General Writing Prompts

These prompts can be used in narrative medicine groups as icebreakers at the beginning of a meeting or after reading a short piece of literature together.

“Write about the story of your name.”

This prompt works well as an introduction exercise. Have participants write for 3 minutes and then share what they wrote in dyads, in triads, or with the whole group.

“Write about one of your scars.”

This prompt also works well as an introduction exercise. Have participants write for 3 minutes and then share what they wrote in dyads, in triads, or with the whole group.

“Imitate the form of this piece of writing.”

This prompt can bring forth things from the reader and writer that surprise them and can instill a sense of confidence in new writers.

“Write about a patient whose suffering has moved you.”

This can be used as a prompt for writing that takes 20 minutes. It intends to draw attention to the fact that all narratives are written from a particular perspective that reflects individual histories, values, expectations, and social positions. Reading these stories to one another will illuminate the differences in perspectives. To further this exercise, participants can then chart notes for the patient they wrote about to examine contrasts in tone, meaning, perspective, language, and emotion expressed in a medical record versus a story.

Close Reading Pieces & Writing Prompts

The following pieces of literature are effective narrative selections to read together in narrative medicine group meetings with health care clinicians, patients, or other communities. After reading them silently or aloud, group members can consider and discuss the elements: frame, form, time, plot, and desire. Some of the suggested pieces explicitly pertain to Veteran and combat experiences, some concern health care delivery, and some are more generalized. (PDFs of pieces are included on Whole Health website.)

Veteran experience

Achilles in Vietnam, Jonathan Shay

• This entire book can be taken up by an ongoing group meeting or extracts can be drawn from it.