STARTING YOUR BOOK

Rose introduces aspiring writers to their deeper selves in order to unlock the stories residing within.

The author, a veteran book editor, knows what it’s like to stare into the abyss of a blank page and feel totally lost and overwhelmed. She has compassion, she has empathy, and she has a plan. But unlike other writing gurus, who urge developing writers to forge ahead, blow through, and just get something down on the page, Rose’s approach urges all those answering the call to write to stop, become still, and connect to the heart. After all, the head is where all those nasty self-doubts and recriminations run merrily amok; best to bypass the head altogether and connect directly to the soul—or, as the author puts it, “if you try to ‘just get the words out,’ irrespective of the immensely rich inner realm inside you—then something essential will be missing: the interaction between you and that which is calling you to write.” The author stresses, in a consistently nurturing manner, that viewing the book that you desire to write as a “product” to be marketed and sold to some imagined audience isn’t going to get you there. Within Rose’s soft voice and gentle guidance are some concrete truths that are as hard as they come. “What rings true for you?” she asks in full-on earth mother mode. “If you find yourself pushing, ease up. Center back in your heart. Trust that it’s there to lead you, guide you, help you. If you don’t relate to what you’ve written, others won’t either.” Readers who carelessly dismiss little gems like that as esoteric woo-woo wrongfully applied to the two-fisted task of writing are doing themselves—and their potential readers—a real disservice. There are plenty of writing ‘boot camps’ out there that burgeoning authors can throw themselves into headlong; Rose urges her readers to instead breathe in, lead with the heart, and come to the empowering realization that there is nothing that must be forced onto those stark white pages.

A thoroughly illuminating and instructive take on the craft of writing.