Customer Reviews

Writing Out the Storm: Reading and Writing Your Way Through Serious Illness or Injury

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This is an extremely sensitively and well written book about an increasingly common and yet delicate and difficult subject. While the medical specialists are doing their best to deal with the physical aspects of this unwelcome arrival into our own life or the life of a loved one, what do we do about the equally important aspect of the emotional, spiritual and psychic effects?
Using her own personal experience to provide a path to examine the many anxieties and traumas through what was an eventual successful outcome for her the author provides inspiration from famous authors and people like the rest of us that end up providing comfort, insight and even humor into a situation that once seemed simply hopeless.
It may seem awkward or even trivial to write to one of the chapter questions until after you do one but the insight,the relief and the understanding at the end can make this aspect of the book as valuable as a simple reading of an important entry into the library on this important subject.

A natural gift to oneself, friends who are on their own journey, and caregivers.

"Writing out the Storm" is an exploration of the journey through life threatening illness and the identity, meaning, joy and personal mastery that may come from it. It draws the reader in.

It has four tracks - each hope filled while reality based

1) The author's own story which wonderfully unfolds, is masterfully told, and woven together with her selections of

2) vivid descriptions from other authors and public figures who bring to bear, through their own unique presence and communications skills, the essence of steps along the journey.

3) gems of real time writing responses by her "ordinary" workshop participants. Some of which so connect with you that you find yourself reading them over, again and again.

4) Direct and sometimes playful trigger questions which invite each reader to explore their own journey and writing.

"Writing out the Storm" is a stirring read that can't be put down, yet must be put down from time to time, as it takes the reader to their core and back.

If you have any doubts just read the chapter headings and imagine the gifts to be found within each.

Barbara Abercrombie is a simply wonderful writer. One of UCLA's most
popular and gifted writing teachers the exercises in this book are
simply amazing .It is easy to understand why Ms. Abercrombie's writing
classes are always full. You will want to give this to everyone you know
who is journeying through an emotional or physical storm. At a recent
book signing people were buying 5 and 6 copies at a time. No ordinary
self- help tome, Ms Abercrombie's own encounter with breast cancer
forms the core of this book. She tells of her fear and anger, her
family's love and support, the indignity and isolation of the disease
and the eventual bonding with others in the Wellness community, where
she holds the workshops which inspired this book. She is able to capture
the humor in even the darkest moments.
You won't be able to put it down. It's a real page turner.

Writing out the Storm is a gift to all who have experienced trauma in their lives...and even those who haven't. Abercrombie's compassion, sensitivity, sincerity and humor engage the reader in a community of the famous and not so famous who have in common the hardships that life doles out. The reader finds that he or she is not alone and that there is a creative way to channel the anger, despair, loneliness, fear, and other emotions generated by serious illness or injury into very beneficial and positive energy. Abercrombie crafts the layers of this book so beautifully that she not only encourages the reader to write, but also dissolves the writer's block that discourages most of us from trying. Wonderful!!!

Writing Out The Storm by Barbara Abercrombie.Paperback 145 pages. As The title suggest you can read and write your way through the storm of serious accident,illness or injury. It provides a positive way to cope with long standing medical issues. This book is not for the casual reader.

I was drawn to it because I have Cerebral Paly and I was looking for a way to cope with the psychological effects of this. I like many people in this book want to live my life rather than being defined by a condition. I liked this book for many reasons.I was attracted by the wide variety of people sharing their situatins.I found it very helpful because the sources of the material was all given. If you want to use it as a writing/ reference book,a simple,clear structure encourages the writer and helps with those difficult blocks.It also provides a page turning story.I think it is clear I am a fan. Give it a go and good luck!

This book is easy to read, interesting and moving. It motivated me to write about my own life in a more meaningful way.

I nursed my mother through breast cancer in the 1990s and how I wish this book had been available then! Even though those years are behind me, I still found Barbara Abercrombie's Writing Out the Storm to be a wonderful and healing book for me. I really appreciate that she includes caregivers in her narrative as she describes the terror, the anger, the ups and downs, that we all experience when a loved one is diagnosed with a terrible illness. Abercrombie shares her own feelings with great honesty, humor, wit and at times anger as she takes the reader through her own journey with breast cancer from the moment the lump is found to the terror of the diagnosis to her treatment and life afterwards. I also loved her writing exercises. You don't have to be a professional writer or teacher like Abercrombie to find these simple but oh-so-important exercises useful and meaningful. I know they would have helped my mother and me when we were navigating this terrifying journey.
Even if you don't want to write about your feelings, it's so wonderful to read Abercrombie's spot-on descriptions of her emotions. So many times, I was moved to tears because, yes, this is exactly what it feels like to face Cancer head on.
She has also chosen many wonderful quotes by other writers. They are at turns poignant, laugh out loud funny, beautiful, courageous, and eloquent.
This book was very healing for me to read. It helped me, even after all these years, to feel less alone in my grief. (My mother, unfortunately, died from her cancer.) I highly recommend Writing Out the Storm.

Abercrombie, a writing teacher and cancer survivor, got the idea for this book in a workshop she taught at the Wellness Center in Los Angeles.
The theme of the workshop was "writing as therapy, a way to deal emotionally with a life-threatening illness."

Abercrombie discovered many things while leading the workshop, such as the fact that non-writers needed guides; to hear other voices telling their stories.

The group found inspiration in poetry, memoir and fiction by writers such as Stephen King, Raymond Carver, Andre Dubus, and non-writers such as Christopher Reeve and Lance Armstrong.

The author(p.xii)asks the question "Why write?" and answers, "Because dealing with your emotions on paper can be a safe and private way to expose your feelings. Because the details of your life are precious and important and not to be lost. Because writing out painful emotions can be good for your health."

She notes that James W. Pennebaker, a psychologist, did a study of university students. Two groups wrote for twenty minutes a day, for four consecutive days. One group was told to write about superficial subjects, while the other group was to write about an extremely stressful event in their life. Blood samples from both groups were tested the day before writing, after the last writing session, then six weeks later.

Dr. Pennebaker found that the students who wrote about painful, traumatic events showed heightened immune function, and also paid fewer visits to the university's health center in the following weeks.

Pennebaker asserts that "Writing helps to keep our psychological compass oriented. Although not a panacea, writing can be an inexpensive, simple and sometimes painful way to help maintain our health."

Abercrombie (p.145) offers her book as an invitation to start writing. "There is no right or wrong way to record your life, to express your thoughts and your feelings. Just begin."

The book has writing exercises, prompts, laughter, and insights from a fascinating array of people who have written about their various illnesses, injuries, and challenges. It's really a book for everyone, as we're all going to be patients and caregivers at some point in our lives.

It is also a book that can be read and re-read, and still unearth new gems of wisdom. It would make a great gift for anyone going through an illness, an emotional crisis, recovering from an accident, or for one experiencing the stresses of caregiving. Very highly recommended!

Using various writing exercises, the author shows us many creative ways to transform anger, despair, loneliness, fear, and other emotions into very beneficial and positive energy. I am using this book with my own healing from breast cancer, and it is helping me tremendously. I am also sharing some of her ideas in my "Choosing to Walk on the Bright Side" workshops with other women who are going through difficult journeys of their own.

--- Anne Marie Bennett, author of Bright Side of the Road: A Spiritual Journey Through Breast Cancer