Writing from the Heart: Tapping the Power of Your Inner Voice

Because writing is such an individual experience, the best writing books are personal. That's why Nancy Slonim Aronie, a National Public Radio commentator and the founder of a Martha's Vineyard writers' workshop, spends as much time discussing her own writing process, and her moments of triumph and rejection, as she does giving advice on writing itself. She offers pointers on certain general topics, such as creating a point of view and finding a sense of discipline, but because you can only learn writing by doing it, she also provides a variety of creativity expanding exercises, such as "Write about a time you felt one way and acted another." As Aronie writes, "Teachers can guide, nudge, give examples, inspire, show some mechanics, teach a few rules (then encourage that they be broken), point out a few organizational skills. But basically, writing is about accessing the gold mine sitting inside each and every one of you."