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Writing from the Inside Out: Transforming Your Psychological Blocks to Release the Writer Within
"Dennis Palumbo has great insight into a writer s psyche.... Every writer should have a shrink or this book. The book is cheaper."
--Gary Shandling, actor, comic, and writer "wise, compassionate, and funny..."
--Aram Saroyan, poet and novelist
"Dennis Palumbo provides a sense of community in the isolation of writing, of knowing that we are not alone on this uncharted and privileged journey. He shows us that our shared struggles, fears, and triumphs are the very soul of the art and craft of writing."
--Bruce Joel Rubin, screenwriter, GhostandDeepImpact
Writer's block. Procrastination. Loneliness. Doubt. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Just plain...fear. What does it mean if you struggle with these feelings on a daily basis?It means you re a writer. Written with a unique empathy and deep insight by someone who is both a fellow writer and a noted psychotherapist, Writing from the Inside Out sheds light on the inner life of the writer and shows you positive new ways of thinking about your art and yourself. Palumbo touches on subjects ranging from writer s envy to rejection, from the loneliness of solitude to the joy of craft. Most of all, he leads you to the most empowering revelation of all that you are enough. Everything you need to navigate the often tumultuous terrain of the writer s path and create your best work is right there inside you.
--Gary Shandling, actor, comic, and writer "wise, compassionate, and funny..."
--Aram Saroyan, poet and novelist
"Dennis Palumbo provides a sense of community in the isolation of writing, of knowing that we are not alone on this uncharted and privileged journey. He shows us that our shared struggles, fears, and triumphs are the very soul of the art and craft of writing."
--Bruce Joel Rubin, screenwriter, GhostandDeepImpact
Writer's block. Procrastination. Loneliness. Doubt. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Just plain...fear. What does it mean if you struggle with these feelings on a daily basis?It means you re a writer. Written with a unique empathy and deep insight by someone who is both a fellow writer and a noted psychotherapist, Writing from the Inside Out sheds light on the inner life of the writer and shows you positive new ways of thinking about your art and yourself. Palumbo touches on subjects ranging from writer s envy to rejection, from the loneliness of solitude to the joy of craft. Most of all, he leads you to the most empowering revelation of all that you are enough. Everything you need to navigate the often tumultuous terrain of the writer s path and create your best work is right there inside you.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 16, 2000
46 people are currently reading
1182 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Palumbo
33 books40 followersFormerly a Hollywood screenwriter (My Favorite Year, Welcome Back, Kotter, etc.), Dennis Palumbo is now a licensed psychotherapist and author
His mystery fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, The Strand, and elsewhere, and is collected in From Crime to Crime.
His acclaimed series of crime novels (Mirror Image, Fever Dream, Night Terrors, Phantom Limb, and Head Wounds) feature psychologist Daniel Rinaldi, a trauma expert who consults with the Pittsburgh Police. All are from Poisoned Pen Press. For more info, visit www.dennispalumbo.com.
His mystery fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, The Strand, and elsewhere, and is collected in From Crime to Crime.
His acclaimed series of crime novels (Mirror Image, Fever Dream, Night Terrors, Phantom Limb, and Head Wounds) feature psychologist Daniel Rinaldi, a trauma expert who consults with the Pittsburgh Police. All are from Poisoned Pen Press. For more info, visit www.dennispalumbo.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
January 22, 2013
Most writers are sensitive by nature, and can use this encouragement from someone who understands. This book is very therapeutic, and certainly cheaper than paying for your own psychiatric sessions. Mr. Palumbo has a deep understanding of the psychological struggles writers face as they attempt to tap into their creativity, then offer it to a fickle, often far less intelligent world of consumers to reject. I like how he notes that many writers are stunned that works they thought were less valuable got published, while what they considered their "masterpieces" oftened garnered no interest. This book may not help you get unstuck from the muddle in the middle of your novel, but it will help you not to be so self-recriminating about it. The point is you have to love your own writing, even if no one else appreciates it.
September 23, 2019
Dennis Palumbo, the author of this book, has been both a screenwriter and a therapist, and that seems to be a winning combination for me. There’s definitely an overlap between writing and psychology. This book borrows from tools of therapy, like building self-esteem and forgiving oneself, and applies it to writing. I’ve come away from it with three specific lessons, and I’m grateful for each one.
The first lesson is simple, but is probably the most important of all: writing begets writing. As long as you keep writing, ideas will flow. When people get blocked, it’s usually not a lack of ideas but some form of performance anxiety. I’ve absolutely found that to be true. Palumbo advises to stop thinking about commercial or critical success and write for its own sake. If you love writing, do it for the love of it. Perhaps other rewards will come, but if you write, at least you’re guaranteed the reward of personal accomplishment.
