Writing for Bliss

Poet and memoirist Raab (Lust) credits her lifelong love of writing and its therapeutic effects with inspiring her to write this thoughtful and detailed primer that targets pretty much anyone interested in writing a memoir. Most compelling here is Raab’s willingness to share her intimate stories (e.g., the loss of a relative, ongoing struggles with cancer, a difficult relationship with her mother). Her revelations are encouraging to writers who feel they need “permission to take... a voyage of self-discovery.” The book’s seven-step plan includes plenty of guidance, including on learning to “read like a writer,” and on addressing readers as if “seated across the table .” Raab covers big topics such as the “art and power of storytelling” and small details such as choosing pens and notebooks that you enjoy using. She also helps readers with the important step of “finding your form.”
--PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY

"By listening to ourselves and being aware of what we are saying and feeling, the true story of our life's past experience is revealed. Diana Raab's book gives us the insights by which we can achieve this through her life-coaching wisdom and our writing." 
--BERNIE SIEGEL, MD, author of The Art of Healing

"Only a talented writer who has fought hard to overcome life's many obstacles could take her readers by the hand and lead them through the writing process with such enormous compassion, amazing insight, and kindness. Diana Raab is a powerful, wise, intelligent guide well worth our following."
--JAMES BROWN, author of The Los Angeles Diaries and The River

"Writing for Bliss is far more than a 'how-to manual'; it enlightens the creative process with wisdom and a delightful sense of adventure. Bravo to Bliss!"
--LINDA GRAY SEXTON, author of Searching for Mercy Street: My Journey Back to My Mother, Anne Sexton

"Uniquely blending inspiring insights with practical advice, Diana guides you on a path to discover the story that is truly inside you and yearning to be told."
--PATRICK SWEENEY, coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Succeed on Your Own Terms

"In Writing for Bliss, Diana Raab reminds us to begin every page with an open mind, a curious heart, and fresh eyes. The prompts are thoughtful, stimulating, and a valuable resource for any writer’s mental health and spiritual growth."
—DINTY W. MOORE, author of The Mindful Writer

"I cannot write fiction without dredging the depth of my psyche, or else the writing isn’t true. Writing for Bliss validates my experience as an author. Whether you are a beginning writer or an established veteran, I encourage you to read it, study it, devour it."
—STEPHEN JAY SCHWARTZ, Los Angeles Times bestselling author of Boulevard

"Diana Raab, award-winning memoir author of books like Regina's Closet (her grandmother's story) and Healing With Words: A Writer's Cancer Journey (her own memoir), has produced a very thorough and thought-provoking guide to help all would-be memoir writers, or a writer of any genre for that matter, find their written voice. This is a very useful resource, one that writers of all genres will return to frequently". 
—EMILY-JANE HILLS ORFORD, Readers' Favorite