Riting Myth, Mythic Writing: Plotting Your Personal Story [Paperback]

Dennis Patrick Slattery (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2012

Riting Myth, Mythic Writing: Plotting Your Personal Story is a both a theoretical as well as interactive book on the nature of personal myth. Its intention is to offer participants who wish to explore further the terms and structure of their personal myth over 80 writing meditations that are spread throughout 9 chapters in order to guide the readers-writers on a pilgrimage into the deepest layers of their personal myth.

An added feature of the book are writing meditation responses from participants who have been part of the author's writing retreats in both the United States and Europe. Their power and authenticity attests to the strong desire and need of each of us to explore what myth guides us, what terms it does so within and what one can learn to become more conscious of those deep forces in the psyche that seek expression in all we do and are.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dennis Patrick Slattery, Ph.D., has been teaching for 42 years, the last 17 in the Mythological Studies and Depth Psychology and Depth Psychotherapy programs at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria, California. He is the author, co-author, or co-editor of 18 books and over 300 essays on scholarly and cultural topics as well as book and film reviews that have appeared in books, magazine, journals and newspapers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Fisher King Press; First edition (June 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1926715772
• ISBN-13: 978-1926715773
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.5 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 'We live in language as fish live in water.' July 8, 2012

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

For those who love the pleasure of writing, whether poetry, commentaries, letters, or essays/novellas/novels/short stories, this book is a kind companion. Dennis Patrick Slattery adds a new dimension to the way we approach the written word by sharing with us that as we write we create our own myths - a journey that is both stimulating and daunting, depending on the outlook of the writer!

Make no mistake: being a book from Fisher King Press it is bound to be in some way influenced by Jungian psychology, and that is the most appropriate way to read and to incorporate this book into your personal writing habits and introspection. Myth, as described by Slattery, is `a loom on which we weave the raw materials of daily experience into a coherent story... a mode of perceiving which may be more important to its health and growth than the subjects and objects of perception.'
The author proceeds to instruct the reader/writer in the ways that lead to exploring the nature of our personal myths. His chapter titles suggest the content: Meditations on Myth and Mythic Consciousness, Engaging the Myth that Rites You, The (W)Riting Self, Riting the Aesthetic Self: Mythopoesis, Riting the Wounded Self, Riting through the Embodied Self, Riting the Self as/and Other, Riting the Spiritual Self, and Reviewing and Riting the Patterned Self.

It is evident from the outset that Slattery views writing as a meditative process, one that not only assists us in the quality of thought progress as we puts words on the page but at the same time provides us an inlet to our own perhaps unknown or under-appreciated selves. The book is rich in examples of writing that illustrate the mythic aspects of the rite of writing. It should become a constant companion to all writers concerned with intuitive writing.... Grady Harp, July 12 Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A guide to the discovery of your personal myth July 6, 2012

By M. R. Campbell

"The latest incarnation of Oedipus, the continued romance of Beauty and the Beast, stand this afternoon on the corner of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, waiting for the traffic light to change." -- Joseph Campbell

Author Dennis Patrick Slattery's thesis in "Riting Myth Mythic Writing: Plotting Your Personal Story" is that myth is alive and well in everyone and that we can discover the metaphors, symbols and plots that encompass and shape our lives through meditative writing.

Myth, writes Slattery, "is a loom on which we weave the raw materials of daily experience into a coherent story," and it is also "a mode of perceiving which may be more important to its health and growth than the subjects and objects of perception."

Deeply influenced by the work of C. G. Jung, James Hillman and Joseph Campbell, Slattery brings a great deal of himself to this excellent guide about the story behind the curtain. With thirty-five years of experience in studying and teaching mythology and archetypal psychology, Slattery not only shares his personal explorations into his own myth, but the exercises and feedback from his mythic writing workshops.

The book's chapters explore mythic consciousness, engaging one's myth, the (w)riting self, aesthetic self, wounded self, embodied self, self as other, spiritual self and the patterned self. After a very accessible overview to each of these aspects of the self, the chapters follow with writing prompts, suggestions, and samples of other writers' responses.

Intuitive writers, including those who passionately include a great deal of their own personal stories in their fiction and nonfiction, will see at once the truth behind Slattery's thesis and approach. Years ago, author Richard M.... Eastman said that every writer discovers his outlook while writing. But, as "Riting Myth Mythic Writing" clearly demonstrates, both writers and non-writers can discover more than that: from the depths of the unconscious, they can discover the truest stories of their lives.

Throughout his book, Dr. Slattery is a wise and compassionate guide, and his well-documented observations about myth and the process of self-discovery will in very practical terms lead participating readers through meditative writing exercises that will greatly enrich their concepts of self and self-worth. Read more ›

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Typical Writing Book September 28, 2012

By Smoky Zeidel

This is not your typical writing book. Dennis Patrick Slattery has no interest in telling you how to develop fictional characters, build an interesting and compelling plot, or write the perfect climax scene.

Rather, the goal of Riting Myth, Mythic Riting is to help you uncover your personal myth. Slattery defines myth as the "loom on which we weave the raw materials of daily experience into a coherent story," and "a mode of perceiving which may be more important to its health and growth than the subjects and objects of perception."

Drawing heavily on the writings of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, the book's nine chapters contain exercises for what Slattery calls "Mediations on Writing." These are not typical writing exercises. You probably don't want to do these on a computer; they are meant to be free-form, intuitive writing (which I don't believe most people can do on a computer). They delve deep into the reader/writer's psyche, with chapters on topics like Riting the Wounded Self, Riting Through the Embodied Self, and Riting the Spiritual Self.

I loved this book. I love the exercises; while I did only a few to try them out, I intend to buy a pretty journal and actually work through the entire book, to see what old wounds I can uncover that may need healing, to see what my Spirit may reveal about itself, to relearn how to write intuitively. (I've been so involved in writing The Storyteller's Bracelet and now beginning work on The Madam of Bodie, I haven't done any sort of journaling in many years.) I believe I will learn much about myself.

No, this is not your typical writing book. But I believe it is a book that can lead writers--whether you write fiction, poetry, or blog posts--to better understand themselves.... And when you have that deep understanding, how can it not make you a better writer?

(The feds now wants books reviewers to reveal where they got their review books. I was given a review copy of Riting Myth, Mythic Writing by the publisher, Fisher King Press. I was not, nor have I ever been, compensated for my reviews.) Read more ›