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Writing Creativity and Soul
From the bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longings: an intimate work on the mysteries, frustrations, and triumphs of being a writer, and an instructive guide to awakening the soul.
When Sue Monk Kidd was in high school, a home economics teacher wrote a list of potential occupations for women on the teacher, nurse, librarian, secretary. “Writer” was nowhere to be found. On that day, Kidd shut the door on her writerly aspirations and would not revisit the topic until many years later when she announced to her husband and two children that she was going to become a writer. And so began her journey into the mysteries and methods of the writerly life…
In Writing Creativity and Soul, Sue Monk Kidd will pull from her own life and the lives of other writers—Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, Harper Lee, and many others—to provide a map for anyone who has ever felt lost as a writer. At the heart of this book is the unwavering belief that writing is a spiritual act, one that draws inspiration from the soul, that wellspring of creativity between imagination and feeling. Once you tap into that part of yourself, writes Sue Monk Kidd, there are only three more things you need as a something to say, the ability to say it, and, perhaps most difficult of all, the courage to say it.
Equal parts memoir, guidebook, and spiritual quest, Writing Creativity and Soul is a pilgrimage and a touchstone, a journey into the transformational force of the imagination and the creative genius that lies in the unconscious.
When Sue Monk Kidd was in high school, a home economics teacher wrote a list of potential occupations for women on the teacher, nurse, librarian, secretary. “Writer” was nowhere to be found. On that day, Kidd shut the door on her writerly aspirations and would not revisit the topic until many years later when she announced to her husband and two children that she was going to become a writer. And so began her journey into the mysteries and methods of the writerly life…
In Writing Creativity and Soul, Sue Monk Kidd will pull from her own life and the lives of other writers—Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, Harper Lee, and many others—to provide a map for anyone who has ever felt lost as a writer. At the heart of this book is the unwavering belief that writing is a spiritual act, one that draws inspiration from the soul, that wellspring of creativity between imagination and feeling. Once you tap into that part of yourself, writes Sue Monk Kidd, there are only three more things you need as a something to say, the ability to say it, and, perhaps most difficult of all, the courage to say it.
Equal parts memoir, guidebook, and spiritual quest, Writing Creativity and Soul is a pilgrimage and a touchstone, a journey into the transformational force of the imagination and the creative genius that lies in the unconscious.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2025
276 people are currently reading
14685 people want to read
About the author
Sue Monk Kidd
52 books14k followersSue Monk Kidd was raised in the small town of Sylvester, Georgia, a place that deeply influenced the writing of her first novel The Secret Life of Bees. She graduated from Texas Christian University in 1970 and later took creative writing courses at Emory University and Anderson College, as well as studying at Sewanee, Bread Loaf, and other writers’ conferences. In 2016, TCU conferred on her an honorary doctor of letters degree. She was inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors in 2011 and into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2022.
Her book When the Heart Waits, published by Harper San Francisco in 1990 has become a touchstone on contemplative spirituality. The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, also published by Harper in 1996, describes Kidd’s journey into feminist theology, a memoir that had a groundbreaking effect within religious circles.
When her first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, was published by Viking in 2002, it became a genuine literary phenomenon, spending more than 2½ years on the New York Times bestseller list. It has been translated into over 36 languages and sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. Bees was named the Book Sense Paperback Book of the Year in 2004, long-listed for the 2002 Orange Prize in England, and won numerous other awards. For over a decade, the novel was produced on stage by The American Place Theater, and in 2008 it was adapted into a movie by Fox Searchlight, which won the People’s Choice award for best movie and the NAACP Image award for best picture. An Off Broadway musical of Bees ran at The Atlantic Theater in 2019, winning the AUDELCO VIV award for best musical, and debuted in London at the Almeida Theater in 2023. The novel is taught widely in middle school, high school, and college classrooms.
Kidd’s second novel, The Mermaid Chair, has sold well over a million copies since its publication by Viking in 2005, reaching #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and remaining on the hardcover and paperback lists for nine months. Winner of the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction, the novel was longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, translated into 28 languages, and made into a television movie by Lifetime.
The spiritual essays, meditations, and inspirational stories Kidd wrote in her thirties were collected into a single volume, Firstlight: The Early Inspiration Writings and published by Guideposts Books in 2006 and Penguin in 2007.
After traveling with her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor, to sacred sites in Greece, Turkey, and France, Kidd and Taylor co-authored a memoir, Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story. Published by Viking in 2009, it appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times list and has been published in several languages.
The Invention of Wings, Kidd’s third novel was published in 2014 by Viking. It debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list where it spent a total of 9 months. It has sold nearly 2 million copies and been translated into over 20 languages. The novel has won several literary awards, including the Florida Book of Year Award and the SIBA Book Award. It was a Goodreads Readers Choice Award runner up, nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award, and chosen for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0.
Kidd’s much anticipated fourth novel, The Book of Longings, was published on April 21, 2020 to widespread critical and reader acclaim. It immediately landed at the top of the bestseller lists, reaching #5 on The New York Times Hardcover Fiction list, #1 on the IndieBound bestseller list, and #2 on the Associated Press bestseller List. The novel was a finalist for Book-of-the-Month Club’s Book of the Year Award, a Goodreads Readers Choice Award runner up, a Heather’s Pick (Indigo Books) in Canada, and a Australian Women’s Day Great Read Pick. It has been translated into 17 languages thus far.
She lives in North Carolina with her husband, Sandy, and dog, Barney.
Her book When the Heart Waits, published by Harper San Francisco in 1990 has become a touchstone on contemplative spirituality. The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, also published by Harper in 1996, describes Kidd’s journey into feminist theology, a memoir that had a groundbreaking effect within religious circles.
When her first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, was published by Viking in 2002, it became a genuine literary phenomenon, spending more than 2½ years on the New York Times bestseller list. It has been translated into over 36 languages and sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. Bees was named the Book Sense Paperback Book of the Year in 2004, long-listed for the 2002 Orange Prize in England, and won numerous other awards. For over a decade, the novel was produced on stage by The American Place Theater, and in 2008 it was adapted into a movie by Fox Searchlight, which won the People’s Choice award for best movie and the NAACP Image award for best picture. An Off Broadway musical of Bees ran at The Atlantic Theater in 2019, winning the AUDELCO VIV award for best musical, and debuted in London at the Almeida Theater in 2023. The novel is taught widely in middle school, high school, and college classrooms.
