Write from the Heart : Unleashing the Power of Your Creativity (Paperback)

by Hal Zina Bennett (Author) "Every once in a while someone asks me if I think there's such a thing as born writers..." (more)
Key Phrases: imaginary reader, essential wound, inner critics, New York, Mask Self, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
There are hundreds of books on the market about the writing craft. But "good writing cannot be taught by teaching craft alone," says Hal Zina Bennett, a creativity consultant, writing coach, and author of 30 books. Instead, says Bennett, people can become good writers by learning to "write from the heart." For Bennett, this involves calling upon imaginary readers, inner guides, shamans, "peak experiences," and "essential wounds." Meditating, psychic readings, channeling, and stripping away the "Mask Self" help, too. Julia Cameron (The Artist's Way) calls this book "one of the handful of real writing books." Surely, this is enough information to help you decide whether you are a good match for the book (the revised edition features a new series of "writing explorations" exercises developed from Bennett's "Write from the Heart" seminars).

Even the less spiritually inclined are likely to be intrigued by Bennett's thoughts on the storytelling tradition. The advent of the printing press, he says, caused a lamentable gulf between storyteller and listener (or reader). "When the pressures of publishers' deadlines and arguments with editors start crowding me," he muses, "I sometimes dream how great it would be to just tell stories to a small circle of friends and neighbors who've gathered around a campfire." --Jane Steinberg

Review
"...One of the handful of real writing books." - Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way"

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: New World Library; 2nd edition (March 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577311779
• ISBN-13: 978-1577311775
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #475,113 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Write From The Heart, June 13, 2003

By	Cassandra Barnes "Cassandra" (California) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Hal Zina Bennett believes that becoming a good writer involves much more than mastering the techniques, although those skills have their place. He says writing is a way to "share our humanness," and that "being true to ourselves is what gives our writing fire." In the Revised Edition of Write From The Heart: Unleashing The Power of Your Creativity, he shares the insights he's gathered over a long career as a prolific writer and creativity coach.

He delves into the sources of creativity, noting that for many people, this requires a certain amount of solitude. He then discusses language itself, saying that "it is the marriage between language and the deep mysteries of the human mind that excites me." Writers write to tap into that connection, for themselves and for others. The creativity is within--we only need to learn to recognize and utilize it.

Some people don't have the resources to have a private place of their own for thinking and writing. Bennett explains how the perfect place can be created through guided imagery. Writing can help complete the imagery and the imagery helps to make the writing possible.

Early in his career, Bennett learned that having an "imaginary reader" brings life to writing, whether fiction or nonfiction. The imaginary reader is the one special individual to whom the writer directs his words. He explains how to create an imaginary reader and use it to bring humanness and sharing into the writing.

All of us have intensely joyous times in our lives, called peak experiences, and time of deep suffering, which Bennett describes as "essential wounds." Both are a source of personal growth and creativity. Dreams are another source of creativity--sometimes they lend themselves better to stories than to interpretations.

Writing has the ability to transform the writer and the reader. In Writing From The Heart, Bennett provides the advice, exercises, and guidance that beginners and experienced writers need "to overcome blocks, unleash their inborn creative voice, and channel their creativity toward becoming happily published."

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Changed My Life, September 21, 2002

By	katherine Revoir (Mill Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Before I read Write From the Heart, I had a book trapped inside me that was screaming to be written. I've been a creative mentor for years, but never had published a book, and didn't think of myself as an author. This book helped me to find and unleash my own unique voice, and the exercises acted as guideposts along the way that kept me on track. My confidence level went from very low to very high in a short amount of time, thanks to the practical tools that Hal Bennett offers. I was able to kick out my inner critic and let my imagination knock over the blocks that had been running my inner dialog. The insights I gained from this book provided the discipline for me to keep writing and not get distracted, and I can safely say that without the help of this creative and wise man, my book would not have been finished. Not only is it finished, but as of September 2002, it is published! I am so grateful for Write From the Heart.
Katherine Q Revoir, author of the recently published book "Spiritual Doodles & Mental Leapfrogs: A Playbook for Unleashing Spiritual Self-Expression (published by Red Wheel/Weiser)

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Writing From Your Heart, May 23, 2001

By	Iris J. Stewart, author, "Sacred Woman, ... (Northern California) - See all my reviews

Hal Zina Bennett's profound advice from his prolific writing career (over 30 published books) is, "write from the heart". As wonderful as that sounds, most writers know it's not an easy thing to do. Hal takes us to another dimension by sharing his personal process and showing each of us how we can remove the blocks to our expression and creativity by learning how to speak from our heart to the heart of our reader. I can speak from my own personal experience, having attended his workshops and received personal counselling from him in the process of writing my book, "Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance: Awakening Spirituality Through Movement and Ritual". "Write From the Heart" also offers practical guidance in several areas. This includes such things as the need for solitude. However, he is not just talking about having "a quiet space", he goes beyond the physical to the inner - a state of mind. He says, "Once we know what it is, what it looks like and feels like, we can create it for ourselves, almost--I say "almost"--regardless of where we happen to be." I would certainly recommend this book to anyone writing for personal expression or looking to be published.