Writing the Shadow
Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words (Writing Craft Books)
by Joanna Penn
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Description
Awards & Endorsements
Related Titles
Writing the Shadow
Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words (Writing Craft Books)
The Creative Penn Limited
Self-Help · General Nonfiction
About the Book
Do you want to connect with readers on a deeper level?
Do you want your books to stand out in a sea of content by being authentic and personal in your writing whatever the genre?
Are you interested in creative self-development?
If yes, Writing the Shadow is for you.
This is a book of my heart and it contains many personal stories — but this book is really about helping you reach readers with your words — and move to the next level in your writing.
Because we all long to write boldly, without filters or fear.
To spin stories that capture the messy beauty of what it means to be human. Tales that lay bare the truth of living — darkness and all.
But something holds us back.
Whispers of “Who do you think you are?” and “You don’t have permission to write that.” Our own self-censorship and the judgment of others keep us from writing freely — and sometimes, from living fully.
But all great art taps into darkness, and your most compelling work emerges when you embrace your full humanity—both light and Shadow.
In Writing the Shadow, I’ll guide you on an intimate journey to explore the darkness and discover the gold lying hidden in its depths. Gold that may be the source of your best creative work in the years ahead.
The Shadow is calling. It’s time to turn your inner darkness into words.
What's in the book?
Part 1 goes into the various ways you can tap into your Shadow. Since it lies in the unconscious, you cannot approach it directly. You need tools to help reveal it in different ways.
You will find ideas here — ranging from personality assessments and identifying Shadow personas to mining your own writing and exploring your true curiosity — as well as ways to protect yourself so you don’t get lost in the dark.
Part 2 explores how the Shadow manifests in various aspects of our lives. I discuss the creative wound and how it may still be holding you back in your writing life, as well as aspects of traditional and self-publishing, then expand into work and money, family and relationships, religion and culture, the physical body and aging, death and dying.
Part 3 explores ways that you can find the gold in your Shadow, and turn your inner darkness into words<...
Current Licenses
World Wide Rights Available
Awards & Endorsements
Review
Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art
"Writing the Shadow is so much more than a book. It's a compilation of self-healing practices, a workbook of soul-searching questions, an annotated reading list, and a generous personal history in which the author reveals her own "dark little heart." Holding our hand, Penn faces fear- lessly into shadows of all shapes and colours, and shows how venturing into the heart of darkness is necessary for any writer who wants to shine a light."
Orna Ross, novelist, poet and founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors
"No matter what stage of your writing adventure you're in, this book will be a guide through some of the toughest parts of the journey. Penn's work shines, not just as a great aid to writers, but as a stunningly brave look inside the mind of one of the best writers around."
Michaelbrent Collings, #1 bestseller and multiple Bram Stoker Award finalist
"If you want to go authentically deep into your writing, you must to be brave enough to look into the shadows you bring to the page (whether you mean to or not). With kindness, honesty, and courage, Joanna Penn shows you how to do it in Writing the Shadow, a book every writer should keep close at hand."
Rachael Herron, novelist, memoirist, and bestselling author of Fast-Draft Your Memoir
"You cannot fulfill your potential as a writer unless you face - and embrace - your Shadow. Joanna Penn is the perfect guide through the darkness, having trodden the path in her own writer's quest. Writing the Shadow will light the way to the treasure in your own inner labyrinth."
Mark McGuinness, Poet and Creative Coach