The Creative Compass: Writing Your Way from Inspiration to Publication

by Dan Millman, Sierra Prasada

A guide should give clear directions and then get out of your way. In this unique collaboration, bestselling author Dan Millman and his daughter Sierra Prasada help to orient you as you advance through five universal stages of Dream, Draft, Develop, Refine, and Share. Whether you’re seeking new goals, the discipline to reach them, a shield against self-doubt and inertia, or practical advice on sorting through feedback and connecting with readers — you’ll find a way forward in this fresh approach to writing and storytelling. Drawing on the coauthors’ personal stories about overcoming challenges, as well as sage advice from other writers, artists, and innovators, The Creative Compass will transform both the stories you tell and the stories you live.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Art, Reference

280 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Daniel Jay Millman is an American author and lecturer in the personal development field. He is best-known for the movie Peaceful Warrior, which is based on his own life and taken from one of his books.

Reviews

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Millman is the author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior and several other books on the theme of spiritual awareness. His latest book, The Creative Compass: Writing Your Way from Inspiration to Publication, is different. First of all, he wrote the book with Sierra Prasada, his daughter.

The book is for anyone who is creative and wants to take their work from the imagination out to the world. Because I'm a writer, I saw it more clearly as a book for writers, but it works in a broader sense as well.

The five stages of creative work, according to Millman and his daughter are Dream, Draft, Develop, Refine and Share.

Dream includes getting to know yourself and then developing your "stickiest" idea--the idea that gathers attention and interest and asking (my favorite question) "What if. . .?" The chapter ends with the interesting Dreaming on Deadline.

Draft tackles some hard topics--how to listen, how to read writing books, writing as a solitary act. The chapter is compelling and the father-daughter take on the topics are really useful.

Develop has some good, strong practical advice: sweat trumps talent, never surrender, allegiance to your story and the layers of learning.

Refine covers the ancient skill of trusting your gut, word choice and word order, working with an editor and knowing when that draft is final.

Share helps you understand how to move your readers, summarize your plot, handle rejection and marketing your book. It also covers self-publishing pros and cons.

Normally, I give away books, but I am not finished taking notes on this one yet. It's a good book, and if you are going to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), this book is worth paying for.

Millman takes a sacred approach to creativity. It's an appealing way to think of the hard work of book writing and meaning-making. Prasada doesn't always agree, but they work together to bring a book better than either one of them could have written alone.

[Story Circle Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father and daughter writers, Dan Millman and Sierra Prasada, have collaborated on The Creative Compass, a book about the writing life. Their approach is adaptable to any creative project through, what they call, "a cycle of five universal stages: Dream, Draft, Develop, Refine, and Share."

Their process was to draft chapters individually and then edit each other's work to create "a single voice." Some chapters are personal narratives about their own approaches to writing and how they have evolved. For instance, Prasada has included a chapter entitled "How to Listen" and Millman includes "The Will to Write."

The book is set out in a linear and logical fashion, although some pages of questions at the beginning of it can lead you to answers that are especially relevant for you right now.

At first I thought that one doesn't think about the future at the Dream stage. But with further reflection I realized yes, that first idea does have me thinking of the finished book, the marketing of it and the celebration. At the Dream stage the authors say you need a "sticky idea." That's one that calls you on a quest and as the quest can be a challenging one, it had better be an idea that sustains your enthusiasm and passion.

Beginning a journal is a good idea and as the authors say "can channel the deluge of your life's events into a more manageable and meaningful story form."

It was at the Dream stage that the authors devised and fine-tuned a "What If" for their book: "What if we could demystify the writing process with five universal stages to help you reach your creative goals in writing and life?"

The authors include quotes from many other writers throughout the book: Toni Morrison, John Steinbeck and Henry David Thoreau are among them.

At the Draft age you form your first draft with its first lines letting you know who will tell the tale. Questions will prompt writers to consider who is telling the story and whether it will be written in first, second or third person.

At the Develop stage, you restructure and rewrite draft after draft. Several questions will help writers assess their work.

At the Refine stage, cut out the parts you have doubts about. It's time to look for comments from early readers. The authors have provided a list of specific questions to help focus the readers' attention and help them translate their impressions "into fruitful commentary." An early reader could be a freelance editor.

At the Share stage, you as the writer should be able to "summarize the dramatic core of your story by describing your book in brief." That way you can approach agents, editors and others as you near publication. Writers may opt to self-publish or approach a traditional publisher. There's a chapter on the nine-sale gauntlet (from "selling" the book to yourself through to selling it to readers) and even a chapter on handling rejection.

Many writers received copious rejections before going on to publish and win awards. The authors include Madeleine L'Engle as an example. She received twenty-six rejections for A Wrinkle in Time before it was published and won the Newbery Medal in 1963.