The second lesson had to do with “killing your darlings.” Palumbo takes a therapist’s approach and suggests that whenever you resist letting go of some beloved phrase or image that isn’t working in your story, ask yourself why you’re so attached to it. Generally, it’ll be because it was inspired by some happy memory or even just a true one you don’t want to alter. But once you’ve found the reason, it’s usually easier to let go of. I think of this as the writer’s equivalent to Marie Kondo’s “Tidying Up.” Instead of “killing” your darling, hold it in your mind, consider what it did for you, thank it, and edit it out.
The final lesson is in the expression, “not seeing the forest for the trees.” Writing a novel, says Palumbo, is all about the trees. You can only work on them one by one until you see the forest. In other words, he’s one of the many writers who say you don’t have to work from an outline. As someone who’s been blocked just by the prospect of creating an outline, I found that liberating.
Though not every insight in this book was new to me, it was good to be corroborated in what I did know, and I definitely value the three lessons above. I think most writers, whether professional or not, will find the book true to their experience. So I highly recommend it. It’s a tough business to break into. We need all the self-therapy we can get.
The first lesson is simple, but is probably the most important of all: writing begets writing. As long as you keep writing, ideas will flow. When people get blocked, it’s usually not a lack of ideas but some form of performance anxiety. I’ve absolutely found that to be true. Palumbo advises to stop thinking about commercial or critical success and write for its own sake. If you love writing, do it for the love of it. Perhaps other rewards will come, but if you write, at least you’re guaranteed the reward of personal accomplishment.
The second lesson had to do with “killing your darlings.” Palumbo takes a therapist’s approach and suggests that whenever you resist letting go of some beloved phrase or image that isn’t working in your story, ask yourself why you’re so attached to it. Generally, it’ll be because it was inspired by some happy memory or even just a true one you don’t want to alter. But once you’ve found the reason, it’s usually easier to let go of. I think of this as the writer’s equivalent to Marie Kondo’s “Tidying Up.” Instead of “killing” your darling, hold it in your mind, consider what it did for you, thank it, and edit it out.
The final lesson is in the expression, “not seeing the forest for the trees.” Writing a novel, says Palumbo, is all about the trees. You can only work on them one by one until you see the forest. In other words, he’s one of the many writers who say you don’t have to work from an outline. As someone who’s been blocked just by the prospect of creating an outline, I found that liberating.
Though not every insight in this book was new to me, it was good to be corroborated in what I did know, and I definitely value the three lessons above. I think most writers, whether professional or not, will find the book true to their experience. So I highly recommend it. It’s a tough business to break into. We need all the self-therapy we can get.
November 16, 2010
This is one of the most positive books on writing I've read since Natalie Goldberg's WRITING DOWN THE BONES. It's not a "getting writing again" program. It's not an inspiriation handbook. It's not a how to book on being a writer at all. The author is a successful screenwriter turned therapist for writers and the book is essentially theraputic advice and professional experience for any and all writers. It's 242 pages of reassurance without ever being coddling, placating or condescending. He knows what writers go through so he knows how to address these issues. He doesn't let the writer off the hook, but he practices and preaches gentleness. The chapters are short and well crafted so it's reader friendly. It really resonated with me and actually lit a fire under me to get writing again.
October 6, 2020
god fine okay i’ll write i’ll write!!!
July 13, 2020
PN Library
August 24, 2014
This book was freaking amazing. It has to be hands down one of the best books about writing I have ever read. I enjoyed it so much, that it scared me. Why? It is a different writing books from the ones I usually read [and I read a lot, and will continue you too] it scared me also because there were times when I thought, I wonder if I will read another book on writing again after I read this.
It was powerful, and present, even though it was published [at least my edition] 14 years ago. The issues that all creative folk, especially writers deal with was brought up without sugar coating, and yet Denis still nurtured the human conditions that we all have experienced, and brought to my attention a lot of issues I had been working through in therapy, and in my own writing for most of my adult life.
What I found resonated with me the most was the psychological factors that Denis uncovered throughout the book. I had often brought them up in my mind, yet never really looked at them. It was confronting to read them, but freeing when I finished the book. It left me confident that yes I am going to have ups and downs, good times in the industry, and downers. Yet my passion is writing, and I am in it for the long haul.
Part validation, part fascination I am glad I picked up this book, and will be purchasing it for myself asap. It is a life time keeper.
