Writing the Shadow Ebook

Useful and interesting little book

As someone who writes and teaches about the importance of shadow work, I was curious to see what an author I have great appreciation for had to say on the subject. Ms Penn was candid and vulnerable in the early chapters talking about her shadow journey and how it influenced her writing. And ultimately helped her write deeper, richer books... fiction and non-fiction. Her chapters guiding you through ways to recognise, connect with and incorporate (or even integrate) your shadow in your writing are short yet well thought out with questions and exercises to help you explore more on your own. The quotes she sprinkled throughout the book are fabulous reminders from other authors regarding the shadow and the art of creating. I recommend this to any writer or creative seeking to go deeper in their art. Thank you Joanna Penn for this and all your contributions to writers.

While I was in search of a book that would help me deal with the imposter syndrome as a writer, I came across "Writing the Shadow". I immediately became fascinated with the idea of using my shadow to provide the depth I felt was missing from my writing. After the first chapter of this book I was already returning to the early drafts of short stories to confirm if I'd allowed the dark horse to run free. I hadn't. So I chose to "release my dark horse" and began to re-write with a courage, depth, and transparency my stories had been missing all along. I finally felt at peace with what I'd written and began to feel that imposter syndrome dissipate. Thank you so much for writing this book! It'll be a resource I'll reference for years to come.

This is a unique nonfiction book designed for writers. It is rich with thought-provoking questions and exercises, but not what I anticipated. The first half of the book doesn't contain much new information for professionals, but I found the second half much stronger, more provocative, and actually addressing the subject of personal darkness, a characteristic all humans have.

I have been hearing this author talk about wanting to write this book for years on her podcast. Literally years of waiting and ... it did not disappoint! Full of interesting research, fascinating stories and connective insights, this is the writing book you didn't know you needed. This book is a must for authors but should be read by anyone who wants to understand themselves and others better. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed the book and realized how much of me is in my writing. Also gave me pages and pages of story ideas and ways to add depth to characters.

Joanna Penn writes thrillers, dark fantasy, crime stories and horror as JF Penn. So when she writes a book for authors on the craft of writing the shadow, you can be sure it’s stellar. And it is more than that. This book is in many ways a self care book designed to help the writer work through their own inner shadows while at the same creating wonderful shadows within characters making the arc they are living vibrant with rich detail. But what is the shadow.? Essentially it is a character wound and driving force, pushing your buttons from the depth of your soul. If you are writing crime or horror, or want your latest antagonist to really pop, this is the book to read. It’s going onto my writing reference shelf and I give this one a fully 5 stars.

This book aims to help writers produce words at a deeper level by looking into their own unconscious thoughts. It has a step by step guide to doing this. As an author myself I have found it invaluable.

I absolutely enjoyed this book about the shadow in all aspects of our lives, particularly related to writing, which is where my passion lies. I found the book inspired me to reflect more on myself and how I can better manage triggers, as well as how to keep a journal to record my shadow thoughts. It also inspired me to enrich my characters in my author work. I liked the way Joanna used specific examples to outline how the shadow works from our early learning and environment, particularly in relation to her own life. It was brave for Joanna to share her own personal stories to make it authentic and relatable. The book explains how we can never fully overcome our shadow or challenges, and that we are all a work in progress, managing to break down our hang-ups one at a time. We need to embrace both the darkness and light within ourselves. This book is well worth the read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks, Joanna. You are a true inspiration.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, thought-provoking, refreshing perspective.

Yippee…this book is freeing… i can not wait to see what i create when i let my dark horse run. Loaded with great examples and author revelations this book gives encouragement and nd practical steps to find the gold in the dark