Sometimes beginning writers get ahead of themselves and don't realize the many steps it takes to see a book through from dreaming it to seeing it in the world. The Creative Compass outlines all the stages, offers practical advice and prompts to see you through, and encourages readers to embrace the "stories you tell and the stories you live."

by Mary Ann Moore
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

[Leandro Melendez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deswpues de estudiar trama, descripcion, personajes y demas, este libro da un muy buen empujon a animarse a comenzar a escribir, cometer errores y sobre todo... al menos desde mi perspectiva... una descripcion aterradora de las veces que hay que hacer los borradores, revisiones, e incluso reescribir todo el mounstruo.
Altamente recomendable!

[Tony Rogers Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is primarily written as a guide for fiction writers I found it to be an rather informative and inspiring guide for a purely non-fiction writer such as myself. Many of the sections such as: Revision, feedback, draft and solitude were really helpful to me. I'm extremely happy I gave this book a chance.

[Serafim · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this wonderful book I have even more appreciation for some of my favorite authors and books! It is truly fascinating to learn how much effort and dedication goes into creating a work of literature! Sierra and Dan wrote this guide with passion and experience! Truly wonderful read!
Highly recommend this book to writers and non writers alike!

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of writing craft books, and this one was pretty good. It is I understand, a father daughter writing combo.

As I consumed this in audible format, as a ‘freebie’ in the Plus catalogue, I will have to add the ebook to my shopping list; its too hard to take notes while I walk and listen.

4 stars

[Lennroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like it and it has good step by step tips and everything, so there's inherently nothing wrong with the book, I just felt it was maybe a bit shallow.
Like if you get just as a handbook to follow step by stem I'm sure you'll like it, but if you actually read it to also enjoy it and be inspired or motivated I don't think it's the best pick.

[Laura Thoma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all-time favorite writing books. I have read it more times than I can count. It is a practical guide full of inspiration. I use it as a reference book and recommend it to others often.

[Cameron Kobes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a good reminder of why I don't like or respect the self-help genre. It was almost all information that I had already heard, with a hefty dose of platitudes and the kind of context-free pithy quotes that I just despise. Read something better.

[TJ Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for writers of all experience levels. Lots of practical tips and hints and I guarantee you’ll learn at least one new thing, even if you’ve been reading these kinds of books for a while.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really wonderful book about writing and creativity. Actively helpful and insightful. Highly recommend.

[Valerie K. Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good helpful book. Had a lot of notes from it. Gleaned quite a bit from it. Would highly recommend it to other writers.

[Joel Kimmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for anyone looking to start writing a book of any kind. Helpful timeline of the stages of writing.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtitled “writing your way from inspiration to publication” I found The Creative Compass by father-daughter authors Dan Millman and Sierra Prasada took me on quite the journey. A good kind of journey, but a long one.

They break the writing process (and the book) into five stages called dream, draft, develop, refine and share.

I'm just going to lay it out there. The first part was difficult for me to get into. A lot of talking about writing but it didn't feel practical. It was a romantic kind of ethereal way of looking at the craft.

And so I put it aside

Because hear me out. I work as a full-time writer. Not the author kind, but the write-what-other-people-tell-me-to kind. And I don't have TIME to dream…I'm constantly ON DEADLINE.

So maybe I'm jealous.
Maybe I can't relate.
Whatever.

My story ideas don't come to me as gentle whispers delivered upon bird's wings. My story ideas come from blood, sweat, and tears. Hard work. Lots of reading and research and LOTS of false starts. Then one morning I wake up…and there it is. Just at the very moment I think all hope is lost. There it is.

A few weeks (was it months?) later I wasn't so upset with writers who still have whimsy and I picked up where I left off.

And I. Got. Into it.

The third and fourth sections (develop and refine) became PRACTICAL and there was a refreshing absence of sugar coating. Thank you!

This book could be for the writer who isn't exactly sure HOW to write a book. Yes, it's that practical. It could also be for the writer who has an idealistic outlook on what writing and publishing will be like. Kind of a reality check without being a jerk about it.

When it comes to writing, we can develop our skills and boost our talent through thoughtful practice…. By continuing to write, we build stamina and patience, eventually exceeding our own standards to the extend that we can raise them. (117)

By the “share” section I was all in. I could now see this book directly impacting my writing life. (Can you believe it!?) And then I began putting it all together. Because every idea starts with passion, meets with discouragement and must be battled with persistence. When writing the most important thing is to find a way to keep going despite the hard work, stress, lack of confidence and insecurity.

I spent a lot of time in the last third of the book. I underlined, wrote notes, even wrote “Amen!” beside especially good quotes (“If a sentence expresses an essential idea, advances plot, reveals character, or conveys relevant sensory detail that contributes to emotional effect or atmosphere then it's probably worth keeping…. If not—snip, snip” Amen! [175]).

I have so much written in the margins I don't know how to lay it out here. Stuff about the golden thread, something about Thesus in the labyrinth, how much I love the refine stage, smiley faces, and how I wished I could make an infographic about the nine steps of sales.