It was powerful, and present, even though it was published [at least my edition] 14 years ago. The issues that all creative folk, especially writers deal with was brought up without sugar coating, and yet Denis still nurtured the human conditions that we all have experienced, and brought to my attention a lot of issues I had been working through in therapy, and in my own writing for most of my adult life.
What I found resonated with me the most was the psychological factors that Denis uncovered throughout the book. I had often brought them up in my mind, yet never really looked at them. It was confronting to read them, but freeing when I finished the book. It left me confident that yes I am going to have ups and downs, good times in the industry, and downers. Yet my passion is writing, and I am in it for the long haul.
Part validation, part fascination I am glad I picked up this book, and will be purchasing it for myself asap. It is a life time keeper.
December 12, 2024
Written by an author and psychotherapist who specializes in creative issues, this helpful book covers the struggles of writing, offering reframing and rethinking to nudge authors back to personal creativity.
July 11, 2022
Приятна и забавна книга, нямаща почти нищо общо с посестримите си в жанра. Палумбо е бивш холивудски сценарист, който от 15 години е лицензиран психотерапевт, специализирал се в работа с писатели. Книгата е директен плод на труда ми и в двете поприща.
Накратко, авторът е разбил повечето стандартно страхове и трудности на писателите и ни учи как да ги приемем като част от процеса на писане, без да забиваме. Не поучава, не натиска, не заповядва, използва много хумор и реални ситуации от практиката си като терапевт и писател.
Много топла книга, дали помага... нямам представа.
Както казва един приятел. Един добър роман може да те научи за писането много повече от всички изписани по въпроса книги..
Накратко, авторът е разбил повечето стандартно страхове и трудности на писателите и ни учи как да ги приемем като част от процеса на писане, без да забиваме. Не поучава, не натиска, не заповядва, използва много хумор и реални ситуации от практиката си като терапевт и писател.
Много топла книга, дали помага... нямам представа.
Както казва един приятел. Един добър роман може да те научи за писането много повече от всички изписани по въпроса книги..
May 16, 2022
Most comforting book a writer could read
February 13, 2017
I've been reading bits and pieces of this book for over a decade. More is the pity. If I'd read it straight through when I first bought it, I'm convinced I'd have been a more productive writer these last ten years. This book is full of gorgeous nuggets of wisdom from the author who acts more as shrink than fellow writer, which I appreciate. Perhaps the piece of advice that most resonated for me comes near the end when he points out that there is really nothing special about you and your writerly angst: all writers have to face the room alone, face the frustration, the self-doubt. What I particularly like about the book is that you can pick it up and flip to any part and find some line or paragraph there that will force you to address your own whining about how hard it is to be a writer. Perhaps this isn't fair, but I gave it 4 out of 5 instead of 5 because it focuses too much on screenwriting and life in Hollywood and because the very end has "case studies" of clients with writing problems that are a composite (or fabrication), and it just doesn't sound the same as the rest of the book.
November 12, 2010
Stressed out because you haven't written as much as you wish you have by now? Feeling like you've failed when it comes to your writing? Out of ideas? Then you must lie down and savor the comforting stories and words of psychotherapist Dennis Palumbo. After you read this book you'll enjoy more pleasure in your own process of writing and you'll be more accepting with the connections between the characters in your life and the stories you put down on paper. But more importantly, you'll have less stress about what you wrote yesterday or today and more comfort knowing that you're a writer for life. That's the way it is. Your job as a writer is to write every day and persevere. It's unnecessary to fear what others will think and there's no need to stress out about whether or not your words are good enough for others. Writing, Dennis says, is "the daily practice of the art of being yourself, and the ultimate pathway to the awareness that you--just as you are--are enough." So go write!
July 23, 2016
Palumbo is a "successful" writer from a commercial perspective and a therapist who specializes in helping other writers understand and cope with the torment of the writer's life. His advice for writers is familiar to anyone who has felt inadequate relative to the demands of a vocation. Embrace the struggle, stay true to yourself, persist and explore the suffering as a source of inspiration. One clear takeaway is that real writers get super annoyed by the rest of us saying we want to write a book someday. As if the only distinction between any of us and a professional writer is enough "free" time to put pen to paper.
November 21, 2016
Tää ei ollut tavanomainen kirjoitusopas, vaan pohdiskeli enemmän kirjoittajan elämää ja sitä, mikä auttaa ja estää kirjoittamista. Tyyppi on kirjoittajiin erikoistunut psykoterapeutti, jolla on takanaan tv-käsiskirjoittajan ura, ja huomiot, ohjeet ja potilaskertomukset ovat tarkkanäköisiä. Alaotsikko on varmaan jonkun markkinointiheebon keksimä, sillä pikemminkin kirja käsittelee kaikenlaisia teemoja liittyen kirjoittamisen psykologiaan kuin sitä, että miten kirjoittajaksi tullaan psykologisten ongelmien kautta. Hyvin valaisevaa luettavaa.
