In the 1980s Shakti Gawain published a self-help book that has become a classic regarding values promoted by the New Age movement--Creative Visualization. In that book she demonstrated how a person could use mental imagery to conceive an outcome and then achieve it.
Since then many scientific studies—especially those in the realm of athletics—have validated the usefulness of mental imagery as a tool to conceive and achieve an outcome.
Now, Amir has built upon that body of work by publishing Creative Visualization for Writers. Her delightful workbook features an artfully sculpted introduction by Dinty W. Moore, himself a fine writer of essays, a great commentist on creativity and a distinguished teacher of writing.
Creative Visualization for Writers introduces the technique of visualization to the reader, a concept that first surfaced into modern consciousness during the New Age movement of the 1970s but which in fact reaches further back into history, as evidenced by Einstein’s work with thought experiments and Dmitri Mendeleev’s dream of the Periodic Table. Though a simple technique, creative visualization has profound implications when applied to a person’s values and thought processes.
For writers, this technique has many useful applications when considered in relationship to the various tasks that must be juggled to produce a manuscript. Amir’s book, essentially a workbook, provides space for readers to jot down ideas and tentative goals. As such, it covers many noteworthy topics. These include self-exploration, vision, goals, focus and creativity.
Amir’s overall approach is one that reflects a syncopated but no-nonsense view of invention, as manifested in such books on creativity as Writing Down the Bones; How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci; Orbiting the Giant Hairball; and The Back of a Napkin.
Interestingly, Amir’s book contains graphics not unlike those seen in adult coloring books. Within the context of Amir’s text, I see such graphics as positive, as these are intended to be welcoming and non-threatening, encouraging a person to get his or her thoughts down on paper with little second-guessing or self-filtering. Break out the crayons and colored pencils! While these graphics are a fun enhancement, they sometimes differ in style, a variance that can be jarring. But on this minor point I’m nitpicking.
The greatest value that this workbook provides is to poses to the reader questions a person might not be inclined to ask, if left to his or her own devices. As such, it covers a great deal of ground and at one point teasingly touches upon an important intersection of writing and the spiritual. Unfortunately, it does not pursue this fascinating conjunction at length. I suspect this topic will be explored in greater detail in another book that Amir will someday write. I base this conclusion on her demonstrated interest in spiritual matters and how they are manifested in the daily events of a person’s life. Let us hope she will write this book soon.
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2017Format: Paperback
Top reviews from other countries
- StefaniaReviewed in Italy on January 13, 2025
No visualizations, just a workbook
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase - Lorna FaithReviewed in Canada on March 21, 2017
An amazing Creative Guide to help guide and inspire you to take action on your book ideas!
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
