Writing the Sacred Journey: The Art and Practice of Spiritual Memoir

by Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew

Readers will discover how to construct a well-crafted spiritual memoir--one that honors the author's interior, sacred story and is at the same time accessible to others. Provides practical advice on how to overcome writing obstacles and work through drafts. A writing instructor and spiritual director, Andrew teaches memoir, essay and journal writing at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.

Visit Elizabeth's website at www.spiritualmemoir.com

Genres: Writing, Spirituality, Memoir, Nonfiction, Religion, Reference

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2004

About the author

Hello, fellow readers! I'm using Goodreads to track my reading, to find like-minded book-lovers who want to share titles, and to connect with readers of my books. Feel free to follow my reviews or become a virtual friend.

As a writer, I'm passionate about creating stories that nourish the soul. I love exploring how faith functions, both inside and outside of religious traditions, and depicting the life of the Spirit at our culture's margins.

Reviews

[Sumangali Morhall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is surely a treasure trove for any budding, struggling, or thriving memoirist. It's meticulously researched – both inwardly and outwardly – showing a rich depth of understanding. There is also a refreshingly broad use of the term "spiritual", beyond the more obvious religious experience, to include any inner quest for meaning through outer life: whether via nature, or the death of a loved one, or even via writing itself.

This is a courageous work, and clearly a labour of love. Its very authenticity is bound to inspire authentic and courageous work in turn. Personally, I discovered it after publishing my own spiritual memoir, but I found it fascinating and comforting nonetheless – affirming my own solitary struggles, and inspiring me to continue this mysterious practice! It's definitely a book I will keep and return to later. And its list of suggested further reading is a treasure in itself...

There are many practical (and necessarily challenging) exercises included, plus a wealth of successful examples from many sources. I would actually recommend it to any writer of creative non-fiction, not just spiritual memoirists. People sometimes ask me for tips on how to write about their own experiences, so from now on I will steer them towards this book. It leaves no stone unturned. I'm convinced anyone serious enough to read and apply it will be well on the way to producing their best work.

[Kressel Housman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m getting back into writing again, thank G-d, and because I try and live a religious life, writing about my own “sacred journey” is only logical. This was the first writing book I’ve ever found that specifically addresses the topic of spiritual memoir writing, and it was a good beginning, but by no means the end. Unfortunately, I don’t think I used the book to its full potential. I didn’t do any of the suggested writing prompts since I’m busy with the ones I’m being assigned in my current writing class. Perhaps I’ll buy a copy for future reference. So it was a good writing book that addressed my religious interests in ways that no other writing book has, but as for craft, it wasn’t my favorite. If you’re serious about writing, don’t rely only on this one.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to journal all the time; it was a useful tool although it has been several years since I did it regularly. This writing guide was somewhat beyond that, in the realm of actually writing a memoir that chronicles your life and your spiritual journey. It was fascinating, and very practical: there were exercises on nearly every page, and I sampled from them, and it was a fantastic exercise that really opened my heart and eyes to what is around me and within me. I never want to be a sleepwalker through life, but there are times I am, and it fills a need, and I feel is healthy, but I always come back around to the ‘examined life.’ I was focused particularly on memories of family and childhood, and some of the exercises included writing down a cherished memory just for the sake of saving, memorializing it; what are some grand questions of your life, and grand themes?; and a description of an ordinary activity that was meaningful.

The last one was very powerful, I started describing a simple lunch with co-worker, but came obliquely into the sacred and powerful bond that we have. I love maps and any and all non geography-related map allusions, so one exercise was to make a map of the spiritual journey including “territories, landmarks, turning points, difficult terrain, resting places, stepping stones, bridges, wildernesses, oases, and mountain peaks.” Looking at journeys and problems with the lens of a map was a religious and sacred activity that I know will be helpful in the future also.