See what I mean?

This review was first published on my website.

[Michael Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a couple of years old as of this writing. But I have to review it because it has been such a great help to me in working on my novel the past couple of months. Dan Millman is the author of the bestselling self-help book The Way of the Peaceful Warrior and many other self-help books. The coauthor is his daughter Sierra Prasada, also a published author and editor. The book is easy to read and flows very quickly from start to finish. But I find myself using it as a reference. I have read most of the book, but I keep rereading sections as I get to a new stage in my work. This is the kind of guidance I would expect from an editor. And with his long experience as an author, Millman knows a little about how editor's work. Prasada works as an editor and brings that perspective. But the voice is not that of a harsh critic telling the reader what works and what doesn't work. It is a considerate coaching voice of encouragement, with a concern for the creation of the best possible narrative work. The analogy of the "golden thread" from the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur is key to the message. As Theseus followed the golden thread to navigate his way through the labyrinth, an author must find his or her golden thread, which is what the narrative is about, not necessarily the plot.


If you are Millman fan, you will appreciate his description of the stages he traverses, from procrastination to obsession, during the process of writing a book. And the father-daughter duo give some suggested steps to finding and honoring the "golden thread" that are easy to follow or modify.


This book is a great reference for authors of any kind of narrative, whether fiction or nonfiction. Even poetry and other forms. The authors draw on the wisdom of many famous writers, philosophers, and others. This book should be part of every author's toolkit. Put it on your shelf!

[Gary Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I began writing in 2008, all I had was a word processor and a great – no – a terrific idea for a book. When I finished my first draft two years later, all I thought I lacked was a publisher, but when Rainbow Books accepted my novel, I also inherited an editor. Betty Wright was, at eighty-four years of age, one of best writers and teachers I had ever met. She schooled me in composition, and under her tutelage, my over five-hundred page manuscript was whittled down to a tight three hundred thirteen pages.
The point is this: Not every beginning writer has a master teacher to show them the ropes, and that is where The Creative Compass comes in. Even though I had penned three books to this point, I was amazed at what I learned, not only on how to write, but also how to get your book published. My head is still swimming – in a good way.
So, if you are an aspiring or even a published author, I most highly recommend this book. While no book on writing is any match for a teacher like Betty, you will find no better text to teach you the ins and outs of writing and eventual publication.
Gary D. Conrad, author of The Lhasa Trilogy, Oklahoma Is Where I Live, and Murder on Easter Island

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy the wording this author used. It felt forced to me...as if they were trying too hard to write more intellectually. For this reason, I found the book a little difficult to follow/read. I prefer normal, average, every day, type of writing. However, this was helpful on triggering my thoughts about the memoir I am developing right now. And for this, I am deeply thankful.

Dan, the author, provided a lot of provoking questions that were great triggers for me. Many of them basic; yet, great prompts for me. Such as in his Dream Stage section, "What will happen? What needs to happen first? What re the consequences? What larger ideas or issues arise?" And more.

I wish he had addressed the outlining stage more. I did pick up how to use the paper margins more effectively on how to check when I want readers to know what they need to know and when they need to know it (not necessarily in chronological order). I use my margins all the time to help hone the story.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely good material here, including a helpful way to think about the stages of a writing project and the wonderful insight that writer's block is simply a case of not being able to write at the standard you expect from yourself (versus not being able to write at all).
However, I had already heard Mr. Millman speak at a writers' conference and most of the best insights actually came from his talk, rather than the book. And, I'm sorry to say, I didn't find any value in the chapters contributed by his daughter. She may well be a fine writer, but her musings didn't help me.
By all means, take a look at this book, but you might want to consider a library copy first.

[Alison Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! I just finished writing my first book and wondered if there were ideas that I should consider before starting my next one.

This book delivered the right amount (and quality) of inspirational quotations. I found that I wrote many of them in my notebook for future reference.

The section on questions to ask your test-readers was helpful. I wasn't expecting to find that useful but their questions are non-confrontational and well-structured.

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst some of this book was useful to me, I found myself reading the first sentence of many paragraphs and continuing on, primarily because the point was made in the first sentence and didn't need the rest of the paragraph. The writing process is well described and analysed, but I thought quite a bit of the book was simply too stodgey for my taste.

[Lori Herbst · Rating 3 out of 5]

The outline of steps in the writing process was helpful to me. The discussions on developing and refinement were especially useful. I found a bit of the book to be almost pretentious in tone, though. I'm just an ordinary writer of ordinary mysteries, and this seemed almost mystical in nature, geared towards writers of the great American novel.

[Nick Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as a xmas present and loved it. I often have doubts about my abilities to write and this re-inspired me to keep trying.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A large dose of writing encouragement / inspiration sprinkled with a smaller dose of practical writing advice. Worth the read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful little book full of tips and encouragement- both things that writers can always use.