Writing from Life

by Susan Wittig Albert

Encourages women to discover their natural storytelling talents, find authentic voices, and record their experiences by providing exercises, meditations, and writing examples for inspiration

Genres: Writing, Memoir, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 1997

About the author

Susan is the author/co-author of biographical/historical fiction, mysteries, and nonfiction. Now in her 80s and continuing to write, she says that retirement is not (yet) an option. She publishes under her own imprint. Here are her latest books.

A PLAIN VANILLA MURDER, #27 in the long-running China Bayles/Pecan Springs series.

Two Pecan Springs novella trilogies: The Crystal Cave Trilogy (featuring Ruby Wilcox): noBODY, SomeBODY Else, and Out of BODY; and The Enterprise Trilogy (featuring Jessica Nelson): DEADLINES, FAULTLINES, and FIRELINES.

THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE POINSETTIA PUZZLE #8 in the Darling Dahlias series, set in the early 1930s in fictional Darling AL

THE GENERAL'S WOMEN. Kay, Mamie, and Ike--the wartime romance that won a war but could have derailed a presidency.

LOVING ELEANOR: A novel about the intimate 30-year friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, based on their letters

A WILDER ROSE: the true story of Rose Wilder Lane, who transformed her mother from a farm wife and occasional writer to a literary icon

THE TALE OF CASTLE COTTAGE, #8 in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter

DEATH ON THE LIZARD, the 12th and last (2006) of the Robin Paige series, by Susan and Bill Albert

TOGETHER, ALONE: A MEMOIR OF MARRIAGE AND PLACE

AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR OF ORDINARY DAYS

WORK OF HER OWN: A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

WRITING FROM LIFE: TELLING YOUR SOUL'S STORY

Reviews

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

The goodreads description of this book is very accurate, so read it to see whether this is something you are looking for right now. Right now I am reading through it without doing the exercises, but I think I would like to do them one day.

It's a very good book and I like it. It has a wonderful collection of quotes on the margins -- almost worth it to get the book just for the quotes!

The only really annoying thing right now is the idea of including family in the list of soul mates almost by defalut (I think it is a oversimplistic approach).

[Brooke Carlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful + empowering for female poets & storytellers.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I had liked this book more than I did. It's a step-by-step program to write one's own autobiography, aimed at mature women, and focusing by chapter on different aspects of life. I think where it failed for me is that it is very prescriptive, and I've about had it with step-by-step formulaic programs for doing things. It's also dated, in that it predates the digital era; all this is done daily by bloggers with images, links, etc. so the process of chronicling one's life is much more common now than it was when this book came out.

If you're stuck and don't know how to start writing, if you benefit from guided meditation, or if you need a bit of hand-holding to write your story, this is one of many books that may help. One excellent resource is the appendix of other writing books; it covers only up to the mid-90s when the book was published, but there is much more out there that could be helpful. Much of it is online and free to read these days, so this book may indeed be obsolete.

[denise kay jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a useful book for finding writing ideas and, especially for those looking for a template to create eight chapters of a book. I would give it a five, but the book is not very compelling. I mean, it's not Anne Lamott, or Elizabeth Jarrett Andrews, or Natalie Goldberg. Albert is more pedantic. The book reminds me a little of Women's Lives, Women's Legacies (Rachael Freed). Both books are perfectly sound and will, indeed, help you write the book, which is their purpose; they're just not very entertaining. And maybe that's good.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading/writing from this book as a library loan, but had to get my own copy because it is one of those books that helps me do the writing I want to do. But, it will take me years to go through the exercises. I love the format she outlines for writing your own life story.

[Chris Babcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational. Susan writes a description of her journey to the author she ahs become. I keep rereading it to remind myself to keep traveling down the road I want to go down, even when it seems to be going nowhere.

[Kim j · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fantastic way to write about yourself.without feeling cocky! I love to journal & this has helped me focus on things I never thought to put in writing. I think everyone ahould do this. Thanks!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am re-reading this book as a continual inspiration to find my own writing path. This is a great book for anyone who wants to write about their life as a way to inspire others as you share your journey.

[Tree Langdon]

this book has good exercises and prompts