Some memorable thought provoking quotes:


You know, they straightened out the Mississippi River in places, to make room for houses and liveable acreage. Occasionally, the river floods these places. “Floods” is the word they use, but in fact it is not flooding: it is remembering. Remembering where it used to be. All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was. Writers are like that: remembering where we were, what valley we ran through, what the banks were like, the light that was there and the route back to our original place. It is emotional memory- what the nerves and skin remember as well as how it appeared. And a rush of imagination is our “flooding.” Toni Morrison

Medieval monks believed the natural world was a scriptural text, liber mundi, requiring as much study and devotion as the bible. Elizabeth Andrew

If I held a match to my heart, would I be able to see it’s workings, would I know my body the way I know a city, with its internal civilization of chemical messengers, electrical storms, cellular cities in which past, present, and future are contained, would I walk the thousand miles of arterial roadways, branching paths of communication and coiled tubing of waste and nutrients, would I know where the passion to live and love comes from? Gretel Ehrlich

This is my spiritual geography, the place where I've wrestled my story out of the circumstances of landscape and inheritance. The word “geography” derives from the Greek words of ‘earth’ and ‘writing.’ Kathleen Norris

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read about half this book and it was very good for getting me started in doing some writing. There are lots of exercises in it that really help bring memories to mind and put them into writing. The book is more than I really need, because it goes into writing for others to read. My purpose for writing spiritual memoir is for my own personal growth, so I needed the first part of the book which helps to motivate and to dig up what matters and develop a habit of writing. Even though I did not read the whole book, I liked it and will rate it.

[Munirah MacLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiration and companion in my efforts

[Lory Hess]

I read this slowly over a period of months, while working on my own spiritual memoir, and found it really helpful. I did not do the exact exercises given but found that the general advice was sound. I especially appreciated being given permission to write my memoir first of all, for myself and not worry about an audience, initially or perhaps at all. That helped me to get going, because there was a lot that I wanted and needed to write that can probably never be published, and it was stopping me from even beginning. In the end it did really prove to be a spiritual exercise that helped me to articulate what I thought but could not cognize without this tool of language.

I also like the advice that Andrew paraphrases from a college professor, who told her to write an essay, then cut off the summary ending paragraph and put it at the head of a new essay. Start again, with the conclusion you came to through the whole process, as your new thesis. I find that that is true of my own writing -- I see how what I came to at the end, can form the seed of a new project that maybe will be publishable. Or maybe not. Or maybe it needs multiple drafts to get there. I'm more at peace with the process, now, and this book is partly to thank for it.

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew's insights are amazing and poignant and really speak to me. I've worked through some of the exercises and some hit me more than others (as I would expect). Then there are the ones that are tedious and daunting and I know those are likely the ones that really need my focus but instead I tend to shy away from them. For example, a really heavy and personal blog post arose out of one of the exercises in this book, and I've not had the courage to try another exercise since. I'm working up to it, though. I know it will be worth it, I'm just a little afraid right now of what might come out when I put pen to paper.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

At a time when books on writing and so-called "spiritual memoirs" are as ubiquitous (and about as worthwhile) as the tabloids, Elizabeth Andrew's book really stands out. She is a wise and compassionate guide for the process of writing a spiritual memoir. Tons of fun and unusual exercises in the book, just enough of her own story to pique my interest and make me want to read her memoir Swinging on the Garden Gate.
She's an excellent writer, has a lovely gift for metaphor, and is a born teacher. I highly recommend this for anyone writing memoir of any kind. Her contention that writing is a spiritual practice makes the effort of writing worth it, even if you don't want to publish.

[Jessica Wicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

She discloses as well as anyone the inner nature of writing good spiritual memoir. If memoir writing is your thing, I highly recommend it.

[Patricia Mohney · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on writing I have ever read, including books about memoirs. Highly recommend it for anyone in the process of or thinking about writing a fiction book or memoir.

