wanted
b) Lonely Hearts
c) Miscellaneous Wants.
24. If you were to read each of the advertisements above, what would be your own reaction/response?
How would that vary from what you envisage another person’s reaction or response to be?
Continued in SERIES ONE - MODULE 1 – part 2…
© T.R.P.D – 1993
The TRPD Therapy Writers’ Project group is a self-help project group and, as a result of the publication of instalments of Rosebud’s story ‘In the Word of the Rose’, it has been asked to make the following details available for anyone wishing to utilise them.
Part one is simply the beginning of the course. Further modules are available for personal study or with the help of a personal tutor/facilitator – details available from writers@trpd.freeserve.co.uk and on personal application.
There is no charge for this course – expenses being covered by the voluntary contributions of those wishing to join the group and participate in its activities.
SERIES ONE - MODULE 1 – part 1
Personal Questionnaire.
This set of questions have been designed to assist students to focus on experiences in their lives from which they can draw inspiration or for explorational purposes. During each module it is up to students choosing to follow the course what they choose to reveal about themselves through their writing and will remain confidential between them and their appointed tutor/course facilitator.
There is no need to complete all questions before participating. It is entirely up to students how much they utilise the questionnaire or even if they wish to do so at all. They may simply use it for inspiration or to help focus on specific aspects as they might relate to a fictional character that they have created. However, it has been our experience that we cannot truly know others, including our fictional characters, until we begin to know our true selves. What motivates and makes us ‘tick’ – and why.
If you wish to participate, please take time to answer each question of your choice as honestly as you can and in depth – this for your own benefit. Your answers can be built upon and expanded gradually, giving you a valuable reference work which can be utilised by yourself in a variety of ways. For example, as a source of knowledge and inspiration if you are a writer, or to help you gain understanding and insight into your own or your characters’ personalities and the experiences that have influenced your own or their development.
However you choose to utilise the Personal Questionnaire, your appointed tutor/facilitator does not need to see any of your answers to these questions unless you wish to include them in pieces of work relating to the exercises suggested at the end of each module.
Part One - Childhood. (Pre-teenage years.)
1. What kind of childhood did you have?
2. What were your interests and hobbies as a child?
3. What are your happiest childhood memories?
4. What experiences most disturbed you as a child?
5. Write down any phrases or sayings that you recall as being familiar during your childhood? I.e. “Little boys/girls should be seen but not heard.
6. A) What were your feelings and how did you react or respond when hearing those phrases? B) What are your feelings now when recalling those phrases?
7. Who were the people that you most liked and most disliked as a child?
8. What particularly do you recall most about those people?
9. Did you feel loved or unloved?
10. Did you experience anything as a child that you found deeply moving?
11. What were your main fears or worries as a child?
12. What were your childhood ambitions?
13. Did you have any close friends in who you could confide as a child? What were those friends like?
14. Did you have any fantasy friends?
15. If you have siblings, how well did you get on with them?
16. If you were an only child, did you wish that you had siblings and why?
17. Did you ever run away from home or threaten to do so? Why?
18. Did you prefer to play alone or with friends? Why?
19. Were you competitive as a child and do you recall any competitive experiences, either positive or negative?
20. Did you enjoy experiencing lots of different things and adventures or did you prefer to stick with familiar pastimes?
21. Were you ever expected (or forced) to participate in any sports, games or hobbies that a parent was keen on?
22. Were their any subjects that you felt you were unable to talk about with a parent? If so, what were those subjects?
23. Did you ever feel that life was ‘unfair’? In what ways did you feel that?
24. Think of a single word that you feel completes the following sentence for you and then write a brief account of your childhood that qualifies the statement:
“I had a/an …………………….…. childhood.”
Part Two – Teenage Years
1. What kind of relationships did you have with your parents during this period of your life?
2. What were your interests and hobbies? How had they changed since childhood? What influenced the changes, if any?
3. What are your happiest teenaged memories?
4. What experiences most disturbed you at this time?
5. Write down any phrases that you recall as being familiar during this period. (E.g. “You just don’t understand!”)
6. A) What were your feelings and how did you react when hearing or using those phrases? B) What are your feelings now when recalling those phrases?
7. Who were the people you most liked and disliked at that time?
8. What do you most recall about those people? Do you still keep in touch with them and feel the same way about them now?
9. Did you feel loved or unloved as a teenager?
10. Did you experience anything profoundly or deeply moving at that time?
11. What were your main fears or worries as a teenager?
12. What were your teenage ambitions and did you achieve any during those years?
13. Did you have any close friends with whom you could confide during this period? Who were they and what were they like? Did you ever feel they had let you down or perhaps been indiscreet?
14. Did you have boy or girlfriends? If so, did your parents approve or not?
15. What do you most recall about your early sexual relationships? (Positive and negative.)
16. Did you begin working or attend college or university at this time?
17. Did you live at home with family or begin to experience independent living for the first time? What do you recall about the experience?
18. Did you marry as a teenager or live with a partner? If so, what are your most pronounced memories of that experience? Are you and that partner still together?
19. Did you become a teenaged parent? If so, do you consider that a positive or negative experience?
20. Did you enjoy or experience lots of different things, travel, adventures etc., or was your freedom restricted in some way? What experiences did you have or in what ways were you restricted?
21. Think of a few words that best describe your teenaged years and write a brief account to qualify your choices.
Part Three – Adulthood.
1. How would you best describe yourself and your most notable characteristics?
2. Do you consider yourself successful or unsuccessful? Perhaps both in different areas and, if so, examine both areas or make two lists giving examples and the reasons why you think this is so.
3. Are you content with your life or are there aspects that you wish to change? If so, what are they?
4. What experiences or events are most instrumental in you being where you are today?
5. What have you achieved in life by planning and working towards the achievement and what have you achieved my accident, good luck or misfortune?
6. Do you generally feel different from other people? If so, in what ways.
7. What are the most traumatic events that you’ve experienced as an adult?
8. What do you want to accomplish in your life?
9. Do you feel loved and appreciated or otherwise? What makes you feel as you do?
10. How do you feel about your life so far?
11. Who are the most important people in your life today and what makes them so?
12. What are your present worries or concerns? (Both tangible and intangible.)
13. What kind of people do you prefer to be with and why?
14. What kinds of people do you dislike most and why?
15. In what way has your taste in the company you keep changed since childhood?
16. Do you have any habits that you consider to be damaging to you in some way? If so, what are that and why do you feel it is so?
17. What are the most moving experiences you’ve had to date and why were they so?
18. What places have you visited that impressed you most and why was that so? What places least impressed you and why?
19. What relationships have you experienced that have had a significant effect on your life? Why do you feel this is so?
20. What do you most like or dislike about your present situation or career?
21. How and where do you most like to relax and with whom?
22. How well do you get on with your neighbours?
23. Imagine that you wish to place an advertisement in your local paper, and on your own behalf, for each of the listed columns. Write your adverts and then imagine that you are someone reading each. Write down the thoughts that the other person might have on reading your advert.
a) Work Wanted
b) Lonely Hearts
c) Miscellaneous Wants.
24. If you were to read each of the advertisements above, what would be your own reaction/response?
How would that vary from what you envisage another person’s reaction or response to be?
Continued in SERIES ONE - MODULE 1 – part 2…
© T.R.P.D – 1993