Piano, Cello and Bass in a simple elegant piece.

Water Lily

Introduction of Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words, written and narrated by Joanna Penn
www.TheCreativePenn.com/shadowbook

We all long to write boldly, without filters or fear.
To spin stories that capture the messy beauty of what it means to be human. Tales that lay bare the truth of living — darkness and all.  
But something holds us back. 
Whispers of “Who do you think you are?” and “You don’t have permission to write that.” Our own self-censorship and the judgment of others keep us from writing freely — and sometimes, from living fully.
 But all great art taps into darkness, and your most compelling work emerges when you embrace your full humanity—both light and Shadow.

In Writing the Shadow, I’ll guide you on an intimate journey to explore the darkness and discover the gold lying hidden in its depths. Gold that may be the source of your best creative work in the years ahead.
The Shadow is calling. It’s time to turn your inner darkness into words.

Part 1 goes into the various ways you can tap into your Shadow. Since it lies in the unconscious, you cannot approach it directly. You need tools to help reveal it in different ways. 
You will find ideas here — ranging from personality assessments and identifying Shadow personas to mining your own writing and exploring your true curiosity — as well as ways to protect yourself so you don’t get lost in the dark. 

Part 2 explores how the Shadow manifests in various aspects of our lives. I discuss the creative wound and how it may still be holding you back in your writing life, as well as aspects of traditional and self-publishing, then expand into work and money, family and relationships, religion and culture, the physical body and aging, death and dying. 

Part 3 explores ways that you can find the gold in your Shadow, and turn your inner darkness into words through self-acceptance, letting go of self-censorship, deepening character and theme in your work, and opening the doors to new parts of yourself.

Learn more

Writing The Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words Introduction

I’m a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, podcaster and creative entrepreneur. I write thrillers and dark fantasy as J.F.Penn as well as non-fiction for writers under Joanna Penn.

My thriller site: http://www.JFPenn.com 
My site for writers and The Creative Penn podcast: http://www.TheCreativePenn.com
Books and Travel Podcast and Blog: https://www.booksandtravel.page