Writing Toward Home: Tales and Lessons to Find Your Way

by Georgia Heard

Here is a personal and compassionate book for everyone writers, poets, teachers, lovers of life, and especially those seeking to find their writing voices again or for the first time. It is an autobiographical travelogue moving from a volcano in Hawaii to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and places in between, with writing at its heart. Writing Toward Home offers practical advice on overcoming some of the obstacles writers of all ages writer's block, fear of rejection, confronting silencing critics in your head, finding the time to write. Each short chapter speaks to the larger truths about writing and how to truly live the writer's how to become more of a risk taker, how to excavate the past as a source, and how to become an acute observer of the world. Writing Toward Home is a book that will remind you-and help you remind your students-that the true source of writing is the creative self. In this fast culture when most people have so little time to do anything but menial tasks, it will jumpstart you, it will awaken to you the journey within, it will make you want to write.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Teaching, Poetry, Education, Autobiography, School

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 1995

About the author

Georgia Heard is the NCTE 2023 Excellence in Poetry for Children Award Winner which honors an American poet for their aggregate work for children. She is the author of many children’s books including her most recent Welcome to the Wonder House, (co-authored with Rebecca Kai Dotlich), My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness, and Boom! Bellow! Bleat!: Animal Poems for Two Or More Voices.
She received her M.F.A. in poetry writing from Columbia University. She is a founding member of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in New York City. Currently, she visits schools in the United States and around the world teaching writing and poetry. She is the author of Heart Maps: Helping Students Create and Craft Authentic Writing and a new edition of Awakening the Heart.
-from georgiaheard.com

Reviews

[Relyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relyn Rating 4.5 stars

I love Georgia Heard. As I read this book, I found myself wishing I owned the library book so that I could mark it up, underlining all the inspiration I found. This is a book for people who can't help but write; people who love words.

[Hailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really helpful with writing. Telling me more things to write and help with the writing. for example, if you have a weak sentence, place it on the top of your page and write about that sentence. This could be helpful because it turns a weak sentence into a better one. This book even tells the reader other things to right like memorys, a trip, nature, what writing hides for you, and more. This really helps improve my writing. When I need help with my writing, I can think back to this book and think about what to write and how to fix my writing.

[Trina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been an admirer of Georgia Heard for a long time. I love her professional educational books, and she always leaves me inspired, especially with poetry. However, Writing Toward Home: Tales and Lessons to Find Your Way may be my favorite work by Georgia Heard. As I read this book I did a lot of writing (and thinking), and I flagged many of Heard's writing suggestions that I will soon return to.

As a writer she's so humble and writes about how she has often felt lost in her writing. I loved what she said about writing notebooks, "A notebook is a fertilizer for my writing, not just a record of daily events. It's a place to dream, to explore, to play. It's a companion. I try to tell the truth in my notebook..." (pg. 29)

This was a great reminder for me, "We don't necessarily have to change our lives around to be writers or to be writing more. We must change the way we look at our lives. By looking at the small, everyday circumstances and happenings, we find ideas to fill volumes." (page 11-12)

I loved this quote as well, "Writing is an act of faith: faith that what I have to say, how I see the world, are important. I listen. I see. I feel and I record. Keeping the words flowing is an act of faith." (page 27)

I would highly recommend this book for writers and for those who are teaching writers.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a reread for me. I read it in a writing class in college and read it again for OWP. Some great writing exercises that can spark longer pieces.

[Jeny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now one of my favorite writing books - helping to center myself in my creativity. Love the suggestions at the end of the short chapters. Bought it for the writing shelf!!

[C.L. Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of writing advice/practices. Each chapter is short and concise, filled with ideas, suggestions and instructions for writing; and each ends with an assignment so the reader can put the concepts into practice. A worthwhile read and worthy to put on the how-to shelf between Writing Down the Bones and Living by Fiction.

[Marilyn Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small town story. A place where it always looks like home. One girl, with a broken home, fell in love with a family who lived in a home with 2 stories, a turret, and unique rooms. It was a home with happiness and great memories. And now that she was a nurse, she wanted to buy it. And it was for sale. But complications just kept coming up.

[Reese]

this book was insperational it helped me see the world in a different way.Georgia Heard taught me how to write my troubles aftermath away. Georgia Heard taught me that life is not bad write about your troubles then work on how to fix them.

[Treasure Island Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful short essays on writing and the writing life. Included are prompts for inspiration. I am not one who underlines in books, but this small collection had so many thought-provoking insights that I changed my ways.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of the prompts were really good, I used this to make entries in my writer's notebook for my writing class.

[Rebecca Upjohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, relatable essays and many useful writing prompts.

[Angie Quantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for writing exercises!

[Reynold Forman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read it over and over and always find something new to kick my writing into gear.

[Jill Dater · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reread after a poetry workshop with Georgia Heard. As good and relevant as ever. Why am I not using this in my writing class? I must.

