Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice [Paperback]

Laraine Herring (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 11, 2007

In this distinctive guide to the craft of writing, author Laraine Herring shows us how to tune into our bodies and connect with our emotions so that our writing becomes an expression of our full beings, rather than just an intellectual exercise. With warmth and wisdom, Herring offers a path to discovering "deep writing"—prose that is unique, expressive, and profoundly authentic. Lessons and imaginative exercises show you how to: stay with your writing when your mind or body starts to pull you away; explore the five senses in your writing; and approach your writing without judgment.

Writing Begins with the Breath will open up a whole world of creativity for people who may not have considered themselves writers before, while also providing keen insights into the craft for seasoned writers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Practical, accessible, and motivational."—The Washington Post


"A worthwhile and motivating read for all writers, whether or not they are familiar with yoga. Those who enjoy Julia Cameron's (The Artist's Way, etc.) holistic approach should similarly like Herring's work."—Library Journal

"The practice is exquisitely clear; breathe and write. This book is an excellent guide and a catalyst for that deep work, and a wise companion for the writer's journey."—SARK, author and artist of Fabulous Friendship Festival

"Laraine Herring takes you on a journey toward wholeness as a writer—she not only explores every aspect of the writing process; she also invites you to explore every aspect of your writing self—body, mind, and spirit. Anyone who writes—or wants to—will find this book as essential and inspiring as breath."—Gayle Brandeis, author of Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write

About the Author

Laraine Herring holds an MFA in creative writing and an MA in counseling psychology. She has developed numerous workshops that use writing as a tool for healing grief and loss. She is the author of Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice, Lost Fathers: How Women Can Heal from Adolescent Father Loss, the novel Ghost Swamp Blues, and the short story collection Monsoons. Her short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in national and local publications. Her fiction has won the Barbara Deming Award for Women, and her nonfiction work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She currently teaches creative writing in Prescott, Arizona.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; First Edition edition (September 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159030473X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590304730
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laraine Herring holds and MFA in creative writing and an MA in counseling psychology. She has developed numerous workshops that use writing as a tool for healing grief and loss. She is the author of Ghost Swamp Blues: A Novel; The Writing Warrior: Discovering the Courage to Free Your True Voice; Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice; Lost Fathers: How Women Can Heal From Adolescent Father Loss,and the short story collection Monsoons. Her short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in national and local publications. Her fiction has won the Barbara Deming Award for Women and her nonfiction work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is at work on a creative writing book that will be available in spring 2013, and her novella, Bone Dance, is forthcoming from The Concentrium in 2013. She currently teaches creative writing in Prescott, Arizona. Learn more about Laraine at www.laraineherring.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a new classic October 3, 2007

By Amber Polo

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'd guess the most difficult book to write is one meant to tell other writers how to write. Laraine
Herring has succeeded in writing a book for every writer's bedside table.

Beginning with the belief that your body's cells hold memory, stories, and experiences, creative
writer/teacher Laraine Herring wants every writer to write authentically. What is authentic writing?
Different for each writer - you know it when you read it.

Using story, advice, clues, and exercises, she leads writers deeper into writing. Her yoga exercises
(this is not Rodney Yee's or Patricia Walden's yoga) teach simple breathing, standing, and relaxing
techniques to allow gentle connections within your body to assist your writing process and allow your
characters to speak.

On every page Laraine's words float, flow, tumble, and surprise as she talks to you, her student, her
friend, and fellow writer. Yes, she takes risks and opens veins; Laraine practices what she teaches.

"Writing Begins with the Breath" is an important book for writers. But don't take my word; Natalie
Goldberg's publisher chose to publish it.

Amber Polo
[e-mail]
Relaxation, Writing, and Romance
Relaxation One Breath at a Time

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathe, take a body break, and write, write, write! January 14, 2008

By Suza Francina VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I am a self-taught writer. Almost forty years have flown by, but I still recall the day I triumphantly placed my first newspaper article, thick with white-out, on the editor's desk. Through sheer desperation and force of will, I managed to turn my messy pages into a sparkling published masterpiece --or so it looked to me!

Writing a book is a long, arduous journey. You will need friendly helping hands along the way. This book is one of those helping hands. It will help assure that your writing sees the light of day.

Destiny dropped this book in my lap just in the nick of time, as I am about to embark on a very personal writing adventure. When I saw the title, "Writing Begins with the Breath," for me, a yogi-writer, it was love at first sight! I thought to myself, "Just what I need!" And I was right.

Before reading the book, I visited Laraine Herring's web site. She is an award winning author and a master teacher of creative writing. She teaches workshops which use writing as a tool for healing. This book is sprinkled with lively anecdotes from her experiences as both student and teacher.

As I leaf through the book to write this review, I see underlined sentences on almost every page. "Writing Begins with the Breath" compliments the other books that encourage me down the writing path: Brenda Ueland's "If You Want to Write," Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones," Deena Metzger's "Writing for Your Life," just to name a few.

Part One, entitled "Focusing the Mind," opens with a chapter called "Risk." Herring recalls how the memoirist Michael Datcher was giving a seminar where he discussed the element of personal risk. A writer must ask herself, "What are you willing to risk to tell your stories?" She goes on to say that Datcher implied that "If we played it safe, hedged our bets, we were doing a disservice to our art. He wanted us to metaphorically slice ourselves open and see what oozed out."

In Part Two, Laraine Herring takes us into the "Deep Writing Process." Here I felt her leap out of the page and shake her finger at me like some strict English teacher. "When you don't pay attention to how scenes are sculpted, how point of view works, or how best to punctuate your sentences, the result is sloppy writing. Your inattention to detail is disrespectful to your reader and your art."

Part Three, "Embracing What and Where You Are" explores that state when you've just finished your book, and the process of letting go. Here the author reminds us that "Everything that begins, ends...Working with impermanence will deepen your writing practice."

Herring ends each chapter with "Touchstones," imaginative exercises to inspire and discipline your own deep writing practice.

The final chapter, "Stillness," brings us to a resting place, the Savasana of writing practice. Seasoned yogis may find the guidance here quite basic, but it's important to remember that the art of letting go is essential to the writing process. Here Herring quotes her yoga teacher, "The world can turn without your help for just a moment."

This spirited guide to the craft of writing has given me the tools I need to turn my messy, rambling journals into a sparkling published memoir! Thank you Laraine!!

Suza Francina is a yoga teacher, animal advocate and author of five books, including The New Yoga for People Over 50. www.suzafrancina.com

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you seek to write the next Great American Novel, then begin by reading what Laraine Herring has to say December 2, 2007

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Paperback

In "Writing Begins With The Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice" academician, creative writing instructor, and award winning fiction author Laraine Herring provides aspiring writers with a unique approach and distinctive guide to the craft of writing. The focus and message is how authors can tune into their bodies and connect with their emotions so that what they write becomes an expression of their whole being -- and not just an intellectual exercise. In "Writing Begins With The Breath" Laraine Herring has clearly practices what she's preached. The result is a text that is not only informed and informative, but inspired and inspiring. If you seek to write the next Great American Novel, then begin by reading what Laraine Herring has to say in "Writing Begins With The Breath"!