Exploratory Writing

Alison Jones is founder of Practical Inspiration Publishing and host of The Extraordinary Business Book Club podcast. Formerly Director of Innovation Strategy at Palgrave Macmillan, she now works with business leaders and entrepreneurs to help them clarify their thinking and communicate more effectively.She has written and edited several books, most recently This Book Means Business (2018), speaks regularly at industry and business events, and contributes articles on books and writing to national press and industry publications.

Anyone who writes regularly knows that writing is a powerful tool for thinking. This book makes that magic accessible to everyone, at any time. Read it!’Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Power of Regret

• IntroductionPart 1 - Why exploratory writing?The science Is this about better writing? Let’s get startedPart 2 – The toolkitExploratory narrativefreewritingmindfulnesschimp managementempathyMetaphorsurfacing metaphorsfinding new metaphorsforced metaphorsanalogyInquirylearning through inquiryinquiring of future youappreciative inquiryhumble inquiryVisual thinkingwriting into drawingsstoryboardinggraphic organizersdeveloping your own visualsPart 3 – Using the toolsWellbeing and mindfulnesssense-makingmental resiliencehappinessself-coachingClarity and focusdeclutteringfocus and deep workreflective practiceCreativity and problem-solvingcreative thinkingproblem-solvingprototypingLeadership and collaborationvisioninguncovering biasconflict resolutionculture changeConclusion: over to youAppendices: glossary of tools, list of prompts, bibliography