Books for creative types are a breed unto themselves, and author and teacher Andy Couturier’s Writing Open The Mind could be described as a breed within a breed, focusing on the power of the subconscious to free the creative writer within. Filled with exercises, ideas and anecdotes about the magic of the subconscious, this informative and highly entertaining book inspires writers and wanna-be-writers to take big, bold risks with their creativity and, well, get downright “juicy” with their words.
Playing with language, having fun with words and finding new and unique ways to express the deep, inner voice are all a part of this unique approach to freeing the muse. Couturier takes the reader on a rollicking romp through the subconscious, visiting the world of archetypes and symbols, myths and dreams, visions and yearnings, all in the most delightful and delicious language of any writing book I’ve read. The author toys with words like a child with wood blocks, building up and taking down, creating and shaping and just having a blast, much to the delight of the reader, and I can guarantee that once you’ve read this book, you will never look at language the same way again. Suddenly, even a traffic jam becomes a scrumptious scraping of taunting tire against permissive pavement, and a root canal is transformed into a deep-tooth dive off a gummy pier.
The purpose of this book is to set aside the critical, judging conscious mind and all its blocks to true creativity, and let the inner voice have its say, and the exercises are not only enjoyable, but incredibly insightful, inspiring real shifts in perspectives, paradigms and perceptions. Writers who long to find their “real” voice will love the urges and prompts to bust through the barriers that they have built for themselves, not to mention those built for them by the outside world of publishers, agents and critics.
Writing Open The Mind is a playful book, but don’t let that playfulness fool you. There is power in these exercises, a power that just might unleash the mind wide open, and for many writers and aspiring writers, that can be a fearful thing. But rest assured, Couturier understands fear and anxiety and hesitancy, and has just the remedy for liberating that inner creative genius. Juicy!