Kidd’s second novel, The Mermaid Chair, has sold well over a million copies since its publication by Viking in 2005, reaching #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and remaining on the hardcover and paperback lists for nine months. Winner of the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction, the novel was longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, translated into 28 languages, and made into a television movie by Lifetime.
The spiritual essays, meditations, and inspirational stories Kidd wrote in her thirties were collected into a single volume, Firstlight: The Early Inspiration Writings and published by Guideposts Books in 2006 and Penguin in 2007.
After traveling with her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor, to sacred sites in Greece, Turkey, and France, Kidd and Taylor co-authored a memoir, Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story. Published by Viking in 2009, it appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times list and has been published in several languages.
The Invention of Wings, Kidd’s third novel was published in 2014 by Viking. It debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list where it spent a total of 9 months. It has sold nearly 2 million copies and been translated into over 20 languages. The novel has won several literary awards, including the Florida Book of Year Award and the SIBA Book Award. It was a Goodreads Readers Choice Award runner up, nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award, and chosen for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0.
Kidd’s much anticipated fourth novel, The Book of Longings, was published on April 21, 2020 to widespread critical and reader acclaim. It immediately landed at the top of the bestseller lists, reaching #5 on The New York Times Hardcover Fiction list, #1 on the IndieBound bestseller list, and #2 on the Associated Press bestseller List. The novel was a finalist for Book-of-the-Month Club’s Book of the Year Award, a Goodreads Readers Choice Award runner up, a Heather’s Pick (Indigo Books) in Canada, and a Australian Women’s Day Great Read Pick. It has been translated into 17 languages thus far.
She lives in North Carolina with her husband, Sandy, and dog, Barney.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
November 29, 2025
I absolutely loved this book. I picked it up while visiting a new bookstore in the area and it caught my eye immediately. As an aspiring writer I plan to keep this book and all the advice given, stowed away in my heart for always. I feel like.. at least for me, there is a forest I tend to banish myself to when writing, it’s darker and scarier than I’d like it to be — full of doubt and insecurity. But this book has felt like a compass or a guiding light. Like you’re in the presence of someone who has navigated this forest before and they’ve taken you by the hand and have vowed to keep you safe. I am forever grateful for it and the decision to walk into the bookstore that day. I am safe now and if I should ever find myself wandering back into that forest (which I’m sure will happen again), I will call on this book. My great guiding light. ❤️ Also, this book has given me reason to buckle down and plow through the rest of Sue’s work!! Can’t wait!
December 12, 2025
This was sorely disappointing.
It was 200+ pages of nothingness. From what I could gather, the author grew up in a "Christian" household, but rejected Christianity and Christ. She has, instead, embraced a feministic "all I need is within myself" airy-fairy spiritual philosophy. From this perspective, she shared a tiny bit about how she got started writing and dissected her own books.
Multiple times throughout, she quoted her characters as if they were real people; so, really, she was just quoting herself, and it was weird.
None of this was in any way memorable or helpful - not even the parts more directly about writing. Normally, I love reading about other people's experiences with writing. This account, though, fell really flat.
It was 200+ pages of nothingness. From what I could gather, the author grew up in a "Christian" household, but rejected Christianity and Christ. She has, instead, embraced a feministic "all I need is within myself" airy-fairy spiritual philosophy. From this perspective, she shared a tiny bit about how she got started writing and dissected her own books.
Multiple times throughout, she quoted her characters as if they were real people; so, really, she was just quoting herself, and it was weird.
None of this was in any way memorable or helpful - not even the parts more directly about writing. Normally, I love reading about other people's experiences with writing. This account, though, fell really flat.
November 7, 2025
Sue Monk Kidd shares her thoughts on books and writing and life. Part memoir, part writing guide, another warm and wise entry in my year of wonderful books. This is another one which feels like catching up with a dear friend about her beloved obsession - this time the focus is writing. But writing encompasses so many other things, doesn't it? Loved every moment with this one.
October 26, 2025
5 stars! Wow oh wow! What a shamelessly inadequate word to describe this book! If you love Sue Monk Kidd, or you love how transportive literature is, or if you just plain love to write - you absolutely must read this book! This book is this near magical weaving of memory, meditation and method in Sue Monk Kidd’s writing! I read the entire thing in one short sitting! I find myself running back to my bookshelf to grab the novels whose narratives captured, changed & challenged me and begin rereading them again to see what newness there is for me! 5 glorious stars!
August 20, 2025
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway and I entered without even reading what the book was about because I was just excited to see the authors name. I read this as more of a memoir and loved that aspect of the book. I especially loved when she mentions SC because that’s my home state. The whole book is well written and I did learn a lot. If you are interested in writing of any kind, I recommend this one. And if you just love the author as I do, I also recommend! I enjoyed reading how her stories and books come together and the thought process she takes as an author.
October 12, 2025
Highly recommend this book for fans of Sue Monk Kidd, aspiring writers or anyone interested in the creative process. This is a vulnerable read but also practical. I enjoyed it very much! Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy!
November 6, 2025
A nice introduction to writing that includes many stories about Kidd's struggles with writing.
November 13, 2025
Sue Monk Kidd might be the most influential writer in my life. I’ve read nearly everything she’s written and I’ve always read her work right when my life was going through big changes. She was like my therapist. Her books are mostly fiction but I learned so much from them.
This is her “how to write “book and I love the insights into her process. She was very inspirational and motivational. I’d love to create a book like she has.
This is her “how to write “book and I love the insights into her process. She was very inspirational and motivational. I’d love to create a book like she has.
December 1, 2025
Love the cover. I really liked learning about Sue's writing process and all of her insights on how writing and reading heals and develops. I earmarked a ton.
Kicks off with a poem by David Whyte:
Give up all the other worlds except the one to which you belong..
