Product Description

Writing the Sacred Journey shows readers how to write about spirituality and the interior life with heart and flair. It helps readers get motivated, generate materials, move swiftly through drafts, and gain confidence and ease in their writing. Writing the Sacred Journey helps readers to uncover and honor the sacred within their own life stories.

Elizabeth Andrew, an experienced writing instructor and spiritual director, gently guides readers through the spiritual writing process from concept to finished manuscript. She identifies some of the initial hurdles writers face in describing the interior, spiritual life and offers practical tips about how to overcome them.

Writing the Sacred Journey also explores themes that commonly appear in spiritual memoir, as well as the all-important issue of writing as craft. Readers will learn new and practical skills for every stage of the writing process. Sprinkled throughout the book, these thoughtful activities teach readers new writing techniques and avenues into the creative process.

Drawing from her own experience as well as that of her students, Andrew offers many useful writing tips:

• Write a little every day. Produce small bursts of solid creative material without becoming overworked or overwhelmed.

• Create writing rituals. Find a favorite pen, notebook, and chair. Light a candle. Go to the same corner café.

• Be wild and fearless. Write whatever comes. There’s always time later for focusing and cleaning up the writing.

• Find a writing community. A writing group or partner helps readers to stay motivated and keep writing.

Writing the Sacred Journey empowers readers to discover and transform their inner voices.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #564129 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 244 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781558964709
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Elizabeth Andrew is a writing instructor and spiritual director. She teaches memoir, essay, and journal writing at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Andrew is also author of Swinging on the Garden Gate: A Spiritual Memoir and has published short memoirs and essays in religious and literary journals. She lives in Minnesota.

Customer Reviews

Super helpful and thought-provoking
I found this book to be surprisingly engrossing and thought-provoking. As a writing book it felt like a best friend there to guide me and give generous advice: how to start, how to deal with resistance, and how to pick and choose from a lifetime of material. It's very accessible for beginners, but it also explores what great memoirists have done and really gets you under the hood, something a lot of the most advanced writing books don't seem able to do.

While it is a gem for the memoirist, I also feel like it's a great tool for reflection on life in general. In fact, I'm planning on giving a few copies of this book for Christmas to people who won't necessarily write a memoir; I just know they'll get a lot out of this book anyway, because of the way it stimulates a reader to explore and treasure the fullenss of their life's journey.

Robin's review
This book was excellent! The author beautifully shows you how to get your ideas, memories, and its structure on paper. She has a great amount of insight that helps you search your past and bring it forward with new perspective. This author shows you how to write your memoir from the deepest places of your soul. She instructs your writing from the heart and helps you capture moments of insight that you can weave into your writing. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to write a memoir. Very insightful, very helpful. Finally,a book that truly gets your pen to the paper and keeps it there!

The Power of Story
This book is a serious in-depth look at issues that arise when a writer sits down to write about his/her spiritual journey. Ms. Andrew takes the reader far beyond any casual considerations into the shadow and light, the pain and pleasure, the cost and reward of writing at the heart of what matters. Highly recommended for the those who understand the sacred nature of all experience. . .