Writing Open the Mind: Tapping the Subconscious to Free the Writing and the Writer

by Andy Couturier

With Writing Open the Mind you can inject a sense of playfulness and possibility into your writing!

Powerful writing comes naturally when your mind is energized and experimental, when it can take risks and follow the unexpected. Use the techniques in this book to jump-start your creativity, learn new tricks and expand your writing repertoire.

• Use the surrealist technique of "automatic writing;"
• Play with archetypal imagery from the Tarot;
• Learn from the resonances of the body;
• Write in diverse voices and styles;
• Connect with the luminous natural world;
• Scramble word sequences to break the habit of making "sense" in a
linear way.

This rollicking guide opens dozens of gateways to the subconscious world. Whether you are writing for publication or for personal pleasure, the practical tools and liberating philosophy found in this book will release the genius of the intuitive mind.

Genres: Writing

248 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

Andy Couturier is an essayist, poet and writing teacher. He lived in Japan for 4 years, where he taught, was a journalist, and worked on environmental causes. His first book is Writing Open the Mind and he has written for The Japan Times, Adbusters, The North American Review, Kyoto Journal, and The Oakalnd Tribune. He is the director The Opening, a center for courses in writing. http://theopening.org"

Reviews

[Cathy Patton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has some gems in it, but truthfully it took me 9 years to read this book. I kept forgetting about it or misplacing it and rediscovering it. And yet I was determined to keep reading it.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author certainly does present useful instructions for "experiments" but his writing style, as some of the previous reviewers here have noted, is not exactly helpful -- more like a series of jumpy rants than clear guidelines. I suppose he intended to write in informal and lively manners, but I think his choice of style rather harms readability. So I only give three stars.

[Liane Wakabayashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Andy Couturier's Writing Open the Mind in conjunction with taking his on-line course. Andy is such a sweetheart, so warm and personable and genuinely interested in witnessing the success of his students that I found this book consistent with the way I've had the privilege of working with him. He provides these techniques to offer ways of getting out of the perennial rut that I often face when feeling overwhelmed by a subject that I either can't seem to get down on paper the way I want or have been avoiding. The way I've had most success working with Writing Open the Mind is by adopting the intuitive approach. Once I decide on a topic I want to write or revise, I'll flip open to a page and do whatever exercise I happen to land on. I would like to think that Andy-being a fan of intuitive approaches and oracle cards-would approve of this approach. And somewhere down the road I'd love it if he could offer the original contents of his book in a more oracle-like format-- thick laminated cards that one could shuffle and glance down to see one exercise at a time. There are so many gems in this book that it can get overwhelming at times but done slowly and consistently, these exercises definitely take the drudge work out of the writing process, especially in the beginning of a writing session.

[Kasandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will probably buy this so I can go back and do more exercises than what I had time to do/take more time with it (checked it out of the library and kept it until it was very overdue!). Great advice for people giving critiques and/or in workshops. I didn't like Couturier's writing style, too jumpy/hyper/silly for me after a few pages, but still, there's some good exercises to try in here. On the other hand, some of these exercises just produced nothing very good or interesting and left me frustrated, though I suppose the point is that I was at least trying to write! A mixed bag but worth checking out for some new ideas to try.

[Pam Laird · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I was just jaded by the time I got the Andy's book, but I found the exercises erratic and worse. One short story I was working on still hasn't recovered from the spreadsheet creative process he introduces early on. But I'd love to know if I gave up on it too soon.

[Jennifer Louden · Rating 3 out of 5]

yes there is hyperness here and too much cuteness but there is also life and creative juice. I use several of Andy's exercises, blended with my own approach, when teaching writing. Good resource for writing teachers.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

currently reading. So far...facinating.