[Jean Carlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 - Well, that was a big 'set-aside' but I'm so glad I pulled this thin chock-full of wisdom, off the shelf again! I found numerous motivational tips and prompt ideas that sent me to my laptop. "The true source of writing is your creative self," she says. But that self needed a spark.
I'm off now to write a letter to the grandmother that lived with us for fifteen years - a woman I think of as a ghost. A woman I realize now that I didn't know. At all.

2016:I am setting this aside for now. It's a book designed to help get the writer started with writing memoir and typical of this type of book there are countless 'exercises' to get things flowing.
I will keep it on my writer's shelf to use as a reference and idea stimulator as I find myself wanting to write stories about my own life. I will be concentrating on fictional short stories now for 3-4 months and want to write more and read less about how to do it!

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, and take no pleasure in giving it a two-star rating. Georgia Heard has an appealing voice and dispenses writing advice in earnest, mentor-ish tones; it's a shame, however, that the advice itself often echoes gooey self-help books--the kind that urge you to light candles, take long baths, and meditate in order to channel the writing muse. Such activities may have a calming effect, but they have less to do with the act of writing than transforming it into a spiritual practice. Perhaps it can be, but for me it has never consisted of much more than considering the blank page/screen and thinking about my words on it. Some sections are useful, but the frequency in which the author slips into dreamy-romantic-spiritual verbiage spoils the overall effect.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing Toward Home is a short, helpful book for anyone stuck in writing. Georgia Heard offers brief descriptions of her own experiences, in writing and life in general, and follows each of these stories with an exercise for the reader/writer. Some of these exercises are more helpful than others. Some feel downright hokey, but I did find a number of activities I can use with my creative writing students. She tends to dwell a little too long on ways to overcome tragic personal experiences that may get in the way of one’s writing. Many of the activities focus on writing about such events in order to take ownership of them. Ultimately, I like Heard’s philosophy that any approach to writing should be nurturing and liberating.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I read a book about writing, it's usually on how to teach writing to students, not how to become a better writer myself. I found this book to have some refreshing ideas, even though with a 1995 publication, it is quite old. The book is organized with brief chapters, each ending with a writing activity or recommendation. I found myself dog-earing pages as I read, which I will return to as I teach creative writing to my students.

My favorite chapters:
Everything, Including the Kitchen Sink
Ten Observations a Day
The Full Picture
Visual Archaeology
Whispering into the Air
Songs to the Everyday
Punctuation as Spice

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating is not entirely reflective of how I felt about this book -- 3 1/2 stars would be more accurate.

There are passages that I found myself delighted, inspired, and motivated by; sentences and phrases I will return to again. However, for me, there were only a few good (okay, really GREAT) chapters standing out among the rest. I read it quickly and would highly recommend it for anyone who loves writing OR is looking to get started. BUT (and this is how I decided upon my rating), there are many other writing books I'd recommend first.

[Shimin Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really good for getting ideas if you are a writer, or you just want to start writing something. The author shows us how his/her own story fit with how s/he writes and gives suggestions to beginners. It's easy to read, and easy to write with the informations given.
I remember when i was reading in class, and i had so many times i wanted to just stop reading and write... i had too many topics in my mind to choose from.
The book also led me to a new way of seeing things, so i could see by myself, and a total different background of my environment.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book! It is at once motivational and practical. It inspires you to write and gives you wonderful recommendations on how to write.

It is very easy to read and chapter style is perfect for picking up the book at any time for a helpful idea.

I highly recommend it for future and current writers.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first read/use, I hated this book. I thought it was dark and somber and not very inspirational. THEN, I saw Georgia Heard in person and she brought a new levity to the text, I've now revisited it and find it to be a great inspiration for journaling.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't decide between a 3 and a 4 - some parts are kinda cheesy but it has definitely inspired me to get started with my writing again - I may even do some of the exercises listed at the end of each mini-chapter.

[Mary Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I have started my dissertation reading! So far this is excellent. Very inspiring for those writers who sometimes need a reason to write.:)
....wahoo! I did it. Just finished this book--the first on my dissertation reading list. Onto the next one!

[Aram Kabodian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be using this book for years, I' sure. I love how it got me writing in my journal more than I had been. Also, my students will be seeing many of the prompts from this book in class. Highly recommended for writers and teachers, especially, and most anyone else.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georgia's books always speak to me, and with this one, I found myself reflecting and writing continuously in my notebook, using her prompts as a guide. She's wonderful. This transfers so well to teaching and writing instruction. I can't wait to use this book with my students!

[Stephi K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was able to do many of the writing exercises and learn a lot. I would read one lesson a day, some of them I read multiple times.

[Paulette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! The most beautiful essays about writing.

[Peg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading this again.....I love this book!!! So theraputic

[Joanniemiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short vignettes to inspire writing for yourself or teaching.