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
* rather than say, I'm not creative, say " I seem to possess a lot of unrealized creative potential"
"Every person is fundamentally creative. Natural creative acts are taking place inside you around the clock without you even trying. Every night an unknown storyteller comes up with wildly creative dramas in your dreams. Your psyche is constantly metabolizing your experiences, turning them into awakenings, wisdom, revelations, and intentions that invent and reinvent who you are. Even your physical body is busy all day long making new cells and organs, and sometimes new little people.
Humans are also wired to express their creativity by bringing forth something new or new combinations of the old. It doesn't have to be a painting, a book, a symphony, a cure for cancer, or the plans for a Taj Mahal. It could be a flower garden, a decorated cake, a sandcastle, a fishing fly, or a way to teach a child the alphabet.
Creativity is an instinct as powerful as the instinct to eat, and it seeks conscious expression in the world. Expressing it, though, is where things often go awry."
"Merton's "wisdom literature" and Jung's "visionary literary creations" allude to writing that comes from the rich interior life where the soul presides. This inner realm is largely unconscious to us, making it difficult to define. I think of it as the hidden place where images are bred, dreams are choreographed, and experiences are metabolized. A place teeming with feelings, fascinations, memories, myths, symbols, and intuitive flashes"
*on dreams, helping us solve problems,"if we respect our dreams, and possess a healthy expectation, we can take the questions from our waking life into our dream life and our unconscious will try to answer them. That is one of the functions of dreams – helping us become aware of what we are missing in our daily conscious life."
The bones of a good or classic story: "Here's the best definition I can come up with. A story is made up of: (1) a character with a significant want, motive, or problem, (2) who sets out to achieve her or his goal and resolve the problem, (3) and along the way is met by mounting obstacles and antagonistic forces from within and without as she or he chooses, acts, and is acted upon, (4) ultimately leading to a resolution, (5) and to the character substantially changed in the process."
* "Aristotle advises the reader to start in the middle of things, dropping the reader into the heart of the story. The aim is to begin as close to the action as possible."
This is how I have always felt about sentences :"I love a beautiful sentence the way I love a beautiful painting. I'm continuously awed by the sweeping things language can do, all the ways words can be arranged into pieces of art that nourish the soul."
Love this: Isak Dinesen framed it like this: "All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story or tell a story about them." I sometimes wonder how many of our sufferings are stories aching to be told."
At the end, she tells a story about a 49 year old executive who grew up in a privileged family, who unwillingly read the secret life of bees. He said he could not relate to the characters coming of age, poor southern, black girl. But in the end it changed him. Leading to the ultimate reason all should read: "with these words he revealed to me one of the most significant reasons I derive meaning from writing. It creates empathy."
She also mentioned many books that I really want to right now, including some of her own, like the pomegranate one and the mermaid chair. As well as others that I need to go back and log.
Kicks off with a poem by David Whyte:
Give up all the other worlds except the one to which you belong..
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
* rather than say, I'm not creative, say " I seem to possess a lot of unrealized creative potential"
"Every person is fundamentally creative. Natural creative acts are taking place inside you around the clock without you even trying. Every night an unknown storyteller comes up with wildly creative dramas in your dreams. Your psyche is constantly metabolizing your experiences, turning them into awakenings, wisdom, revelations, and intentions that invent and reinvent who you are. Even your physical body is busy all day long making new cells and organs, and sometimes new little people.
Humans are also wired to express their creativity by bringing forth something new or new combinations of the old. It doesn't have to be a painting, a book, a symphony, a cure for cancer, or the plans for a Taj Mahal. It could be a flower garden, a decorated cake, a sandcastle, a fishing fly, or a way to teach a child the alphabet.
Creativity is an instinct as powerful as the instinct to eat, and it seeks conscious expression in the world. Expressing it, though, is where things often go awry."
"Merton's "wisdom literature" and Jung's "visionary literary creations" allude to writing that comes from the rich interior life where the soul presides. This inner realm is largely unconscious to us, making it difficult to define. I think of it as the hidden place where images are bred, dreams are choreographed, and experiences are metabolized. A place teeming with feelings, fascinations, memories, myths, symbols, and intuitive flashes"
*on dreams, helping us solve problems,"if we respect our dreams, and possess a healthy expectation, we can take the questions from our waking life into our dream life and our unconscious will try to answer them. That is one of the functions of dreams – helping us become aware of what we are missing in our daily conscious life."
The bones of a good or classic story: "Here's the best definition I can come up with. A story is made up of: (1) a character with a significant want, motive, or problem, (2) who sets out to achieve her or his goal and resolve the problem, (3) and along the way is met by mounting obstacles and antagonistic forces from within and without as she or he chooses, acts, and is acted upon, (4) ultimately leading to a resolution, (5) and to the character substantially changed in the process."
* "Aristotle advises the reader to start in the middle of things, dropping the reader into the heart of the story. The aim is to begin as close to the action as possible."
This is how I have always felt about sentences :"I love a beautiful sentence the way I love a beautiful painting. I'm continuously awed by the sweeping things language can do, all the ways words can be arranged into pieces of art that nourish the soul."
Love this: Isak Dinesen framed it like this: "All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story or tell a story about them." I sometimes wonder how many of our sufferings are stories aching to be told."
At the end, she tells a story about a 49 year old executive who grew up in a privileged family, who unwillingly read the secret life of bees. He said he could not relate to the characters coming of age, poor southern, black girl. But in the end it changed him. Leading to the ultimate reason all should read: "with these words he revealed to me one of the most significant reasons I derive meaning from writing. It creates empathy."
She also mentioned many books that I really want to right now, including some of her own, like the pomegranate one and the mermaid chair. As well as others that I need to go back and log.
November 30, 2025
I’m an avid reader. This book tells the behind the scenes discipline involved in writing, whether it be a short story, epic novel, or a nonfiction piece. I was fascinated to learn how much prep there is to the process. It tells about how the author picks the subject, the how and why of how you set a scene, whether you use a first person or third narrative and how that affects your storytelling, the importance of the first sentence…..and on and on.
The author wrote the Secret Life of Bees and uses it throughout to explain her process. Fascinating read.
The author wrote the Secret Life of Bees and uses it throughout to explain her process. Fascinating read.
December 20, 2025
This was exactly what I needed. It was so good, I’m half tempted to start over and read it again.
