Start Here: A Guide to The Mindful Writer

Welcome! If you’ve found your way here from a Note or a friend’s recommendation, you’re in the right place for mindful living and writing insights and explorations.

I’m Amanda, and this is a community for those who believe that writing is a spiritual practice. Here, we don’t just talk about writing craft; we use storytelling to remember ourselves, find stillness, and explore how the ancient wisdom of the Tao Te Ching applies in our modern lives.

I’m a writing and mindfulness teacher, Yoga Nidra guide, and Usui Reiki practitioner. As a nomad for nearly 30 years and the author of 3 novels and 100s of short stories and flash fictions, I’ve learned that the stories we tell ourselves, and the ones we write, have the power to change our reality. After decades of navigating family dysfunction and abuse, I rewrote my own life by refusing to stay trapped in someone else’s narrative.

I also publish a literary magazine, WestWord, and teach writers how to use storytelling not just to entertain, but to unite us and bring more understanding of this human experience to our lives. I believe that storytelling rooted in conscious awareness and empathy, can bring more peace, love and compassion to our world that desperately needs it.

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Start with these three posts that give you a good idea of the writing and insights I share.

Every week I send out essays on writing, mindfulness, and conscious living. These are a mix of personal stories from my life, deep dives into the Tao Te Ching and it’s relevance in our lives today, and prompts and mindfulness practices to integrate into your life and writing.

I’m so glad you’re here.

With love,

Amanda 💙