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Rewrite Your Life: Discover Your Truth Through the Healing Power of Fiction
“A step-by-step guide for writers struggling to create fiction from their life . . . delivers on its promise with such honesty, simplicity, and beauty.”— William Kent Krueger , New York Times bestselling author #1 Bestseller in Self-Help, Creativity
Shortlisted for an Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction! Tender, raw, and laugh-out-loud funny, Rewrite Your Life offers both a map and a compass for those seeking to harvest their life experiences to heal, lead a more authentic life, and craft a rich, powerful work of fiction. According to common wisdom, we all have a book inside of us. But how do we select and then write our most significant story—the one that helps us to evolve and invites pure creativity into our lives? In Rewrite Your Life , creative writing professor, sociologist, and popular fiction author Jess Lourey guides you through the redemptive process of writing a healing novel that recycles and transforms your most precious resources—your own emotions and experiences. There’s more to writing that meets the eye. This fact-to-fiction process provides not only the essential building blocks of bestselling novels but is also personally transformative. Based on the process the author developed and field-tested in the wake of her husband’s suicide, Rewrite Your Life is devoted to the practice of discovering, healing, and evolving through fiction writing. It combines research, practical and engaging guidance, and personal experience to meet readers where they are and take their creativity and personal growth to the next level. Rewrite your life teaches you If you have read books such as Save the Cat! Writes a Novel , How to Be Heard , or Story Power , you will love Rewrite Your Life .
Shortlisted for an Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction! Tender, raw, and laugh-out-loud funny, Rewrite Your Life offers both a map and a compass for those seeking to harvest their life experiences to heal, lead a more authentic life, and craft a rich, powerful work of fiction. According to common wisdom, we all have a book inside of us. But how do we select and then write our most significant story—the one that helps us to evolve and invites pure creativity into our lives? In Rewrite Your Life , creative writing professor, sociologist, and popular fiction author Jess Lourey guides you through the redemptive process of writing a healing novel that recycles and transforms your most precious resources—your own emotions and experiences. There’s more to writing that meets the eye. This fact-to-fiction process provides not only the essential building blocks of bestselling novels but is also personally transformative. Based on the process the author developed and field-tested in the wake of her husband’s suicide, Rewrite Your Life is devoted to the practice of discovering, healing, and evolving through fiction writing. It combines research, practical and engaging guidance, and personal experience to meet readers where they are and take their creativity and personal growth to the next level. Rewrite your life teaches you If you have read books such as Save the Cat! Writes a Novel , How to Be Heard , or Story Power , you will love Rewrite Your Life .
268 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2017
112 people are currently reading
730 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 11, 2023
I got a lot out of this book. I don't do the exercises but I gleaned all sorts of ideas and I love the quotes. As a writer my favorite:
Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. -Annie Dillard
Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. -Annie Dillard
June 5, 2017
A fabulous guide to writing, both in general and specifically as a way to use one's own emotional difficulties as both subject matter for creative art, and as a pathway to working through things that might otherwise fester. For all Lourey says she doesn't write memoir, there's a lot of memoir in it, which supports her writing exercises, making them easy to understand. That she's an encouraging, thorough teacher of writing comes through in the book, and her quotes and exercises are spot on. This would be a great book for someone who wants to write a book and doesn't know how to begin, but also for experienced writers to have insight into someone else's well-ordered and skillfully articulated process of emotional excavation and transformation.
February 11, 2018
This is a stunning book on so many levels. For writers and would be writers, it offers a guide on how to transfer your personal experiences into fiction. It provides a step by step guide, complete with forms for converting your thoughts, dreams and emotions into the broad form of a novel, a guide to creating rich and nuanced characters, a step by step approach to weaving your ideas and characters into the outline of a novel, then writing the novel, and finally the editing process. Jess also provides a timeline for keeping on task through the writing process. Useful tips abound throughout for novice and experienced writer alike.
But more important for me was the guide to making a personal journey through your own life -- the heartaches, disappointments, joys and tragedies -- and how to come out on the other side a happier and more fulfilled person. Jess does this by taking the reader on her own very personal journey. Some of the stories will leave you laughing out loud. Others will break your heart. But Jess shares them all, candidly telling her experiences that could have left her crushed and alone in rural Minnesota. But didn't.
At the depths of her life, she found herself pounding out the first paragraphs of what would become May Day, her first in what became the Calendar Mystery Series. Through writing, Jess picked herself up and put her life together. This is the story of how she did it. And how others can do the same.
