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Write From The Heart: A Book Review

© Thomas James Martin

The closer we can get to the present in our writing, creating a sense of immediacy with our words, the more deeply engaged the reader will be. ~Hal Zina Bennett

Few are the books read during the course of a lifetime that matter in my opinion.

For me, truth is beyond words, more of a play of the spirit in an open heart than a soporific prescription for living. Still, certain books sometimes circle very close to the truth in my humble opinion. I feel that way about--of all things--a book about writing, Hal Zina Bennett's Write From The Heart.

For over thirty years, Bennett has explored in his teachings and writings the mysteries of creativity, ancient wisdom, healing and spirituality, weaving these strands into his own creative vision. Through his writings, courses and workshops he has inspired thousands to embrace their own creative consciousness.

Why should a person write from the heart anyway? Of what use is it? Does anyone really care? Bennett answers that:

. . .magic happens when the story rises out of the teller's own life, and most listeners [readers] recognize this immediately. . .The story itself can be made up, and usually is, but the energy and vividness and style of the telling rises from the heart, which has in turn been molded by the life experiences of the storyteller.

In the preface to Write From The Heart, Bennett asks the question, ". . .what if there was a way to learn the craft of writing from the heart?" Bennett's answer to that query is that his readers, students and clients have:

. . .proved that knowing how to access the stuff of the heart, and knowing how to honor their own life experiences though our writing, almost automatically leads to craft.

That expression about honoring life experience seems to be the key for Bennett. He feels that when creative writing instructors teach by studying the craft of writing, it is like "putting the cart before the horse." In Hal Zina Bennett's view the writing craft:

. . .grows out of observing what we do when we speak or write from our most authentic self-when we write from the heart. We do not learn to do that by studying the craft.

While Bennett offers clues to discovering that authenticity from his own personal experiences as a writer, teacher and human being, one of the strengths of Write From The Heart is the practical exercises incorporated into the book. He bases these exercises on his successful experience coaching writers, including many who have gone on to write bestsellers. Bennett has also written over thirty books himself.

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