November 8, 2025
PG 37: “ Writing is more than creative language and story. It also involves the creation of the self. Writing is about who we were and who we are becoming. It’s a succession of leaps and small brave acts. It’s about what we carry and what we lay down.”
PG 109:
“…imperfection is the price of existing in the real world “.
PG 109:
“…imperfection is the price of existing in the real world “.
November 28, 2025
Dear Writing Creativity and Soul,
I cannot believe the passion you ignited in me again. You have made me want to continue my passion to be a writer. I loved the way that sue Monk Kidd expresses her own journey to writing and how she keeps her creativity flowing, even if it flows slowly. Your whole point is to help writers and you have done some of that for me, removing some of my own creative blocks and opening the door for me to sit down at my own keyboard.
I cannot believe the passion you ignited in me again. You have made me want to continue my passion to be a writer. I loved the way that sue Monk Kidd expresses her own journey to writing and how she keeps her creativity flowing, even if it flows slowly. Your whole point is to help writers and you have done some of that for me, removing some of my own creative blocks and opening the door for me to sit down at my own keyboard.
November 1, 2025
If you ever were a writer, are a writer, or dream of being a writer, you need this book. Beautifully woven memoir and writing advice, Sue Monk Kidd, as always , writes with heart and intuitive brilliance. A must read! As are all her books.
December 8, 2025
Sue Monk Kidd schrijft over je innerlijke drang om te creëren te volgen, zonder je tegen te laten houden door je eigen criticus. Ook schrijft ze hoe je omgaat met de ups en downs van creatief leven. Ik vind dit een bijzonder boek.
December 22, 2025
This was a quick read, but offered a helpful glimpse into how to ignite (or reignite in my case) a love for writing and creativity. Highly recommended for all writers.
September 27, 2025
Review forthcoming.
December 19, 2025
I initially got this from the library, but before I was halfway through, I bought my own copy because there were so many pages I wanted to mark and reread.
December 11, 2025
As much for serious readers as it is for writers!
a must read!
a must read!
October 5, 2025
Read an advance reader copy. Interesting insights into the life of a writer. Would be especially intriguing for anyone who is a big fan of the author as she analyses and dissects her own novels.
November 21, 2025
How I long to run down the hall to Mary’s office or go upstairs to talk to Lauren or Meghan or Lynda and say “ let’s read this together… let’s write together… let’s use this to change our writing classrooms”. So gentle and yet startling. I look forward to reading it again very soon.
November 2, 2025
What could be a clearer or simpler book title than WRITING CREATIVITY AND SOUL? What could be more difficult, even mysterious, to interpret or decode?
In four very basic, unpunctuated English words, renowned American memoirist, novelist and essayist Sue Monk Kidd distills the essence of her passion for prose --- not only as an act bordered by traditions, conventions and rules, but as a lifelong experience of discovering the unknown through deceptively familiar terrain.
Kidd, who has been writing for nearly half a century, often alludes to how long it took her to find the path into a full-time career, and to being on the slow side when it comes to completing books that speak fully and harmoniously enough to satisfy her. Three or four years from start to finish is her norm, but the detailed diligence she pours into her art has paid off in four bestselling novels, such as THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, and four critically acclaimed nonfiction works, including the powerful TRAVELING WITH POMEGRANATES, written with her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor (a gifted author in her own right).
Although it rightly could be described as part memoir, part guide to the wordsmith’s art, and part journal of a personal heart-and-soul quest, WRITING CREATIVITY AND SOUL is not written in a directive, how-to style. If anything, Kidd has created a brilliant book about how not to tell aspiring writers what to do!
This is where the element of soul comes in, not so much in a theological or purely spiritual sense. But for women in particular, soul is where the expression of our creative passions originates. Kidd reveals that writers’ souls are often held captive for decades --- or for life --- by social conventions and expectations.
Being almost an exact contemporary of hers, I too can recall those truly cringeworthy high school classes where teachers or guidance counselors showed us lists of gender-appropriate careers for young women. Professional writing was never on them. Aiding and abetting them were well-meaning but tone-deaf family and friends who responded to one’s literary aspirations by saying that writing is a very nice “hobby,” but we’d have to land a “real job” as well. Or preferably get married to a man with a real job and have kids, with (of course) a little “spare time” for writing.
That was a non-starter for Kidd. She experienced all of that, in soul-destroying amounts, yet persevered for years until her personal advocacy strengthened enough to emerge and the times had changed just enough for her to be taken seriously.
What I appreciate about WRITING CREATIVITY AND SOUL is that the author’s very justified complaints about gender stereotypes and the marginalization of female writers do not overwhelm this multilayered book. Kidd is clear, direct and uncompromising about the shortcomings of the American Deep South’s social and educational milieu in which she grew up, but she leaves it at that and moves on to explore the shared imaginative elements to which writers from any background can relate.
Without setting up rigid lists of tricks or techniques, she opens up her own vulnerabilities to relate what has both thwarted and helped in her own quest to free great ideas from their unexpressed homes within a writer’s soul and give them birth in language that fills them with color, emotion and impact. She seems to be urging writers to believe in their ideas first, and belief in oneself will follow, which I see as a game-changing reversal of the usual inspirational mantra.
Another admirable element of the book is Kidd’s unwavering acknowledgment of great literary and philosophical voices --- among them, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Thomas Merton and Carl Jung --- who subtly resonate through her writing. You can’t write fully from the depths of your own soul without reading the best writing you can find by others, who learned over time and tribulation how the human soul can free itself onto paper.
Not just for writers, but for avid readers and creative spiritual explorers everywhere, WRITING CREATIVITY AND SOUL is an exquisite must-read.
Reviewed by Pauline Finch
In four very basic, unpunctuated English words, renowned American memoirist, novelist and essayist Sue Monk Kidd distills the essence of her passion for prose --- not only as an act bordered by traditions, conventions and rules, but as a lifelong experience of discovering the unknown through deceptively familiar terrain.
Kidd, who has been writing for nearly half a century, often alludes to how long it took her to find the path into a full-time career, and to being on the slow side when it comes to completing books that speak fully and harmoniously enough to satisfy her. Three or four years from start to finish is her norm, but the detailed diligence she pours into her art has paid off in four bestselling novels, such as THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, and four critically acclaimed nonfiction works, including the powerful TRAVELING WITH POMEGRANATES, written with her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor (a gifted author in her own right).
Although it rightly could be described as part memoir, part guide to the wordsmith’s art, and part journal of a personal heart-and-soul quest, WRITING CREATIVITY AND SOUL is not written in a directive, how-to style. If anything, Kidd has created a brilliant book about how not to tell aspiring writers what to do!
This is where the element of soul comes in, not so much in a theological or purely spiritual sense. But for women in particular, soul is where the expression of our creative passions originates. Kidd reveals that writers’ souls are often held captive for decades --- or for life --- by social conventions and expectations.
Being almost an exact contemporary of hers, I too can recall those truly cringeworthy high school classes where teachers or guidance counselors showed us lists of gender-appropriate careers for young women. Professional writing was never on them. Aiding and abetting them were well-meaning but tone-deaf family and friends who responded to one’s literary aspirations by saying that writing is a very nice “hobby,” but we’d have to land a “real job” as well. Or preferably get married to a man with a real job and have kids, with (of course) a little “spare time” for writing.
That was a non-starter for Kidd. She experienced all of that, in soul-destroying amounts, yet persevered for years until her personal advocacy strengthened enough to emerge and the times had changed just enough for her to be taken seriously.
What I appreciate about WRITING CREATIVITY AND SOUL is that the author’s very justified complaints about gender stereotypes and the marginalization of female writers do not overwhelm this multilayered book. Kidd is clear, direct and uncompromising about the shortcomings of the American Deep South’s social and educational milieu in which she grew up, but she leaves it at that and moves on to explore the shared imaginative elements to which writers from any background can relate.
Without setting up rigid lists of tricks or techniques, she opens up her own vulnerabilities to relate what has both thwarted and helped in her own quest to free great ideas from their unexpressed homes within a writer’s soul and give them birth in language that fills them with color, emotion and impact. She seems to be urging writers to believe in their ideas first, and belief in oneself will follow, which I see as a game-changing reversal of the usual inspirational mantra.
Another admirable element of the book is Kidd’s unwavering acknowledgment of great literary and philosophical voices --- among them, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Thomas Merton and Carl Jung --- who subtly resonate through her writing. You can’t write fully from the depths of your own soul without reading the best writing you can find by others, who learned over time and tribulation how the human soul can free itself onto paper.
Not just for writers, but for avid readers and creative spiritual explorers everywhere, WRITING CREATIVITY AND SOUL is an exquisite must-read.
Reviewed by Pauline Finch
September 8, 2025
Thank you to Sue Monk Kidd, Knopf and NetGalley for access to this digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
First things first. I was skeptical. Not because I doubted the writing talent of Sue Monk Kidd (SMK from here on out) but because the title of the book gave me the impression that this would be closer to a gratitude journal than advice on becoming a writer. And I'm here to say I am so pleasantly surprised.
This book found me at just the moment I needed it most. I have had an on and off relationship with writing for years. I long to be a writer but have never felt equipped to fully invest in that path. I have recently decided to fully immerse in a writing life but wasn't sure if I should spend money on classes, an MFA. I already have read several books (all the ones people mention when you say you want to get into writing). But then, I saw this ARC and it intrigued me.
I've read SMK before including The Secret Life of Bees and already respected her talent. I went into this book hoping to learn more about how to get started with the craft part of writing as I have ideas and outlines but felt lacking in the practice of writing itself.
I thought I would probably skip over the "soul and creativity" part to get to the more technical tips but what I found was that SMK was speaking to directly to me somehow. A woman who had inklings of wanting to write but went for a safe career path with job security only to be unfulfilled and called to give writing a try. She shone a light on what I never put together previously which was that writing is your soul expressing itself and we are all meant to be creative.
How could I not realize that all the ideas I have been wanting to write down, the stories I am interested in telling, are from a place inside that wants to express itself and wants to be heard? Only after acknowledging that can getting into the technical aspects of writing be tackled.
I highly recommend this book for those new to writing especially but also for those who may have lost their why. SMK takes you down a road of personal experience and launches into more universal, relatable emotions that the reader can use as a foundation to get started.
Her explanation of longing is priceless. Her authenticity in sharing her vulnerability and how she moved forward on her path is felt throughout the book. And she has a keen sense of humor as well.
She explains her process as a guide but encourages the reader to find the path that feels right for them if that means following a few or all of her advice. She gifts the reader pure gems in terms of the practical part of writing that I will use as scaffolding to start my practice.
This book really has it all. I know that I will be buying a physical copy to highlight and mark in and learn more from every time I reread it. I am equipped to start pursuing writing in a way that I doubt an online writing class could ever have instilled in me. I will likely sign up for writer's conferences, workshops and a class in the future but starting with SMK has given me the confidence to, as she would say, "Just Begin."
First things first. I was skeptical. Not because I doubted the writing talent of Sue Monk Kidd (SMK from here on out) but because the title of the book gave me the impression that this would be closer to a gratitude journal than advice on becoming a writer. And I'm here to say I am so pleasantly surprised.
This book found me at just the moment I needed it most. I have had an on and off relationship with writing for years. I long to be a writer but have never felt equipped to fully invest in that path. I have recently decided to fully immerse in a writing life but wasn't sure if I should spend money on classes, an MFA. I already have read several books (all the ones people mention when you say you want to get into writing). But then, I saw this ARC and it intrigued me.
I've read SMK before including The Secret Life of Bees and already respected her talent. I went into this book hoping to learn more about how to get started with the craft part of writing as I have ideas and outlines but felt lacking in the practice of writing itself.
I thought I would probably skip over the "soul and creativity" part to get to the more technical tips but what I found was that SMK was speaking to directly to me somehow. A woman who had inklings of wanting to write but went for a safe career path with job security only to be unfulfilled and called to give writing a try. She shone a light on what I never put together previously which was that writing is your soul expressing itself and we are all meant to be creative.
How could I not realize that all the ideas I have been wanting to write down, the stories I am interested in telling, are from a place inside that wants to express itself and wants to be heard? Only after acknowledging that can getting into the technical aspects of writing be tackled.
I highly recommend this book for those new to writing especially but also for those who may have lost their why. SMK takes you down a road of personal experience and launches into more universal, relatable emotions that the reader can use as a foundation to get started.
Her explanation of longing is priceless. Her authenticity in sharing her vulnerability and how she moved forward on her path is felt throughout the book. And she has a keen sense of humor as well.
She explains her process as a guide but encourages the reader to find the path that feels right for them if that means following a few or all of her advice. She gifts the reader pure gems in terms of the practical part of writing that I will use as scaffolding to start my practice.
This book really has it all. I know that I will be buying a physical copy to highlight and mark in and learn more from every time I reread it. I am equipped to start pursuing writing in a way that I doubt an online writing class could ever have instilled in me. I will likely sign up for writer's conferences, workshops and a class in the future but starting with SMK has given me the confidence to, as she would say, "Just Begin."
November 4, 2025
Thank you to Knopf for a gifted copy of this book. I have been a huge fan of this author since reading The Secret Life of Bees over twenty years ago. She is able to imbue palpable emotion into stories of the repressed, the abused, the overlooked in a way that touches the soul and ensures an outpour of tears. This was certainly solidified with The Invention of Wings, which is a novel I always recommend. If you haven’t read it, you should! There is a truthful way children see the world and perceive what is right and wrong in a society marred with traditions of oppression and slavery. It takes a rare author to be able to write from this point on view without coming across as too wise or too naive, but Sue Monk Kidd has learnt to walk the line with elegance and grace. Her novels are full of beautiful prose, a commentary on society old and new, a lingering of hope even in the darkest of time. Reading her personal story makes you understand what it truly takes to write books like these and the soul of an artist.
This is part memoir, part guide and part life of an author. As she indicates, there is no formula to write well, but there can be methods or ideas to store away in a toolbox. She writes her own journey that turned her natural creativity and the need to say something into a way to express it and have the courage to share it. A way to let the subconscious ruminate on ideas and let them grow into a story that will feel authentic to the author long before it reaches the page. It is an acknowledgement of the vulnerability it takes to write and release a body of work, as it does any creative endeavour.
Collating advice and quotes from many inspirational authors, it is not a how to guide, but a book many will find helpful whether they are authors or learning to trust that voice within for other avenues in life. The personal stories actually helped me to understand her fictional novels more acutely and where her need to tell these types of stories arises from.
The memoir fraction of this book is a frank story of endurance and perseverance. Becoming an author is never easy, nor is trusting yourself and that what you have to say is worth hearing. I admire her all the more for continuing to push herself and her craft with all the roadblocks that dropped in her path.
This book was not formulaic, but it seemed to plant seeds within my mind. Ways of approaching ideas and how to structure a place to work that supports the growth of those ideas. Letting the subconscious take those seeds and turn them into my own story. Every day I sat down to read this book I would ultimately end up painting, baking or sitting down in a quiet area to write. It seemed that without actively thinking to do these things the mystery behind this process was unleashed. I loved this book and can see myself picking it up every now and then when I am in need of inspiration. A beautiful voice transformed into another wonderful body of work.
This is part memoir, part guide and part life of an author. As she indicates, there is no formula to write well, but there can be methods or ideas to store away in a toolbox. She writes her own journey that turned her natural creativity and the need to say something into a way to express it and have the courage to share it. A way to let the subconscious ruminate on ideas and let them grow into a story that will feel authentic to the author long before it reaches the page. It is an acknowledgement of the vulnerability it takes to write and release a body of work, as it does any creative endeavour.
Collating advice and quotes from many inspirational authors, it is not a how to guide, but a book many will find helpful whether they are authors or learning to trust that voice within for other avenues in life. The personal stories actually helped me to understand her fictional novels more acutely and where her need to tell these types of stories arises from.
The memoir fraction of this book is a frank story of endurance and perseverance. Becoming an author is never easy, nor is trusting yourself and that what you have to say is worth hearing. I admire her all the more for continuing to push herself and her craft with all the roadblocks that dropped in her path.
This book was not formulaic, but it seemed to plant seeds within my mind. Ways of approaching ideas and how to structure a place to work that supports the growth of those ideas. Letting the subconscious take those seeds and turn them into my own story. Every day I sat down to read this book I would ultimately end up painting, baking or sitting down in a quiet area to write. It seemed that without actively thinking to do these things the mystery behind this process was unleashed. I loved this book and can see myself picking it up every now and then when I am in need of inspiration. A beautiful voice transformed into another wonderful body of work.
December 2, 2025
Writing Creativity and Soul by Sue Monk Kidd is an excellent book for writers, readers, and creatives. I would recommend gifting it to the writer in your life this year, if you still need holiday gift ideas for that hard-to-shop-for writer in your life. It’s an excellent book to read before the dawn of a new year as well, for those who need or seek a bit of inspiration this time of year.
This book reads like an intimate letter but is also well organized and helpful for those looking for easy-to-grasp writing tips and inspiration. I ended up underlining so many passages in this book, making special note of the books and authors Monk Kidd mentions and reveres, and placed it on the shelf above my own writing desk so I can refer to it in the future. Seriously, not a word or sentence in this book is misplaced or extraneous.
Mostly, I appreciated how vulnerable Monk Kidd was throughout this book. She shares tidbits about when and how she became plagued with self-doubt as an author over her decades-long career, and what she did to overcome it. She also shares tidbits about how she developed many of her novels’ characters and plots, for those interested in a behind-the-scenes look at her writing process. She shares poignant notes on what and who inspired her writing, as well.
I also appreciated how Monk Kidd included an entire section in the book on the mysteries behind writing, mentioning how important it is to do things like creatively loiter and remember one’s dreams while honoring everyday empty spaces necessary to the creative process. It will remind writers with deadlines that it’s still okay and necessary to be creatively human, even if they write for a living.
Aspiring writers will especially appreciate the Method section of the book, as it offers useful tips on how to write compelling characters and plots and narratives, and more. Though established writers will likely find the insights offered in this section to be valuable, too.