Yes, this is a book about writing. But even if you never plan to write a novel, this book leaves the reader with a strong message about the value of examining what resides inside all of us, and stepping out on the other side a better person.
If you want to write, or if you simply want to find your way through the upheavals in life, this is a MUST READ.
But more important for me was the guide to making a personal journey through your own life -- the heartaches, disappointments, joys and tragedies -- and how to come out on the other side a happier and more fulfilled person. Jess does this by taking the reader on her own very personal journey. Some of the stories will leave you laughing out loud. Others will break your heart. But Jess shares them all, candidly telling her experiences that could have left her crushed and alone in rural Minnesota. But didn't.
At the depths of her life, she found herself pounding out the first paragraphs of what would become May Day, her first in what became the Calendar Mystery Series. Through writing, Jess picked herself up and put her life together. This is the story of how she did it. And how others can do the same.
Yes, this is a book about writing. But even if you never plan to write a novel, this book leaves the reader with a strong message about the value of examining what resides inside all of us, and stepping out on the other side a better person.
If you want to write, or if you simply want to find your way through the upheavals in life, this is a MUST READ.
July 19, 2017
Every author calls on, crystallizes, and shades his or her life experiences to craft fiction, whether they're writing world-bending sci fi or a thinly veiled autobiography. It is precisely those most conflict-ridden moments of our lives--the tragedies, humiliations, and terrors--that shape the best stories. But how do you select and then write your most significant story--the one that heals you and invites pure creativity into your life, the one that people line up to read? In Rewrite Your Life, creative writing professor, sociologist, and popular fiction author Jess Lourey guides you through the redemptive process of writing a healing novel that recycles and transforms your most precious resources--your own emotions and experiences.
Based on the process the author developed and field-tested in the wake of her husband's suicide, Rewrite Your Life is devoted to the practice of discovering, healing, and evolving through fiction writing. It combines research, practical and engaging guidance, and personal experience to meet you where you are and take your creativity and personal growth to the next level.
Tender, raw, and laugh-out-loud funny, Rewrite Your Life offers both a map and a compass for those seeking to harvest their life experiences to heal, lead a more authentic life, and craft a rich, powerful work of fiction.
Now's the time to write that book you were born to write.
Based on the process the author developed and field-tested in the wake of her husband's suicide, Rewrite Your Life is devoted to the practice of discovering, healing, and evolving through fiction writing. It combines research, practical and engaging guidance, and personal experience to meet you where you are and take your creativity and personal growth to the next level.
Tender, raw, and laugh-out-loud funny, Rewrite Your Life offers both a map and a compass for those seeking to harvest their life experiences to heal, lead a more authentic life, and craft a rich, powerful work of fiction.
Now's the time to write that book you were born to write.
May 12, 2017
This book is YUKON GOLD. And after you read it you will get that joke. :)
Seriously, I wish I could give this six stars. It made me laugh out loud multiple times. It made me nod my head and say "yes, yes, yes" multiple times. It made me excited to tackle writing in a new-to-me way (and yet, I had been doing some of this all along without realizing it). It was inspiring and touching and most definitely funny. If you've ever thought about writing a novel, this book would be a great place to start. It gives you steps to follow to help you craft a story. If you're already a writer and want to be better, Jess's advice about keeping a journal and free-writing on emotions, memories, and dreams will help you be a better one. Either way, you will learn more about yourself if you follow the exercises in the book. Plus, you'll laugh a lot and we can all use more laughter in our lives.
Seriously. YUKON GOLD.
Seriously, I wish I could give this six stars. It made me laugh out loud multiple times. It made me nod my head and say "yes, yes, yes" multiple times. It made me excited to tackle writing in a new-to-me way (and yet, I had been doing some of this all along without realizing it). It was inspiring and touching and most definitely funny. If you've ever thought about writing a novel, this book would be a great place to start. It gives you steps to follow to help you craft a story. If you're already a writer and want to be better, Jess's advice about keeping a journal and free-writing on emotions, memories, and dreams will help you be a better one. Either way, you will learn more about yourself if you follow the exercises in the book. Plus, you'll laugh a lot and we can all use more laughter in our lives.
Seriously. YUKON GOLD.
July 31, 2017
This book brings out creative ideas and inspirations for writing pieces of all types. As a writer, I came up with several ideas for fiction pieces and poetry. As a family historian, I learned new ways to liven up my journal entries and family stories.
The reader is taken through thought provoking exercises that help to create fictional stories based on personal experiences. Also, in reading this book, I was reminded that writing can be therapeutic in helping individuals deal with the crazy things life throws in their path.
