Writing―The Sacred Art: Beyond the Page to Spiritual Practice

Review for Catholic Library World by Reviewer: Michael F. Bemis, Freelance Reference Book Reviewer, St. Paul, Minn.

The bulk of this slender volume is a series of writing exercises designed as a roadmap to inner discovery. This is both its strength and weakness. It’s as if Senior and Junior Shapiro can’t decide if they want to produce a self-help manual or a primer on creative writing. While there is some helpful advice sprinkled throughout the text – to overcome writer’s block, for instance, this duo suggests going for a walk and then writing about what you saw along the way, how you felt, etc. – too much verbiage is devoted to digression and mysticism. Numerous references are made to this sage or that philosopher, none of show more which is particularly enlightening for the reader. The lack of an index forces one to flip constantly back and forth to find a specific passage. Here’s this reviewer’s advice: if you want to be a better person, read something by Dale Carnegie. If you want to be a better wordsmith, read On Writing Well by William Zinsser. In so doing, the reader will understand why both of these gentlemen have been in print for decades. show less