Writing Studio Personal and Reflective Writing

Sharing or keeping

You will decide who should read a piece, prepare it for that reader, and protect yourself and the people in it.

Do this first

Write down three possible readers for your piece: only you, one trusted person or assessor, and the public. For each, note one thing you would change or remove. Choose one reader and make those changes.

Steps

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Decide the reader on purpose
Some writing does its work in a private journal, some is written for a marker, and some is ready for an audience. Decide by what the piece is for, not by whether it feels good enough.
Keep the private draft separate from the shared version
Many students keep a private learning journal and submit a shaped extract. Choose what to include, and stay honest within the boundaries you set; authenticity does not require full disclosure.
Protect the people in it
List everyone who appears. Change names and details the piece does not need, and consider showing the draft to anyone who could be hurt or recognised. For professional reflections, remove anything that could identify a patient, client, student or colleague.
Protect yourself
Think about who might read it in five years: employers, family, admissions committees. Online posts are hard to withdraw. If a piece discloses health, family or other private matters, wait a week and reread it before you send it.
If you publish, match the venue
Read several pieces a magazine has published, follow its guidelines exactly, and check its policy on simultaneous submissions and previously published work. The Poets & Writers database lets you filter literary magazines by genre and reading period.
Keep the rest well
Date your journal entries and store them somewhere private and backed up. Reread them every few months; patterns across entries often become your next essay or reflective account.

Templates

Sharing decision

Piece: [title]
Purpose: [process an experience / meet an assessment / reach readers]
Reader: [only me / tutor or assessor / mentor / public]
People who appear: [names or roles]. Identifiable? [yes / no]. Changes made: [what]
Parts I am not ready to share: [sections to cut or keep private]
Decision: [keep / submit for assessment / share with one person / submit to a venue]

Anonymising a professional reflection

Replace names with roles: [a patient / a Year 9 student / a senior colleague]
Remove or generalise: [dates, ward or school names, rare conditions, distinctive events]
Keep: [what I did, what I thought, what I learned, what I will change]
Final check: Could [the person] or their colleagues recognise them? [yes / no]

Cover note for a literary magazine

Dear [Editor's name, or Nonfiction Editors],

Please consider my personal essay, “[Title]” ([word count] words), for [Magazine]. [One sentence on what the essay is about.]

[One or two sentences of bio: relevant publications, or simply where you live and what you do.]

[If true: This is a simultaneous submission, and I will withdraw it promptly if it is accepted elsewhere.]

Thank you for reading,
[Name]

Check your draft

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I have decided who this piece is for.
Everyone in the piece is either unidentifiable or has been considered and, where it matters, consulted.
A professional or placement reflection meets the confidentiality rules that apply to me.
I would be comfortable if an employer or family member read this in five years.
If submitting to a magazine, I have read its guidelines and some of its published work.
I know whether the venue accepts simultaneous submissions and work already posted online.
My private journal is stored where only I can access it.

In your field

Reflections are usually shared only with a supervisor or assessor, sometimes in an accredited portfolio. Professional bodies often ask for records of experience or continuing professional development later, so dated notes are worth keeping.

Common mistakes

Posting a raw piece online the same week you wrote it.
Assuming a changed name is enough when other details still identify the person.
Submitting to a magazine without reading what it publishes.
Submitting a private journal entry as an assessed reflection without reshaping it for the marker.
Treating a piece as a failure because it stays private.

Go further

Poets & Writers: Literary Magazines databaseSearchable database of nearly 1,000 literary magazines, filterable by genre (including creative nonfiction), reading period and fees.
Nursing and Midwifery Council: Written reflective accountsUK revalidation requirements for reflective accounts, including the rule not to record information that identifies another person.
University of Edinburgh Reflection Toolkit: Reflecting with othersOn sharing reflections with mentors, peers and groups, and setting boundaries on what you disclose.