Writing Creativity and Soul - by Sue Monk Kidd (Hardcover)

About the Book

"When Sue Monk Kidd was in high school, a home economics teacher wrote a list of potential occupations for women on the blackboard: teacher, nurse, librarian, secretary. 'Writer' was nowhere to be found. On that day, Kidd shut the door on her writerly aspirations and would not revisit the topic until many years later when she announced to her husband and two children that she was going to become a writer. And so began her journey into the mysteries and methods of the writerly life. In [this book, she] will pull from her own life and the lives of other writers--Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, Harper Lee, and many others--to provide a map for anyone who has ever felt lost as a writer. At the heart of this book is the unwavering belief that writing is a spiritual act, one that draws inspiration from the soul, that wellspring of creativity between imagination and feeling. Once you tap into that part of yourself, said Maya Angelou, there are only three more things you need as a writer: something to say, the ability to say it, and, perhaps most difficult of all, the courage to say it. Equal parts memoir, guidebook, and spiritual quest, [this book] is a pilgrimage and a touchstone, a journey into the transformational force of the imagination and the creative genius that lies in the unconscious"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER - From the bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longings: an intimate work on the mysteries, frustrations, and triumphs of being a writer, and an instructive guide to awakening the soul.

When Sue Monk Kidd was in high school, a home economics teacher wrote a list of potential occupations for women on the blackboard: teacher, nurse, librarian, secretary. "Writer" was nowhere to be found. On that day, Kidd shut the door on her writerly aspirations and would not revisit the topic until many years later when she announced to her husband and two children that she was going to become a writer. And so began her journey into the mysteries and methods of the writerly life...

In Writing Creativity and Soul, Sue Monk Kidd will pull from her own life and the lives of other writers--Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, Harper Lee, and many others--to provide a map for anyone who has ever felt lost as a writer. At the heart of this book is the unwavering belief that writing is a spiritual act, one that draws inspiration from the soul, that wellspring of creativity between imagination and feeling. Once you tap into that part of yourself, said Maya Angelou, there are only three more things you need as a writer: something to say, the ability to say it, and, perhaps most difficult of all, the courage to say it.

Equal parts memoir, guidebook, and spiritual quest, Writing Creativity and Soul is a pilgrimage and a touchstone, a journey into the transformational force of the imagination and the creative genius that lies in the unconscious.

Review Quotes

"Warm and inspiring . . . Sue Monk Kidd is a treasure, and I feel lucky to have this book, a blend of memoir and thoughts on craft and writing life, to keep on my desk and read early mornings and late nights as I write something new."
--Megha Majumdar, author of A Guardian and a Thief

"A beautiful, generous gift to aspiring writers!"
--Lily King, author of Heart the Lover

"This is a magnificent book that will enrich your life whether you are a writer or not. Sue Monk Kidd is a treasure. I hope you'll read it and press it into the hands of the people you love."
--Dani Shapiro, author of Signal Fires

"A lovely read for anyone exploring creativity as a way to come to know yourself."
--Meg Waite Clayton, bestselling author of Typewriter Beach

"Her exploration of art, humanity, and the mystical realms between is a must for all writers, creatives, and seekers . . . This book is a portal to greater things. As ever, Sue is guiding us toward them."
--Sarah McCoy, New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely?

"This one is phenomenal. It is a primer for everyone who ever loved to read or loved to write."
--Adriana Trigiani, author of The View From Lake Como

"For all who are seeking creativity within themselves, for all who perhaps feel they have something to write, something to say to their families, the world, even themselves, this book encourages you, inspires you, to take that journey . . . If you are a writer, or want to be, this book is for you."
--Mary Alice Monroe, author of Where the Rivers Merge

"Sue Monk Kidd's beautiful memoir is a must read."
--Anne Burt, author of The Dig

"A deeply personal book about a life in writing -- creativity, spirituality, and growth, in Sue's unmistakably wise, generous voice."
--Christina Baker Kline, author of The Exiles

"If you are writing something or creating something, if you want to create something, if you are feeling stuck or are doubting yourself, this book is such a helpful companion. Sentences like this one are fuel that can keep you going as you slog through the thickets of creativity: "The common heart is the place of our deep and shared belonging. As a writer, I believe in this place. I find meaning in the hope that a writer's work can be a portal into it."
--Elizabeth Lesser, author of Cassandra Speaks

"A terrific book about writing a book, along the lines of Bird by Bird. It's perfect for anyone who wants to write a book, is writing a book, or has written a book."
--Fiona Davis, author of The Stolen Queen

"An absolute gem. The way this resonates with what l experienced in my own writing process of Awake. . . . Sue beautifully expresses how writing is a powerful tool for our self-discovery and personal transformation."
--Jen Hatmaker, author of Awake

"A masterful book--my new bible for creativity and soul."
--Jennifer Rudolph Walsh

"One of the greatest voices of our time."
--Kristy Woodson Harvey, author of Beach House Rules

"Beautiful. I hope everyone picks up a copy to read about the connection between creativity & spirituality. Sue is a wonderful woman, who has many insights on life and love."
--Lisa See, author of Lady Tan's Circle of Women

"A luminous meditation on making art and making a life. Sue's work has been a compass for me, and this book points true north."
--Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife

"Kidd returns with a soul-searching meditation on her journey as a writer and her approach to storytelling. . . . A lyrical read and a generous companion for writers, especially those seeking depth in the process."
--Booklist

"Kidd is one of America's most evocative memoirists of the spirit. Her new book looks back over a life of writing to explore the nature of human creativity and the urge we have not just to do something but to make something. Kidd digs deep into the archetypes of consciousness. . . . Memory becomes a box of precious finds. Kidd can write some of the lushest clauses in American prose. She can also write a simple declarative sentence. At such points of contact, writing thrills. But it can also heal the fractures in our lives. A gorgeous memoir of the creative life, designed to bring out the writer's voice in all of us."
--Kirkus (starred review)

About the Author

SUE MONK KIDD's debut novel, The Secret Life of Bees, spent more than one hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has sold more than six million copies in the United States, was turned into both an award-winning major motion picture and a musical, and has been translated into thirty-six languages. Her second novel, The Mermaid Chair, was a number one New York Times bestseller and was adapted into a television movie. Her third novel, The Invention of Wings, an Oprah's Book Club 2.0 pick, was also a number one New York Times bestseller. She is the author of several acclaimed works of nonfiction, including The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, her groundbreaking work on religion and feminism, as well as the New York Times bestseller Traveling with Pomegranates, written with her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor. She lives in North Carolina.