April 27, 2019
I'm often inspired to write by the bad writing of others. I no longer feel outclassed by "real" writers once I see they can often write things that I would be embarrassed to release to the world. Dennis Palumbo thus inspired me in two different ways.
I only became aware of him recently when a well known psychoanalyst whose work I'd admired posted on F******k, the social media site I refuse to explicitly name, that he had mentored him in his training as a therapist. Mr. Palumbo, who was a professional screenwriter now treats writers with problems. Or, for short, he now treats writers for Mr. Palumbo believes that all writers have problems. What's more, the problems are an important part of the writing "calling," a term more often used to describe the vocation of a minister. Someone without problems wouldn't be called to become a writer and would have nothing to write about. Felling inadequate is thus an important qualification for the job. Feeling outclassed, as I mentioned in the first graf (using jargon now--inspired!) is a good sign, not a bad one. Few self-help books about creativity (and I've read many) seem to get this other than superficially, Finishing School: Overcoming work blocks to get your projects done and into the world, also by a psychotherapist being the only exception. As both these books seem to understand, it is your uniqueness, not your similarity to "real" writers (didn't I just use this "real" bit earlier? never mind, I'm on a roll. Hey, isn't "on a roll" a cliche?) wherein your value lies.
Also, I just read the first book of Palumbo's detective series (a therapist who solves murders) and it was cliche-ridden. Even this book contains sentences like "Avoid such people like the plague." I thought we should be avoiding that turn of phrase like the plague. And yet I recommend this book as inspirational.
I only became aware of him recently when a well known psychoanalyst whose work I'd admired posted on F******k, the social media site I refuse to explicitly name, that he had mentored him in his training as a therapist. Mr. Palumbo, who was a professional screenwriter now treats writers with problems. Or, for short, he now treats writers for Mr. Palumbo believes that all writers have problems. What's more, the problems are an important part of the writing "calling," a term more often used to describe the vocation of a minister. Someone without problems wouldn't be called to become a writer and would have nothing to write about. Felling inadequate is thus an important qualification for the job. Feeling outclassed, as I mentioned in the first graf (using jargon now--inspired!) is a good sign, not a bad one. Few self-help books about creativity (and I've read many) seem to get this other than superficially, Finishing School: Overcoming work blocks to get your projects done and into the world, also by a psychotherapist being the only exception. As both these books seem to understand, it is your uniqueness, not your similarity to "real" writers (didn't I just use this "real" bit earlier? never mind, I'm on a roll. Hey, isn't "on a roll" a cliche?) wherein your value lies.
Also, I just read the first book of Palumbo's detective series (a therapist who solves murders) and it was cliche-ridden. Even this book contains sentences like "Avoid such people like the plague." I thought we should be avoiding that turn of phrase like the plague. And yet I recommend this book as inspirational.
March 18, 2022
Absolutely entertaining, wise and full of great advice. The author knows what it's like to be a struggling writer in the TV and film business, living in Hollywood and now writing books about it (after becoming a therapist). So, it's not such a good and stable business after all... But anyway, he makes it funny. And not only that, Palumbo really makes you think about what you're doing, if there's really a passion behind it, the love for the written word, the "calling" that some people have to get in that crazy fucked up world called "writing for a living".
I'm not sure if the book unlocks your psychological blocks just by reading it, but it'll help you understand where they're coming from and what you can do about it, given that each case is unique, but at the end, we're all very alike. So, there are hard truths and stories that'll keep you reading and entertained, thinking and enjoying at the same time of a great biographical / fiction / go-and-just-do-it book.
I'm not sure if the book unlocks your psychological blocks just by reading it, but it'll help you understand where they're coming from and what you can do about it, given that each case is unique, but at the end, we're all very alike. So, there are hard truths and stories that'll keep you reading and entertained, thinking and enjoying at the same time of a great biographical / fiction / go-and-just-do-it book.
March 25, 2022
The author is a therapist for writers, which hooked me right away, because I mean, who knew there even was such a job number one, and ick, number two. Palumbo writes in a breezy style with short chapters that I digested slowly, one at a time before bed almost every night. Chapters have titles like "Writing Begets Writing" and "You're No John Updike!" and "Reinventing Yourself."
