For as long as I can remember, I have been writing. When I was a kid, I used to carry pads of paper everywhere to write stories. In sixth grade, the movie Harriet the Spy was released. Despite all the flack Harriet takes when her friends find her “spy notebook” and read it, I started my own “spy notebook” (read: journal) and never looked back. Since then, I have filled 80 journals with my daily exploits and emotions. I don’t go anywhere without my journal – it goes to friends’ houses, travels the world, and relaxes in front of the TV with me. I even met my husband when keeping a blog during my senior year of high school.
But even with all this journaling experience, I can sometimes doubt my writing capabilities. The daily grind of pen and paper can feel stale. Greta Solomon’s latest book, Heart, Sass & Soul, provides countless remedies for tired writers. The subtitle of the book is Journal Your Way to Inspiration and Happiness, and whoo, boy, let me tell you, even for someone who thought she had all her journaling needs down pat (okay, that’s a total lie, but it sounded good at the time), this book did not disappoint.
Solomon has years as a writing coach under her belt, and she brings that experience to her enlightening book. Her writing is peppered with writing exercises to help you write from the head, heart, and soul. As hokey as some writing exercises and prompts can be, I found those in this book to stir up my imagination and abilities in ways that enthralled my writing mind. After a single ten-minute session of a technique Solomon teaches called object writing, I felt as if I had tapped into some global writing consciousness that I didn’t want to unplug from. Not only has this sort of writing proven to be helpful in uncovering unconscious connections within my mind, but it’s something I will continue to use even in my fiction writing. (One day I’ll finish that book(s) I’ve been working on for five-ish years already…)
But pleasurable writing activities are not the only advice Solomon has to impart. She also offers up spiritual words of wisdom, guidance on how to be not only the author of your own journal but the author of your own life. The book offers some proposals for spiritual self-realization that never seem preachy. Solomon feels like a friend sharing her own story with you, building up your trust before advising you how to live your best life, how to sound your own voice, and how to use writing to do it.
Lovers of writing, purchase your copy of the book here!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher, Mango, for review.
