Research Diary Prompts: Deepening the personal narrative of childhood adversity
Research and writing prompts, these prompts are focused on experiences of childhood trauma, a word of caution for those who do not want to see explicit research terms related to this topic.
My Research Diary Prompts use terms that may be distressing to readers. These terms are based on publicly available research literature in trauma and are used widely in various research databases. Please take your time in digesting, self-loving and pausing when you need a mini retreat.
Dear Beezee Bees,
Here I am building on the Seasonal Hive Curriculums in nature-based writing prompts and gentle self-paced research prompts. This little hive is slowly connecting all its elements and evolving as I settle into the season and ground myself in this type of writing practice. A research diary is more than a record of what my work that I read or observed in the field it’s a living space where curiosity meets reflexivity in my written words. Each entry becomes a small act of noticing, wondering, what sparked my interest, what challenged my assumptions, what ideas warmed my hive long after I closed the book or stepped away from the work. Here I am returning to the page regularly, I practice my attention, deepen my thinking with reflective questions, and create a traceable map of my intellectual and creative process. This week’s prompts are designed to help us stay in motion, to keep writing even when the path feels foggy, and to discover what’s quietly taking shape beneath the surface.
Reading and writing are two halves of the same creative practice one fills, the other releases. My PhD life is all about absorbing readings, reflecting on what I am reading and then transforming it into written text, in my case a thesis and academic textbooks (if you are curious my work can be found here Tutorial Ideas for Educators on the Run).
When we read, we absorb ideas, stories, words, structures, questions, and possibilities that quietly shape how we think on the page. Stories teach us how experiences are expressed; arguments teach us how ideas hold together; even a single striking sentence can change the way we understand that experience. Over time, this back‑and‑forth becomes a kind of learning, lifelong learning as reading expands our inner library, and writing transforms that influence into something distinctly our own.
Photos from of my week, sharing what I am consuming and creating.
My PhD weeks fill with readings and writing, comparing new ideas with old ideas. There is quite layering that begins to happen where new ideas brush up against old ones, reshaping them, softening them, or sometimes sharpening their edges. Each word that I encounter becomes part of an ongoing conversation, and my writing becomes the place where that conversation settles into clarity. Over time, this pulse starts to beat stronger in the wind of taking in and putting out intellectually rich hive with fragments of breaking down, recombining and nourishing whatever I am working toward next.
Photos from my week, sharing how I release what I consume and create.
I’ve learned throughout my PhD journey that when I release my thoughts onto the page, something inside me loosens too. Letting the work take shape in text feels like giving my mind permission to rewire itself a small act of neuroplasticity in action. Happening while I work. Each sentence becomes a pathway, each reflection a gentle rerouting of old pathways into new possibilities. New ambition. Writing becomes less about getting it “right” and more about allowing my inner hive move, learn and grow in ways it couldn’t if I kept everything contained inside.
Time to pause and take a mini retreat.
This photo is a reminder I need to bring mini retreats into my days.
Research Prompts
I wanted to share some research prompts with writers, particularly those who are new to the concept of researching the field. These research prompts are focused on experiences of trauma. Something personal. Something sensitive that needs care and compassion. They are a part of a framework of understanding trauma and reflection is part of the researching journey, that I use in my research, these prompts are focusing on childhood trauma.
For this section you will need to open up Google Scholar. If you have missed it, no worries, here is a recap, head over to this publication below:
What you will need:
The journey unfolds in the following way:
First, write the question and the keywords into your research diary.
Then, read and write as much as you like.
Stay, even when you feel your thoughts drift, with the question if you can, the mind tends to wonder off track when interesting articles fill your screen, be gentle with yourself, be kind to yourself, get lost in some insightful research rabbit holes.
Research prompt 1, What narratives about childhood trauma appear most often in the literature? Research keywords to search: childhood adversity, adolescent trauma and substance abuse.
Research prompt 2, How do they shape public understanding of the experiences? Research keywords to search: media coverage of child abuse cases, attitudes and child abuse.
Research prompt 3, How do cultural, social, or family systems impact on childhood trauma? Research keywords to search: domestic violence and child abuse.
Reflective Writing Prompts
These reflective writing prompts are more about reflection on reading and own experiences and less about your writing development, but the two are interconnected. These prompts are guided by a simple model developed by Rolfe et. al. (2021) to scaffold deepens your process of understanding and move into reflexivity: What? So what? Now what? I shared a very brief introduction to the model in Humming the power of inner thoughts - by Katerina Schmitt.
I have used this model to reflect on my experiences in a recent chapter that is currently with the book editorial team (I will share a link once it is available to the general public).
Firsts ask about, What? What readings did you find, save and decided are worth keeping? What is the theme?
Second, ask yourself, So what? Write the moment when you were reading, the framing of childhood trauma changed for view. What changed in your thinking? So, what, why did it matter to you?
Thirdly, ask yourself, Now what? How do these readings align or not align with your personal experience?
One of my research diaries where I document my thoughts, ideas and reflections.
Honouring the Experience
Transform this into something meaningful to you:
a blog,
a journal entry note,
a gentle letter to self,
or a quite reflection in nature with a cup of tea (or coffee) or whatever comfort delicious drink you desire.
When I sit with what I’ve learned, I try to honour it by giving it space to breathe before I turn it into something shareable. I find when releasing these reflections into words, I’m not just documenting the learning; I’m transforming my inner hive.
On a closing note, this little hive is building a community of writers, knowers, thinkers and lifelong learners. A gentle invitation if you’d like to keep exploring these writing practices together with a community, you’re warmly welcome to join the Hive Writing Group on Fridays, a space to share pages, ask questions, and grow alongside of other who are also finding their way through the work.
If you have been stung by some learning mojo energy and wish to keep buzzing through my articles, here are some you may like to discover:
You articulate this art so beautifully and coherently... it's a pleasure to read ☺️