[Leanne Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is primarily a book for writers of spiritual memoir. It provides examples of good writing, practical exercises for developing skills, and advice for overcoming doubt in one's own abilities to say something meaningful and worthwhile.
I ordered the book while motivated to write spiritual memoir but read it in sections after the motivation had abated. The exercises, therefore, were not at all relevant to me. Even so, I did enjoy reading about the genre of spiritual memoir and learning about the writers who fall into this category.
Also of interest to me was the idea of writing as a spiritual practice. The author takes very seriously the view that life gains value when it is processed and contemplated in light of eternal themes such as truth, beauty, forgiveness and purpose. I love the idea that growth happens through a series of sacred journeys determined by the soul, as opposed to ambitions determined by the mind and will. Recommended for anyone wishing to put pen to paper and learn about translating life's challenges into shareable wisdom.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have decided to start writing a spiritual memoir this summer. After scouting out model books and memoirs, this book kept popping up. Elizabeth Andrew clearly knows her stuff and has read a lot in the genre. Overall, I think it had a lot of valuable insights and writing exercises, especially from an entry level for people who probably don’t have a lot of experience writing anything, despite feeling semi dramatic and sappy at times.

Andrew quotes others who define spiritual writing as “poetry or prose that deals with the bedrock of human existence—why we are here, where we are going, and how we can comport ourselves with dignity along the way” (x). One of the main differences I noted between this book and other how-to-write-a-memoir type books is that she says that “unlike literary memoir, the purpose of writing spiritual memoir is only secondary to create a well-crafted work. Spiritual memoirists write because writing brings them nearer to the ineffable essence of life” (x). I do not think that Andrew is giving us permission to suck here, but I do think she is giving us permission to explore and search in a way that, well, a type of writing people look down on, but I frankly need right now with numinous subject matter. Andrew goes on to say that spiritual memoirists have three responsibilities: first to the story, second to yourself, and finally to your audience,” and particularly during the beginning writing stages, the primary audience is yourself (9). “The writing process itself is a means to spiritual growth” (13).

General lessons learned for me? Get into a routine. Write about what I am not writing about and ask myself why I am avoiding it. Read James Fowler and his ideas on Stages of Faith. Think about drawing a spiritual journey map. Remember the crisis moments, or what Andrew calls, “epiphanal moments” (76). Embrace childhood memories and write about them. “Beware of resisting it” (88). Remember to ground my story in body and in setting. Feel free to use “negative space” when writing (148). Remember that “time and healing provide the perspective needed” (153). Write dreams down. Use summary only when it “furthers the story” (185). Do the same with reflective writing (186). Recognize that form might not come until after a first draft. Don’t’ freak out about revising. It might be like cleaning out a closet (193). Work with front stories and layering memories (188). Keep reading. Keep studying other models of memoir writing. Look up Virginia Woolf’s diaries. Trust my intuition.

Here are a few notable quotations I found in reading this text:

• “I write to find out” (5).
• “Every spiritual memoir reaches into mystery, attempting to place human life in a broad sacred context” (14).
• “In order to know anything at all, I have to write a book” (15).
• “Those who write spiritual memoir write to find out what we believe or, more fundamentally, what we know to be sacred and true” (15).
• “Spiritual memoir entails moving forward by writing what we don’t know—writing our way into the mystery” (17).
• “We discover how the self is revised along with our writing” (19).
• “Memoir does not strive for a complete accounting of one’s life, it depends on other elements, typically themes” (21).
• “The story of a spiritual life has a will of its own, and you write in its service” (23).
• “Write a little every day. Often the biggest hurdle for beginning writers is getting the butt in the chair…create writing rituals” (24).
• “’Judgment,’ poet Richard Broederick writes, “is the death of the imagination” (25).
• “You are a writer every moment of the day inasmuch as you look out for inspiring ideas, memories, and reflections” (25).
• “There is no cure for resistance except to write” (31).
• “Memory is a muscle and our memories were flabby. She started us on a rigorous workout of writing three pages of memoires a day” (45).
• “Beware the temptation to discuss the past in a demeaning way” (49).
• “It is…a good policy to be honest about your dishonesty” (59).
• “’There are all those early memories, Willa Cather writes, ‘one cannot get another set’” (99).
• “In memoir, teachers are characters in a story. It’s important to develop them so that they come alive as whole, multifaceted humans” (114).
• “The teacher is a vessel that, for a period of time, shapes and holds the author’s story. Only the contents of the vessel—your personhood, your life—will quench your reader’s thirst” (122).
• “Holiness is bound up in infinite details” (141).
• “There’s no such thing as a bad experience….only good material” (144).
• “Truth-telling can be excruciating…self-care must become your first priority” (145).
• “By all means, write through the rawness, but then allow your writing to mature just as you do” (153).
• “If anything, the reader needs more ground when subject matter is otherworldly” (159).
• “She tussles with paradox—evidence of a true spiritual struggle” (163).
• “It’s rare that an author knows what form the story will take until at least one draft is complete” (187).
• “Following a chronology does not necessitate telling about your life from start to finish” (188).
• “The experience of reading is misleading. It belies the chaos of the writing process with a polish that, when at its finest, makes writing appear casual” (191).
• “Half of the hard work of becoming a writer is learning to trust your intuition, which entails believing that the images with resonance for you have actual impact” (201).
• “Bringing a piece to completion requires compassion for the incomplete self that is represented in the manuscript. Your true self continues to grow and change beyond the bounds of the printed story, but this does not make the portrait, now frozen in time, any less true” (216).
• “The real celebration of our writing should not occur when it is published but when it is complete” (223).
• “My memoir is not my self” (224).

[Meredith Vagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book nurtured my confidence to write spiritual memoir. Encouraged writing as a spiritual practice. As a discipline. As a prayer. Guided my narrative structure and voice along the way, as well. Taught me how to write doubt and transformation into my experiences. Offered so many great writing exercises and helped me survive my first and only professional writing class :)

[Kimijo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing the Sacred Journey by Elizabeth Andrew is a guide to writing about spirituality and the inner life. Blending practical tips with creative exercises, it helps writers overcome challenges, develop their craft, and uncover the sacred within their own stories, from first draft to finished manuscript

[Baxter Clare Trautman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucid, inclusive, she gets to the core of writing spiritual memoir. Plus she quotes often from other writers - something I love because it introduces me to new writers. Highly recommended if spiritual writing is your interest.

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and Insightful: A book with soul that resonates with me " . . . distinction between articulated belief and lived faith . . .words whispered and echoing in those hallowed halls are only partly of your own writing."-Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew

[Ellen Barish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew's book not only beautifully captures the multi-layered DNA of spiritual writing, it is also one of the best books I've read on writing. The process, suggests Andrew, IS spiritual practice. I'll be turning to this one again and again and recommending to my writing students.

[rumbledethumps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing really new here. Basic butt-in-the-chair writing advice, with a little bit of "spirituality" sprinkled in. But, the recommended reading list at the back of the book is great for anyone who likes reading memoirs.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read about 2/3 for book group; not what I expected. Lots of exercises, which is good if you’re interested in writing/crafting your life’s story. I’m not.

[Letto in casa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sì, l’immaginazione dice qualcosa della realtà emotiva di un ricordo.

[Nancy Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our church recently sponsored a spiritual writing course, and this was our "textbook." It was a wonderful guide for us beginners, and the prompts were really fun to respond too. The author shares some great examples to give ideas. And overall the writing is excellent and inspiring, as should be, given the topic.

[Yaaresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for possible use in group setting.

One of the better books on the topic I've read. The emphasis is on writing with spiritual introspection as the focus. It can get a little overly dramatic at times, but that seems to be the norm for these kinds of books.

Plans for using this in a group setting sort of petered out, but maybe I'll revisit it for personal use.

[Serena Asta · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've found to help me unravel (or is it "to ravel"?) my own spiritual memoir. Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew's Writing the Sacred Journey is an essential companion as I walk my own personal labyrinth of spirituality and story.

[Daniel Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using this in my memoir class at the retreat center. I can't imagine a better resource--very well written, with a spiritual understanding that is deep and rich.

[Lindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spiritual memoir and finding the sacred amidst our daily lives is the focus of this resource.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who's looking for guidance on writing a memoir, doesn't matter if you are leaning toward the spiritual kind (although I think memoir writing is spiritual no matter how you look at it), read Elizabeth Andrew's book. Great prompts and I just felt joyful reading her prose.