Henriette Anne KlauserReviews

I read this book for the first time in 2008, and back then, I was absolutely blown away by it. This time, 11 years later, not so much. I found the concepts overly simplistic, and I got tired of the endless stories about people whose wishes came true simply because they wrote them down somewhere. Sure, that may well be the case, but the book leaves out so many key aspects of how to get from scribbling your desires on paper to living the life you only dared imagine.

I was looking for more writing prompts, more specific suggestions for brainstorming, visualizing, and goal-setting. And some of the chapters just didn't resonate with me at all. Not being religious, I had to skim through the one where you're supposed to ask God for what you want in writing and wait for him to answer. That one seemed way too hokey, even for me--and I typically have no problem suspending my disbelief.

Overall, I was hoping for more takeaways, more actionable suggestions, and more specific recommendations on how to get from you are to where you want to go. Something besides the advice of "write it down and the rest will follow." It's the "make it happen" part I had trouble with... the book might as well have been titled, "Write It Down, then Sit Back And Wait For the Heavens to Part." But then, that version probably wouldn't have sold as well.

An inspiring collection of assorted testimonials regarding the power of regularly writing down life goals/prayers/aspirations, but a couple items detracted from the overall reader experience. First, this was my first exposure to Dr Klauser's work so I didn't realize her approach incorporated so many Christian faith-based suggestions. While I am OK with this, I think many of today's multicultural book buyers would appreciate having that information readily available to them on the book jacket synopsis so they could make an informed purchasing/reading decision appropriate to their own spiritual or agnostic beliefs. Second, given the author's educational background and the general public target audience, I would have appreciated better descriptions of the more scientific terms she interspersed into the text (neurolinguistic programming, reticular activating system, etc). Still worth the read, but a couple editing changes would have upped my rating.½

One of the most inspiring books on writing that I have ever read. This is not a how-to, or even a book of exercises to get started. It doesn't explain how to create plots, or dialogue, or how to submit manuscripts. Instead, it looks at why so many writers procrastinate, give up part-way through novels, and don't get around to sending anything in.

The author explains - broadly - how we have two sides to our writing: the creative, inspiring part and the critical, editing part. We need both, but at different times. We need to show the editor the door when engaged in the first draft of anything, and invite him in, politely, when read to revise.

Various techniques are suggested to get in the right frame of mind for writing - getting going early in the morning, branching diagrams (called 'creative search' elsewhere), ruminating, and more. Procrastinating tendencies are examined, with pointed questions asked, and the reader is freed from the victim mentality that blames circumstances, into the attitude that we can choose - if we wish - to write, or not. Writing rubbish is just fine, and we may be surprised that our apparent rubbish is not as bad as the internal editor feared.

I was slightly dubious about the final section on meditation which seemed almost to suggest a 'spirit guide' in the form of a famous author, but it was only a brief addendum. The rest of the book was excellent. I must read it regularly. Very highly recommended to anyone who writes - or would like to write - anything.

All about writer's creative process, art rather than craft. I've outgrown it.

Several yard ago, I saw this book recommended in Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways for Creating Work That You Love by Barbara Winter. It sat on my list of books to buy for over five years. This Christmas, I was reviewing my list, trying to decide which book would be my "Christmas book". Every year, we have a tradition where everyone gets a book to read. I finally moved it off the list of Someday to Today. The ironic thing is, once I started reading, I realized I must have checked it out from the library years ago, because I had already read it.

Still, it was a good refresher course. Some books need more than one reading and this is one of them. Klauser has made a study on how people get what they want. She postulates that the easiest way to accomplish something is to write it down somewhere, anywhere. The subconscious then takes over and works out a way to make it happen.

The book is filled with many examples of people receiving exactly what they desired. She isn't suggesting that it doesn't take work along with writing it down, but the chances of success are increased dramatically. There is something about the act of writing that helps clarify and bring the desire into focus. Then, once focus is achieved, things begin lining up to deliver the goal.

The skeptical side of me doesn't want to believe it actually is that easy. The dreamer side of me says try it. I took one of my extra moleskine notebooks and started writing. I put down all sorts of wild desires. Some are concrete, like "I want to play French horn in a symphony." Others are vague, such as "I want to do things and not second guess myself." I decided to record the date I wrote the desire, just in case I want to go back and see when I wrote it down. I only have four pages filled so far, but it is enjoyable to go back and read them already, just a month later.

In a second section of the book, I decided to write down when one of those dreams are fulfilled. One dream I wrote down in early January was that I wanted to be a people manager again, leading a team to be the best they can be. That dream was fulfilled February 11, 2012, when I was promoted to Core Services Application Manager at work. That position didn't exist when I wrote down the goal. About a week after I wrote it down, my director asked me how I would set up support of the application we are installing. A month later he created the position and I was hired. One dream down...

I have become a big fan of writing dreams and desires. I believe there is something about the act of taking a pen and paper, organizing thoughts and committing them in written words. It helps refine the focus and allow the subconscious to begging working on the way to make it happen.

This book inspired me to start writing down what I want. It also spurred me to changing the way I choose and write goals. I have already seen the effects of making goals that are geared toward achieving the desires I have recorded in my little book. I truly believe I can make some of those dreams come true through the employment of targeted goals. Others may happen by small miracles. I look forward o recording the fruition in the second half of the book. I eagerly await those entries.

five stars!!!

As a lifetime journaler, it was easy for me to pick this book up, and read it after it was gifted to me. While Klauser references several spiritual sources, the majority of which I do not espouse, she does tap into fresh ideas of how one might employ creative journaling as a means to an end. I found my creativity gears renewed, and I'm off to a fresh writing adventure. This book can be read well and successfully with a sense of objectivity in place.

This book offers numerous examples of people's experiences with writing down their desires or goals in order to focus their attention, work through anxieties or fears, or engage some sort of spiritual power. The cases corresponding to the third category are not my cup of tea, but others might find inspiration there.