Here's my favorite:
"The artist's task is to see every moment–and our reaction to it–as potentially interesting, challenging, and worthy of our creative participation...Viewed from this perspective, a writer is never bored, never longs for things in his or her life to be more interesting, more exciting, more something else than they actually are. Except, of course, for when you do feel that way, in which case you should write about that boredom, or that longing. That's your grist for that particular day. It's working with what you're given."
Here's my favorite:
"The artist's task is to see every moment–and our reaction to it–as potentially interesting, challenging, and worthy of our creative participation...Viewed from this perspective, a writer is never bored, never longs for things in his or her life to be more interesting, more exciting, more something else than they actually are. Except, of course, for when you do feel that way, in which case you should write about that boredom, or that longing. That's your grist for that particular day. It's working with what you're given."
August 4, 2021
Are you paralyzed with self-doubt about your writing? Are you facing insurmountable writer's block? Have you been so stymied by the publishing world that you struggle to find any reason to keep writing? If not, this book probably isn't for you.
It's a fine book, but its focus is narrow and it's definitely skewed a little more toward screenwriting than other forms of writing. DNF for me at about just under halfway through because I'm not in a place in my creative life right now where I need it, and I found myself going months between reaching for it out of some obligation to finish it, as evidenced by the fact that I've been creeping through this book for OVER A YEAR AND A HALF. Maybe I'll return to it someday - I'll definitely keep it on my bookshelf.
It's a fine book, but its focus is narrow and it's definitely skewed a little more toward screenwriting than other forms of writing. DNF for me at about just under halfway through because I'm not in a place in my creative life right now where I need it, and I found myself going months between reaching for it out of some obligation to finish it, as evidenced by the fact that I've been creeping through this book for OVER A YEAR AND A HALF. Maybe I'll return to it someday - I'll definitely keep it on my bookshelf.
January 7, 2022
“Every word you write is precious, regardless of its power, eloquence, or viability. It's the concrete symbol of the continuing expression of your subjective experience, offered to yourself and others, in the hopes of making a connection, of uncovering the things that bind each person to every other person, that makes us human.”
I absolutely loved this book. The author shares his words of wisdom about writing in a friendly and succulent manner, delivering tough love like candy-flavored medicine for a writer’s soul.
The chapters are short and sweet. This book came highly recommended from a great friend and immediately I could see what the fuss was about.
I’m going to keep this one downloaded on my e-reader for whenever I need another dose of encouragement.
I absolutely loved this book. The author shares his words of wisdom about writing in a friendly and succulent manner, delivering tough love like candy-flavored medicine for a writer’s soul.
The chapters are short and sweet. This book came highly recommended from a great friend and immediately I could see what the fuss was about.
I’m going to keep this one downloaded on my e-reader for whenever I need another dose of encouragement.
March 15, 2019
A great find! I'd not heard anything about this book at all, but am glad that I found it. It is written by a psychologist who just happens to be also a writer that has been through the minefields. It is both heartwarming and realistic. It is a portable writing coach and cheerleader. I place it on my short list of books that I will read again.
March 5, 2019
Good read for struggling writers. Seems to have helped me -- I wrote a short story while reading it. Basically, we all have problems, but none of them are reasons not to write. If anything, the opposite is true. Write on.
November 28, 2023
This was one of the better books on writing I have read. It reinforces what I have learned over the past number of years, and that gives me confidence on where I am as a writer currently. Palumbo has a good sense of humor, adding to the enjoyment of this reading.
September 26, 2017
Short, sweet and extremely helpful. Not a "how-to" but a "how to be". An encouraging and quick read. I'll be sure to pick this up again and again when the road becomes difficult!
May 16, 2018
Van Gogh was not a writer. And Palumbo never met him. But who cares? After all it's a book about the people who make up stories.
October 24, 2019
Good encouragement to remind writers that we all hit mental roadblocks.
May 14, 2021
A fun and encouraging read for readers. This comes from lessons learned by a screenwriter but any writer can find it useful. This is not a how-to guide but more of an "I feel your pain" type of read.
Read
September 21, 2021The cover is cheesy but the insights are not.
December 10, 2022
Relieved like 10 years of anxiety
November 26, 2025
Second read and it still valuable. Thank you!
January 5, 2012
i love the way this book is divided and how the therapist/writer pulls no punches. he uses real case studies and does not shy away from addressing the fundamental truths of the writing life, not the least of which is his belief that the writer is only in competition with himself. a refreshingly honest read.
March 16, 2012
I think this book would be great to pick up and read when you're struggling with beginning your writing or stuck somewhere in the middle. Otherwise, the information inside was a little common sense and not helpful for someone without a writing project they're struggling with. It was also very heavy on screenwriting examples, which isn't something I'm dealing with.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews