The Power of Mindful Storytelling
Bringing love, connection and compassion to stories of all kinds
There's something almost magical that happens when we bring mindfulness to our writing practice. The stories we create shift from being just entertaining to becoming containers of genuine connection and healing – both for ourselves as we write them and for those who read our words.
I've been thinking a lot lately about why I write. Beyond the practical reasons (it's my livelihood), the creative satisfaction is a big part of it. But there's something deeper that keeps drawing me back to the page. At its heart, I believe it's about connection — connecting fragmented parts of myself and the things I have witnessed and experienced through the act of creation, and connecting with others through the sharing of stories that matter.
In our divided world, where so many forces pull us apart, and where anxiety and isolation have become normal states of being, stories have a unique power to bring us together again. They help us recognise ourselves in others and others in ourselves. They allow us to experience lives and perspectives we might never encounter directly. They remind us of our shared humanity beneath all the surface differences.
But not all stories serve this healing function. Some stories, even well-crafted ones, reinforce separation, fear, or judgement. Glorify war and violence and murder. Others, even when engaging with difficult truths, somehow leave us feeling more whole, more connected, more capable of facing life with compassion and courage.
What makes the difference? I believe it's the quality of awareness we bring to the writing process. The reasons we’re writing in the first place. What we believe this human experience is all about.
When we write mindfully, with full presence, compassionate intention, and attentiveness to both craft and purpose, our stories naturally develop healing qualities. They become more authentic, more nuanced, more capable of holding both the darkness and light of human experience without simplifying either, or looking away.
This mindful approach doesn't mean writing only about positive things (how boring that would be!) or imposing morals or messages on our stories, or being deadly serious all the time; it simply means bringing awareness to the choices we make as writers and the potential effects of those choices on ourselves, our readers, and our world.
Some of the most profound healing can come through stories that engage honestly with difficult realities — grief, conflict, injustice, trauma — but do so with a quality of presence that creates space for transformation, rather than reinforcing harm or despair. A fiction author who I believe does this really well is Barbara Kingsolver. I really love her novels and have done ever since I first discovered her through The Poisonwood Bible back in the late 1990s. I’ve read every novel she’s published since then and a couple that came out before it. They all have such strong characters living the themes that bring our shared humanity to the fore, while shining a light on all sorts of important issues in a way that never feels like preaching or that there is no hope for change. Which authors do you recommend who write like this too?
I've experienced this in my own writing journey too. When I was working on my novel Remember Tomorrow, I found myself wrestling with themes of environmental destruction, and that humanity never seems to learn from the past. There were days it was overwhelming, making me sad and furious, so I questioned whether adding another dystopian story to the world could possibly help or make a difference.
But as I reached the final editing stages and my mindfulness practice had now filtered through to my writing, something shifted. The writing itself became a healing practice. I discovered perspectives and possibilities I hadn't seen before. And readers later told me the book helped them engage with climate anxiety in ways that felt both honest and hopeful.
This reinforced something I've long believed: our words have power. They can heal or harm, connect or divide, awaken or numb. As writers, we have the precious opportunity to use this power mindfully, creating stories that connect us in an ever-more divided world.
I see this possibility in your writing too. In the comments section and in the emails you send me, in the stories you write in workshops with me. I recognise the healing intention behind your words, the desire to make sense of difficult experiences, to connect across differences, to find meaning and hope in chaos, to contribute something of value through your unique voice.
Sometimes, though, we struggle to align our writing practice with these deeper intentions. We get caught in external goals, perfectionism or self-doubt, or comparisons with other writers where we come up short. We lose touch with what matters most to us and forget that there is always someone, somewhere that needs to read our words.
Tell me, what do you want your writing to do in the world and who do you want it to touch?
With love,
Write with me
None of my courses are about following formulas or writing to market trends. They're about discovering the stories that live in your heart and bones, and learning to pour words onto the page without fear. They’ve all been written with love. 💙
If you're drawn to exploring your own story...
The Mindful Memoir Course will help you transform life experiences into powerful, literary narratives that connect with readers on the deepest level.
If you love the art of flash fiction...
The Mindful Flash Fiction Course teaches you to craft complex characters and complete worlds in just a few hundred words, creating stories that shimmer with meaning and impact.
If you're ready to write with deeper purpose...
Compassionate Storytelling shows you how to create fiction and memoir that promotes healing, understanding, and positive change in our world.
If you want to transform your entire writing practice...
A Year of Mindful Writing offers twelve months of guided exploration to help you develop a sustainable, joyful writing practice that nourishes both your craft and your soul.
If you want deep, committed and personalised guidance…
The Mindful Mentoring Program is six months of one-to-one work combining craft development with mindfulness practices to help you complete a draft of a novel or memoir and fill your writing practice with meaning and joy.
I really enjoy Barbara KIngsolver, found her through Flight Behaviour and have been reading her ever since. When you mentioned her in the context of mindful writing I felt I knew exactly what you meant. Books that come to mind, with a similar feeling: A man called Ove, by Fredrik Backmand, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman, Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout and The Overstory, by Richard Powers.
Bringing awareness to any activity makes it that much more intimate and meaningful.