Overall, I would recommend this book to aspiring and established creative writers alike, especially those who relish taking their time and going deep when they write, read, and create. I would also recommend it to fans of Sue Monk Kidd’s work who want to learn more about her writing process.
Here are some notable passages from the book:
“The writer’s transaction with soul is what brings depth, authenticity, originality, imagination, and emotional reverberation to what we have to say.”
“Every person is fundamentally creative. Natural creative acts are taking place inside you around the clock without you even trying.”
“Writing is more than creating language and story. It also involves the creation of the self.”
“Creativity is an instinct as powerful as the instinct to eat, and it seeks conscious expression in the world.”
“In the broadest terms, the idea is to write from the inside out.”
This book reads like an intimate letter but is also well organized and helpful for those looking for easy-to-grasp writing tips and inspiration. I ended up underlining so many passages in this book, making special note of the books and authors Monk Kidd mentions and reveres, and placed it on the shelf above my own writing desk so I can refer to it in the future. Seriously, not a word or sentence in this book is misplaced or extraneous.
Mostly, I appreciated how vulnerable Monk Kidd was throughout this book. She shares tidbits about when and how she became plagued with self-doubt as an author over her decades-long career, and what she did to overcome it. She also shares tidbits about how she developed many of her novels’ characters and plots, for those interested in a behind-the-scenes look at her writing process. She shares poignant notes on what and who inspired her writing, as well.
I also appreciated how Monk Kidd included an entire section in the book on the mysteries behind writing, mentioning how important it is to do things like creatively loiter and remember one’s dreams while honoring everyday empty spaces necessary to the creative process. It will remind writers with deadlines that it’s still okay and necessary to be creatively human, even if they write for a living.
Aspiring writers will especially appreciate the Method section of the book, as it offers useful tips on how to write compelling characters and plots and narratives, and more. Though established writers will likely find the insights offered in this section to be valuable, too.
Overall, I would recommend this book to aspiring and established creative writers alike, especially those who relish taking their time and going deep when they write, read, and create. I would also recommend it to fans of Sue Monk Kidd’s work who want to learn more about her writing process.
Here are some notable passages from the book:
“The writer’s transaction with soul is what brings depth, authenticity, originality, imagination, and emotional reverberation to what we have to say.”
“Every person is fundamentally creative. Natural creative acts are taking place inside you around the clock without you even trying.”
“Writing is more than creating language and story. It also involves the creation of the self.”
“Creativity is an instinct as powerful as the instinct to eat, and it seeks conscious expression in the world.”
“In the broadest terms, the idea is to write from the inside out.”
November 12, 2025
Sue Monk Kidd “came of age in the pre-feminist, pre–civil rights, religion-possessed South…This particular convergence of time, place, and culture created the overarching narrative into which I was born, a narrative I’ve been rewriting ever since…There’s nothing so immersive as creating a story that says this happened to me.”
Kidd has “written in the voices of a fourteen-year-old runaway girl, a fortytwo-year-old woman with a burned-out marriage, an enslaved girl in nineteenth-century Charleston, an aristocratic abolitionist from the antebellum South, and a first-century Jewish woman in Galilee married to Jesus…My protagonists all departed their ordinary lives and traveled to someplace different and distant in order to find what they most needed and wanted—belonging, love, selfhood, freedom, autonomy, a voice. They all made an exodus…They move from place to place, defying norms of female silence and obedience and searching not just for romance, but for equal partnerships” in the pilgrimage to find her resolution. “Who we become because of what happens evokes the soul of the story.”
“Writing is about who we were and who we are becoming. It’s a succession of leaps and small brave acts. It’s about what we carry and what we lay down…In writing, as in life, perfectionism is not so much the quest for excellence as a response to fear. Fear of limitations. Fear of failure. Fear of not being good enough…I understood something now, and this something changed everything. My fear didn’t matter as much as the writing. What mattered was writing in spite of it.”
“Sufferings are stories aching to be told…Some of the most powerful written works are those created out of suffering and broken places…Sometimes all you need in order to try and rewrite a piece of the world is anger and grief…When we are lost, when our world is full of brokenness, it is stories that will re-create us.”
Kidd has “written in the voices of a fourteen-year-old runaway girl, a fortytwo-year-old woman with a burned-out marriage, an enslaved girl in nineteenth-century Charleston, an aristocratic abolitionist from the antebellum South, and a first-century Jewish woman in Galilee married to Jesus…My protagonists all departed their ordinary lives and traveled to someplace different and distant in order to find what they most needed and wanted—belonging, love, selfhood, freedom, autonomy, a voice. They all made an exodus…They move from place to place, defying norms of female silence and obedience and searching not just for romance, but for equal partnerships” in the pilgrimage to find her resolution. “Who we become because of what happens evokes the soul of the story.”
“Writing is about who we were and who we are becoming. It’s a succession of leaps and small brave acts. It’s about what we carry and what we lay down…In writing, as in life, perfectionism is not so much the quest for excellence as a response to fear. Fear of limitations. Fear of failure. Fear of not being good enough…I understood something now, and this something changed everything. My fear didn’t matter as much as the writing. What mattered was writing in spite of it.”
“Sufferings are stories aching to be told…Some of the most powerful written works are those created out of suffering and broken places…Sometimes all you need in order to try and rewrite a piece of the world is anger and grief…When we are lost, when our world is full of brokenness, it is stories that will re-create us.”
November 16, 2025
Writing Creativity and Soul by Sue Monk Kidd is a book on writing that blends memoir, lessons on craft, and spirituality.
The book is split into four sections: Moorings, Mystery, Method, and Meaning. Moorings features Kidd’s own experiences pertaining to writing and feels the most memoir-like of all the sections of the book. In this section, Kidd describes her experiences with rejection early on as a young writer, before stopping writing to pursue nursing, and starting again at the age of 30. She talked about her self-doubt and the hesitation in calling herself a writer—something that I deeply related to.
Mystery details the rituals and creative processes she abides by, as well as those of other writers, such as Didion, who sleeps in the same room with her manuscript when she’s close to finishing it. This section emphasizes the need for all writers to create their own creative rituals that are specific and meaningful to their practice, rather than following the rituals of others.
Method focuses on key takeaways from Kidd’s own writing practice that readers can use in order to improve their own writing. This section covers topics such as plotting versus pantsing, narrative causality, creating well-crafted characters, scene mechanics, and more.
The final section, "Meaning," discusses the healing power of writing. Kidd notes how cathartic writing can be, and how the act of reading and writing creates empathy—two things that deeply resonated with me.
Throughout the book are lessons and tidbits of wisdom from other writers who came before, including the Brontë sisters, Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, and William Faulkner (and many more).
Reading this felt like a warm hug. I’ve read craft books on writing before, but none of them made me feel as seen as this one did.
Thank you to Knopf for the gifted copy!
The book is split into four sections: Moorings, Mystery, Method, and Meaning. Moorings features Kidd’s own experiences pertaining to writing and feels the most memoir-like of all the sections of the book. In this section, Kidd describes her experiences with rejection early on as a young writer, before stopping writing to pursue nursing, and starting again at the age of 30. She talked about her self-doubt and the hesitation in calling herself a writer—something that I deeply related to.
Mystery details the rituals and creative processes she abides by, as well as those of other writers, such as Didion, who sleeps in the same room with her manuscript when she’s close to finishing it. This section emphasizes the need for all writers to create their own creative rituals that are specific and meaningful to their practice, rather than following the rituals of others.
Method focuses on key takeaways from Kidd’s own writing practice that readers can use in order to improve their own writing. This section covers topics such as plotting versus pantsing, narrative causality, creating well-crafted characters, scene mechanics, and more.
The final section, "Meaning," discusses the healing power of writing. Kidd notes how cathartic writing can be, and how the act of reading and writing creates empathy—two things that deeply resonated with me.
Throughout the book are lessons and tidbits of wisdom from other writers who came before, including the Brontë sisters, Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, and William Faulkner (and many more).
Reading this felt like a warm hug. I’ve read craft books on writing before, but none of them made me feel as seen as this one did.
Thank you to Knopf for the gifted copy!
Read
December 3, 2025At this moment, the top review on this book is the very first to convince me that Goodreads needs downvotes. (7 likes. To the real readers out there, come on, we can do better.)
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I've read many books on writing, including Stephen King's book by that name, and inevitably they become biography. They must always be biography. Here is what opened creativity to me. Here is where I struggled. Here is what helped. I hope it might help you. I hope it might, at least, offer solace.
Solace is sometimes a necessity of writing, risk, creation. You can't show me a writer who doesn't experience despair and self-doubt somewhere in the process. To see authors with measurable levels of success say that writing came late to them, that they were held back by material circumstances or social hurdles, that they had to work very hard and very deliberately to complete the work that brought them accolades--or didn't, despite all the effort--demystifies some elements of creation. While I haven't read Kidd's fiction, I appreciated her deliberate centering of women in her fiction and female authors in her literary pilgrimage, especially given the narratives she found herself surrounded by that discouraged her dream of writing.
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I've read many books on writing, including Stephen King's book by that name, and inevitably they become biography. They must always be biography. Here is what opened creativity to me. Here is where I struggled. Here is what helped. I hope it might help you. I hope it might, at least, offer solace.
Solace is sometimes a necessity of writing, risk, creation. You can't show me a writer who doesn't experience despair and self-doubt somewhere in the process. To see authors with measurable levels of success say that writing came late to them, that they were held back by material circumstances or social hurdles, that they had to work very hard and very deliberately to complete the work that brought them accolades--or didn't, despite all the effort--demystifies some elements of creation. While I haven't read Kidd's fiction, I appreciated her deliberate centering of women in her fiction and female authors in her literary pilgrimage, especially given the narratives she found herself surrounded by that discouraged her dream of writing.
October 29, 2025
I haven't read much by Sue Monk Kidd. The only fiction I've read by her was The Secret Life of Bees, which, as an understatement, was not one of my favorites. (I found it maudlin, clichéd, racist-adjacent in an "I would have voted for him a third term" kind of way [IYKYK] — and also very well-written.) But I found it a fascinating and rewarding process to read a kind of "How did that get made" for a book I felt was technically proficient, although I didn't like the story. (After reading Writing Creativity and Soul, I almost want to give The Secret Life of Bees another try.)
I really appreciated reading Kidd's reflections on her creative process, how she covered her struggles and detours, and how she really got into the "why" behind the "doing". I like that there was an ineffable, almost spiritual, quality that Kidd used to describe her work. This isn't a "process" book, a how-to-manual. It's a reflection and an open invitation. I found it a meaningful and uplifting invitation, and it has certainly reawakened some of my own dormant creative aspirations.
I really appreciated reading Kidd's reflections on her creative process, how she covered her struggles and detours, and how she really got into the "why" behind the "doing". I like that there was an ineffable, almost spiritual, quality that Kidd used to describe her work. This isn't a "process" book, a how-to-manual. It's a reflection and an open invitation. I found it a meaningful and uplifting invitation, and it has certainly reawakened some of my own dormant creative aspirations.
November 23, 2025
I don't log all the writing books I listen to here, cos I generally don't count them as books, it's private how I choose to educate/appease myself, but this one was so special. I just finished another book which I won't log, or even mention except that it was of that franchise concerning the rescue of a furry animal, and it was the MOST cynical volume of that franchise, I can't believe I didn't go insane listening to the audiobook of it. I immediately went on to this one and my entire heart and butt unclenched and I knew I was right in what I knew felt comfortable. Y'know? That's it. I'm sure that the other stupid book works for some, but this is the one for me. It reminded me why I really care.
(addendum: okay I wasn't sure if this was gonna work but now I can admit - I actually bought that other stupid book ages ago from Audible, and then I just downloaded this one from a torrent site, I literally wouldn't have ever heard of it otherwise… but after listening, I managed to return the other bad book to Audible and spend the credit on this one… sometimes, the universe works…)
(addendum: okay I wasn't sure if this was gonna work but now I can admit - I actually bought that other stupid book ages ago from Audible, and then I just downloaded this one from a torrent site, I literally wouldn't have ever heard of it otherwise… but after listening, I managed to return the other bad book to Audible and spend the credit on this one… sometimes, the universe works…)
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