Writing Down Deep

Jan Fortune is a writer, mentor, yoga nidrā teacher and herbalist living in a forest in Finistère. She has a doctorate in feminist theology and is the founding editor of Cinnamon Press. Jan has taught writing courses across Europe. Her previous publications include creative non-fiction on the alchemy of writing, poetry collections and novels, most recently At world’s end begin and Saoirse’s Crossing. Jan writes at the intersection of story, poetry, herbalism and alchemy. You can follow her on Substack (https://substack.com/@janelisabeth) and she blogs and runs the writing community, ‘Kith: for a different story’ (https://janfortune.com/).

"What story do you want to write? What story do you want to become?' Writing Down Deep is a powerful, multifaceted book that transcends the limits of a standard 'how to write' manual. It is a book that really gets you thinking, not just about your writing but also about yourself and your life - not just about what you want to write, but about who and how you want to be. The emphasis is on making conscious choices, as writers and individuals, rather than allowing ourselves to be dragged along, thoughtlessly, mindlessly, by the busy-ness of modern life.; The coronavirus lockdown was perhaps the perfect time to read a book that advocates stillness, some solitude, and simply 'being', at a time when rushing around 'doing' was, for so many of us, no longer an option. The long, enforced retreat meant we had to find creative ways of living through dark times, tested our inner resources, and required us to find small joys in the midst of suffering, loss and fear. Practices that have been recommended to help us through - walking, yoga, meditation, good diet, fresh air - are what Jan Fortune prescribes as a way of life. Sometimes, reading the book feels like a quiet meditation in its own right, with thoughts coming and going, memories triggered, moments of insight, ideas emerging, particular words or phrases sparking vivid images. And, at the end of each chapter, there are journal exercises and rituals to ground the process.; Fortune stresses the importance of journaling, of the need to perceive creativity as a muscle that needs to be exercised, and writing as a skill that has to be practised regularly. Yes, there is such a thing as natural talent, but it can really only flourish through application. To complement this regular practice of putting pen to paper, she recommends travel as a source of inspiration, providing us with a shift in perspective, and encouraging us to focus on the here and now. Fortune speaks specifically of foreign travel, but the inspiration and shift in perspective can also be achieved by visiting local places and our own space, our 'milltir sgwar', with the curious and observant eye of the traveller.; There is also the journey through the seasons that we all make every year, with its shifting energies and rhythms. To track this,; Writing Down Deep contains eight 'interludes' or 'seasonal pauses' that follow the quarter days and cross-quarter days of the year - 'seasonal reflections on diving deeply into our writing', or indeed into our life. This is just one aspect that makes Writing Down Deep a valuable resource to turn to again and again - it is, of course about writing, but it is also about how to travel through life consciously, nurturing our natural rhythms and giving time to what we love." -- Suzy Ceulan Hughes

• Section 1, 'Craving the Writing Life', is an introduction to our motivation as writers and the power of story.Section 2, 'The Mind-set of the Writer', explores how we build on this to establish an evolving practice of writing, from how we keep in touch with the subconscious writer to how we keep on writing and improving.This leads into Section 3, 'The Evolution of Your Writing Process', in which we'll examine more of the mechanics of writing and deepening our writing lives.Section 4, 'Embodying the Writing Life', takes all of this and anchors it in the physical world and in your own embodiment of your writing.Section 5, 'Writing the Soul', looks at how creativity, imagination, wonder and personal mythology transform both the work we do and the people we become as writers, body and soul.Section 6, 'Writing Your Story', brings the themes of the book together: what story do you want to write? What story do you want to become?