If used and followed as intended, this book may take a little longer to finish. I highly recommend this book to all readers for all writing purposes.
The reader is taken through thought provoking exercises that help to create fictional stories based on personal experiences. Also, in reading this book, I was reminded that writing can be therapeutic in helping individuals deal with the crazy things life throws in their path.
If used and followed as intended, this book may take a little longer to finish. I highly recommend this book to all readers for all writing purposes.
July 27, 2019
Healing Through Writing
This is a book I will read more than once. It is filled with wisdom about finding resolutions and peace through writing. It also includes a very workable plan to write and pubish your work. I’m so glad I discovered this book.
This is a book I will read more than once. It is filled with wisdom about finding resolutions and peace through writing. It also includes a very workable plan to write and pubish your work. I’m so glad I discovered this book.
June 5, 2017
Great book. It was emotionally honest and supportive in helping others write honestly. Lots of great advice. Highly recommended
October 14, 2020
This is the most useful and readable book I have ever read on writing. I found myself highlighting so many passages to go back and reference. Thank you for really helpful guide!
March 8, 2024
I found this book by reading an article by the author in Psychology Today on how reading and writing fiction can be a form of art therapy.
The author is not a mental health professional, unfortunately, but someone whose mental health has benefited from writing fiction. She shared great research she has found on the subject, though, along with anecdotes from herself and other authors.
I found the book useful, but not as useful as I hoped it would be. It also needed sensitivity reads, as there is upsetting and harmful content in it, especially relating to examples and anecdotes.
The worst offender of these was the story about a friend of the author who admitted to committing war crimes when he was in the military during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He expressed guilt for unaliving several people (likely civilians) in the back. To make himself feel better about it, he wrote two novels where the people unalived were either inhuman monsters or criminals who, it’s implied, “deserved it.”
That’s not therapy. That’s self-delusion. He could have put blame on his commanding officer who gave the order and on his own youth, bias, and potential racism at the time. He could have grown, learned, and become an anti-colonial activist. But, instead, he chose to further dehumanize the colonized people who were fleeing him and whom he sniped.
The book comes with no trigger or content warnings, despite discussing very serious subjects, such as the above colonial violence, along with child abuse, self-unaliving, and SA. I really think a book meant for people struggling with their mental health should have taken better care of the reader, both in terms of content warnings and in terms of the content itself.
I still think it’s a useful read with helpful tips on writing a novel and practicing catharsis through creating fiction. But please consider the content mentioned above before diving in.
The author is not a mental health professional, unfortunately, but someone whose mental health has benefited from writing fiction. She shared great research she has found on the subject, though, along with anecdotes from herself and other authors.
I found the book useful, but not as useful as I hoped it would be. It also needed sensitivity reads, as there is upsetting and harmful content in it, especially relating to examples and anecdotes.
The worst offender of these was the story about a friend of the author who admitted to committing war crimes when he was in the military during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He expressed guilt for unaliving several people (likely civilians) in the back. To make himself feel better about it, he wrote two novels where the people unalived were either inhuman monsters or criminals who, it’s implied, “deserved it.”
That’s not therapy. That’s self-delusion. He could have put blame on his commanding officer who gave the order and on his own youth, bias, and potential racism at the time. He could have grown, learned, and become an anti-colonial activist. But, instead, he chose to further dehumanize the colonized people who were fleeing him and whom he sniped.
The book comes with no trigger or content warnings, despite discussing very serious subjects, such as the above colonial violence, along with child abuse, self-unaliving, and SA. I really think a book meant for people struggling with their mental health should have taken better care of the reader, both in terms of content warnings and in terms of the content itself.
I still think it’s a useful read with helpful tips on writing a novel and practicing catharsis through creating fiction. But please consider the content mentioned above before diving in.
September 21, 2021
Rewrite Your Life / Jessica Lourey
ماذا سيكون شعورك لو استطعت أن تلملم ما تبعثر من حياتك وتعيد صياغته مرة أخرى!
كيف لا! لو تعرضت لصدمة كبيرة أفقدتك توازنك!
هذا ما قامت به كاتبة الكتاب جيسيكا بعد تعرضها لصدمتها بإنتحار زوجها وهي حامل بالطفل الثاني، وتركها وحيدة في هذا العالم، حيث كان محور عالمها فتعرضت لاضطراب ما بعد الصدمة Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) وانقلبت حياتها رأسا على عقب. امرأة في الأربعين لديها طفلة في الثالثة وحامل بطفل آخر في أحشائها تدرس الأدب الإنجليزي بجامعة كولومبيا، عالمها إنهار فجأة أمام عينيها.
ماذا تفعل!
جربت العلاج النفسي الدوائي والسلوكي، ولم يسعفها غير العلاج بكتابة الرواية. حيث أعادت صياغة حياتها مع زوجها الراحل لتبقيه حيا من خلال كتابة رواية.
كتاب يتحدث عن رحلة جيسيكا، وكيف تتم عملية كتابة الرواية. ففي جعبة كل منا رواية بعضنا يتجرأ لكتابتها.
فماذا عنكم/ن!
لغة الكتاب صحافية، كتاب لطيف يسبر بنا في عالم من العلاج الذي يحتاجه بعضنا.
ماذا سيكون شعورك لو استطعت أن تلملم ما تبعثر من حياتك وتعيد صياغته مرة أخرى!
كيف لا! لو تعرضت لصدمة كبيرة أفقدتك توازنك!
هذا ما قامت به كاتبة الكتاب جيسيكا بعد تعرضها لصدمتها بإنتحار زوجها وهي حامل بالطفل الثاني، وتركها وحيدة في هذا العالم، حيث كان محور عالمها فتعرضت لاضطراب ما بعد الصدمة Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) وانقلبت حياتها رأسا على عقب. امرأة في الأربعين لديها طفلة في الثالثة وحامل بطفل آخر في أحشائها تدرس الأدب الإنجليزي بجامعة كولومبيا، عالمها إنهار فجأة أمام عينيها.
ماذا تفعل!
جربت العلاج النفسي الدوائي والسلوكي، ولم يسعفها غير العلاج بكتابة الرواية. حيث أعادت صياغة حياتها مع زوجها الراحل لتبقيه حيا من خلال كتابة رواية.
كتاب يتحدث عن رحلة جيسيكا، وكيف تتم عملية كتابة الرواية. ففي جعبة كل منا رواية بعضنا يتجرأ لكتابتها.
فماذا عنكم/ن!
لغة الكتاب صحافية، كتاب لطيف يسبر بنا في عالم من العلاج الذي يحتاجه بعضنا.
January 11, 2023
The writing advice "write what you know" is so ubiquitous it is almost meaningless at this point, but Jess Lourey not only reinvigorates the phrase with meaning, but she provides a step by step guide on how to infuse your novel-writing with pieces of yourself, but makes a compelling case on how exploring your own (grief, trauma, joy, confusion, fear, shame, etc) can make you a better writer. With practical exercises designed to tap into your truest emotions and a guide for how to incorporate that into fiction rather than turning everything into a thinly veiled memoir, this guide changed how I approach exorcising my own demons with writing. If you haven't reached your potential because of the parts of yourself you're scared to reveal, scared to put to the page, this book will teach you how to do it, with a gentleness and compassion that exploring this topic deserves.
June 18, 2025
Thank you to authors like Jess Lourey who take the time to entertain us with their fiction AND share their process with us to boot!
I don’t know about you, but as a book worm I often think about writing a book…someday! I leave every author event pumped up and ready to write my best seller!
I really resonated with her process, how she broke down her steps in writing a book. She was very authentic and vulnerable in this hook, sharing her past!
The book includes exercises to get the creative juices flowing and step by step guidance on getting started. There’s a template to walk you through writing a book in a year.
Off to write my one sentence
I don’t know about you, but as a book worm I often think about writing a book…someday! I leave every author event pumped up and ready to write my best seller!
I really resonated with her process, how she broke down her steps in writing a book. She was very authentic and vulnerable in this hook, sharing her past!
The book includes exercises to get the creative juices flowing and step by step guidance on getting started. There’s a template to walk you through writing a book in a year.
Off to write my one sentence
January 12, 2018
The activities in this book helped me start to write some stories in my life that need to be told. I did modify the themes and allotted times to fit my needs but they were great starting points. A lot of the information about writing in the book is basic. The strength is in the different ways of finding ideas. Overall it was a very therapeutic to work with. I'd highly recommend it to people who are needing a starting point to dig into their own stories.
July 12, 2020
I was introduced to this author while doing a writing retreat search of places outside Paris France. Lourey"s name came up. Further checking showed another retreat in the Gladstone Library in Wales. Imagine that. A writing retreat in a library! Further research lead me to her TEDtalk and had to read more. This is the third book of hers I have read in a month and I am still impressed.
This particular is a great resource.
This particular is a great resource.
January 22, 2024
I love her ideas about using your genuine conflicts but specifically not how they occurred. Letting the problem live on the page and select its own solutions. She gets why I am not into memoir - I don't want to just live through the pain- I want to work through it and make it art. She says all of her books are about the same thing. Honestly I am not sure if that is true for me or what the one thing will be.
April 25, 2024
Enjoyable.
Decided to pick this up as someone who used to enjoy writing. Although I currently don't plan on writing a novel, the idea of writing as a way to deal with/heal from life's surprises did appeal to me. The author gives great advice on how to write a professional novel and makes it very clear that you are not obligated to publish. For some, just the act of writing is what's needed. Definitely worth picking up.
Decided to pick this up as someone who used to enjoy writing. Although I currently don't plan on writing a novel, the idea of writing as a way to deal with/heal from life's surprises did appeal to me. The author gives great advice on how to write a professional novel and makes it very clear that you are not obligated to publish. For some, just the act of writing is what's needed. Definitely worth picking up.
April 2, 2024
Delightful. Effective. Informative. Funny.
I read Unspeakable Things (same author) and was drawn into the confusing world of a 12 year old girl so completely I needed to know the authors secrets. Jess shares all of them in this book and gives poignant insight on how you can turn your life's experiences into compelling fiction and well-rounded characters.
I read Unspeakable Things (same author) and was drawn into the confusing world of a 12 year old girl so completely I needed to know the authors secrets. Jess shares all of them in this book and gives poignant insight on how you can turn your life's experiences into compelling fiction and well-rounded characters.
May 12, 2017
I didn't realize when I purchased this book that it is a self-help-how-to: taking the grist of our lives and by writing this into our fiction, healing ourselves in the process. As a writing teacher, I will offer tidbits of this to my students.
June 21, 2017
So pithy and useful, with a great tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. I am not a plotter/outliner, but even a pantser like me found a lot of inspiration and really good editing strategies. Thanks for writing this, Jess!
November 11, 2023
I liked author's TED talk on the same topic way more than her book.
May 21, 2024
i thought i would hate this book when i first started it. kept at it and was surprised at how helpful it was. it tells u exactly what specifically to do. that’s kinda nice
July 1, 2024
Five stars aren’t enough! Detailed review coming..
July 21, 2024
One of the best reads, it helped me understand the importance of writing down my thoughts and experiences, even the bad and humiliating ones, and not putting them under the rug.
August 1, 2024
3.5 stars
April 28, 2025
Completely brilliant. Yes, it took me a really long time to work through the exercises... but wow. So worth it.
January 25, 2023
This is an interesting reference book for writers who wish to heal from trauma by fictionalizing it. As an author myself, I could relate to Lourey's use of personal emotions to give depth to her characters. I recommend this one for new and seasoned writers who wish to convey true feelings.
April 20, 2017
We've all heard the dictum "write what you know." And most if not all writers use incidents from their own lives in their books. Yet how well do we know ourselves on an emotional level? I read an awful lot of "self-help" books but rarely do the suggested exercises. All that introspection is hard work and brings up too many things I don't want to examine or re-live.
Lourey bravely exposes her own experiences and relates how she has freed herself by incorporating what she learned about herself. I am trying to deepen my own fiction writing, so I am actually working my way through her prompts.
Along the way, Lourey also gives good info on choosing a genre, concept, characters, plot, and setting.
I highly recommend this book to both authors and those who want to overcome the painful parts of their lives through journaling.
Lourey bravely exposes her own experiences and relates how she has freed herself by incorporating what she learned about herself. I am trying to deepen my own fiction writing, so I am actually working my way through her prompts.
Along the way, Lourey also gives good info on choosing a genre, concept, characters, plot, and setting.
I highly recommend this book to both authors and those who want to overcome the painful parts of their lives through journaling.
May 2, 2017
I've tried writing fiction in the past, but never been able to make that fiction emotionally real in its words and message. I shifted to trying memoir, but there were too many potholes in that path. When I discovered this book before it came out, I began waiting impatiently to read it.
I think that I have found my answer. I didn't work through the exercises yet, but I did think through them. They seem well-designed to help you get feelings about past experiences out of your mind and onto the paper and into the lives of the characters you're writing about.
I love the idea of using your experiences without telling them in the form of memoir. It seems that could be more therapeutic and emotionally true. If there's something blocking the flow in your memoir, this may be the answer.
I think that I have found my answer. I didn't work through the exercises yet, but I did think through them. They seem well-designed to help you get feelings about past experiences out of your mind and onto the paper and into the lives of the characters you're writing about.
I love the idea of using your experiences without telling them in the form of memoir. It seems that could be more therapeutic and emotionally true. If there's something blocking the flow in your memoir, this may be the answer.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews