Today dear reader I am on the blog tour for Write It All Down (Published 6th January 2022 hardback) By Cathy Rentzenbrink. A big thank you to the publishers Bluebird for sending me a copy, always appreciated. Also to the wonderful Anne for the invite, you make being a part of this community fantastic.
Write It All Down How to Put Your Life on the Page
Why do we want to write and what stops us?
How does the urge to express ourselves fight with the worry that no-one will care or that we will get in trouble?
How do we identify and overcome everything that gets in our way so we can start making work?
Sunday Times bestselling author Cathy Rentzenbrink shows you how to tackle all this and more in Write It All Down, a guide to putting your life on the page. This is a kind, encouraging and stimulating book that explores the nature of memoir writing and offers helpful guidance on how to write your life on paper. Rentzenbrink will help you to discover the pleasure and solace to be found in writing; the profound satisfaction of wrestling a story onto a page and seeing the events of your life transformed through the experience of writing the self.
Perfect for both seasoned writers as well as writing amateurs and everyone in between, this helpful handbook will steer you through the philosophical and practical challenges of writing the self. Intertwined with reflections, anecdotes and exercises from successful writers such as Dolly Alderton, Matt Haig, Kit de Waal, Sathnam Sanghera and Maggie O’Farrell, Write It All Down is at once an intimate and enjoyable narrative and an invitation to share your story.
About The Author
Cathy Rentzenbrink is the author of the Sunday Times best-seller The Last Act of Love and of A Manual for Heartache, Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books and Everyone is Still Alive. It took her twenty years to wrestle her own life story on the page and she loves to use what she has learnt about the profound nature of writing the self in the service of others.
Cathy has taught for Arvon, Curtis Brown Creative, at Falmouth University and at festivals and in prisons, and welcomes anyone, no matter what their experience, education, background or story. She believes that everyone’s life would be improved by picking up a pen and is at her happiest when encouraging her students to have the courage to delve into themselves and see the magic that will start to happen on the page.
My Review
If you have ever dreamed about writing about your life or writing in general, then this dear reader is the book for you. Rentzenbrink welcomes the reader on the journey of writing the self and explains how it is a tricky, slippery business but very rewarding. She is here to help and can’t promise that it will be easy.
The book is split into four parts, Preparation, Excavation, Crafting and Editing, and finally Getting Work Done. This helps ease the reader onto their path towards writing about the self.
Throughout the book Rentzenbrink is your guide and helps keep you motivated and engaged. She helps the reader discover the pure delight of putting words on the page and watching them dance to the rhythm of your pen. She shows the reader how to unravel the events of your life that changed you, were important and made you who you are today.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as Rentzenbrink’s narrative is not only positive and inspiring, but warm and friendly. She tells the reader that they don’t have to agree with her and encourages them to find their own style. She is just sharing her knowledge of what works for her. She tells the reader there is no template and that writing is a mysterious, magical beast. She remains very open and hopes the book will feel more like a conversation than a set of instructions. And it does, the tone is not only informative, but relaxed and a pleasure to read. She relates to the reader and shares her own experiences with writing, how she has doubted herself and understands it’s not easy to do. That life can get in the way and stop us from writing. It’s a great comfort to read and you don’t feel so alone. To find someone who understands your passion and supports you is a rare find these days. Rentzenbrink remains constant throughout, standing by your side and cheering you on.
Rentzenbrink helps the reader overcome their doubts with her techniques and exercises such as mind mapping and free-writing. There is one point in the book where I found myself making a horrendous noise, letting it all out and getting strange looks from my husband. It was exhilarating and just one of the many unique ways that Rentzenbrink helps the reader to become comfortable and relaxed with writing.
I give Write It All Down How to Put Your Life on the Page By Cathy Rentzenbrink a Five out of Five paw rating.
Engaging and extremely encouraging, this book is for anyone who has a passion for writing. It’s perfect for beginners and even advanced writers as there is always something new to learn when it comes to writing. That’s the beauty of it. I highly recommend you add this to your must-reads this year and give memoir writing a go. You might surprise yourself at what you uncover.
Don’t forget to follow the rest of the blog tour, dates below, enjoy!
Links
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@writeitalldown_
@catrentzenbrink
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Bunny’s Pause 
Thanks for the blog tour support x