Writing on the Intuitive Side of the Brain

by Lauren Sapala, Jacob Nordby (foreword)

Figuring out the creative process can be a difficult challenge for writers, especially writers with an intuitive temperament. Highly intuitive people tend to be neurodiverse in a way that blocks them from working in a straight line, and so when highly intuitive writers try to use plotting and planning in their writing process, it usually ends in disaster. These types of writers frequently struggle with various forms of writer’s block and blame themselves when they can’t ever seem to get a creative project off the ground.

However, the problem is not the writer, it’s the process. After over a decade of coaching and teaching these kinds of writers, Lauren Sapala developed a new way for writers to approach their relationship with their own creativity, which is through an intuitive writing process. With intuitive writing, any struggling writer can transform their creative experience and learn to love writing again.

Intuitive writing is the way people with an intuitive temperament naturally want to write, if they would just give themselves permission. Once a writer learns the deep work of intuitive writing, they will never go back to traditional writing methods again.


“I invite you to put away what you’ve learned about writing as you read this book…especially if you know that you have something better, something more powerful and useful inside, but you’ve never quite found the key to unlock the treasure chest…I can’t think of better hands to leave you in, as you come home to your true gifts, than Lauren Sapala’s.”

—Jacob Nordby, Author of The Creative Cure

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Psychology

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 13, 2023

About the author

Lauren Sapala is a writing coach who specializes in coaching introverted, intuitive writers. She founded the WriteCity writing groups in Seattle and San Francisco and currently blogs about writing and creativity at www.laurensapala.com.

Reviews

[Cindy Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does such a wonderful job of explaining what it means to be an intuitive person. As someone who is able to recognize my experiences in so many of the examples that Lauren Sapala shared in this book, it felt good to be seen - to be validated in my experiences, both in my writing processes and how I live. We don't often get to interact with others who are like us in day to day life, and so a lot of what we experience happens to us as individuals - and we think we are the only ones who experience flashes of insight, deja vu, just "knowing" things to be true, and the like; it is nice to hear that there are so many others who also experience these things. I have struggled with standard writing advice for years, thinking that I just need to shift something about me and my approach for things to improve... not realizing that the approaches were simply not designed for me and the way my brain works. I am grateful that Sapala wrote this book and that she continues to coach intuitive people via other means such as her website and social media. If traditional writing techniques never seem to work for you, you might want to give this book a try.

[Ritu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beautiful, Rich, yet Accessible Book!

A beautiful, rich, yet accessible book! As a writer, I am someone who finds it very hard to stick inside the box. And yet, my intuition is also something that often frustrates me. If you’re like me, you may find yourself getting tangled up, wondering how to contain the too-many-possibilities that are jangling inside your head. Or you may feel like you’re in a battle with your “Be Logical” side, the side that your parents or your teachers or just the culture has encouraged. Even for those of us who are intuitives, and maybe ESPECIALLY for those of us who are intuitive,  feel-our-way-into-things kind of people, intuition can feel very tricky. In this book, just like her previous book, The INFJ Writer (which helped me immensely as an INFP writer), Lauren helps us see into the ambiguity, uncertainty, as well as the huge promise that intuition contains. Just as every person is unique, every intuitive writer is unique. This is not a cookie-cutter approach to writing, but a way to feel into the archetypes rising inside you as a writer. I recognized parts of my creative self in so many different stories. You will love this book if you want to delve deeper into your writing process & are willing to experiment with the treasure chest of clues Lauren provides! This book even caused me to tear up at times, something I wasn’t expecting. There’s a lot of heart in this book and a lot of insights both about the creative process as well as about how intuition works. Highly recommend it!

[Eline Pullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the last year Lauren Sapala completely changed my view on writing, working and stories as an intuitive person. And in this book she does it again.

Are you a writer struggling with perfectionism, severe procrastination or a bullying inner critic? And are you wondering if it’s possible to experience change and breakthrough in this process? I can guarantee you there is. You can learn all about it in this book.

Next to the way we learn to write in our schools and society, there is another way to write, to hear and share stories. That way is on the intuitive way of the brain (or should I say total body).

In this book Lauren shows you the details of the intuitive writing process, gives many useful insights and shares examples of clients and situations.

I will reread this guide again and again.

Conclusion: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Michelle Cornish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will read anything Lauren Sapala writes, so I was super excited to see Writing on the Intuitive Side of the Brain in my Amazon recommended reads list! After taking Lauren's intuitive writing course years ago, I remember feeling like it was okay not to do the things all the writing craft books were telling me--it was okay to find my own process and it was okay if it was 'weird'. This book reminded me of all those things and more. This is next-level writing advice!

I found myself nodding along as I read and remembering things about my process that I had mistakenly tried to ignore or change. Every part of this book is so valuable--just like every part of each writer's process. If you've ever thought you weren't meant to be a writer because you didn't do things a certain way, stop that right now and pick up this book! Reading Lauren's words is like chatting with a treasured friend who cares deeply about you and your writing. I can't recommend this book enough! It will revolutionize the way you think about your writing and your process.

[Kat B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book resonates so much. Lauren really tunes into so many of my experiences and struggles with writing. I'm an INTP and have found many traditional writing methods are fine on an intellectual level, and so much writing advice is geared to "Wake up at 4am and write 10k words everyday and boom, your book is done in one month!"
Lauren focuses on the Introvert/Intuitive outlook and experience and points to a different path altogether that truly clicked for me. Her book made me feel validated and acknowledged and that my struggles are actually very common to the IN-- types who pursue writing. I am SO happy that I had the fortune to read this book and I always enjoy reading her work elsewhere as well. Lauren has been one of the first and only creative coaches to really encourage me, via her writing advice, in a way that feels natural and not forced. Highly, highly recommend anyone who is an intuitive writer. Whether you use the methods and enjoy the insight or not, plenty here to give food for thought!

[Rubina G Gomes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing on the Intuitive Side of the Brain by Lauren Sapala feels like a deep exhale for anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t “fit” into the traditional writing world.
It’s not a how-to-write book—it’s more like a permission slip to be exactly who you are as a writer. Lauren’s voice is so gentle, so understanding, it’s like having a wise, creative friend who gets you.
She speaks directly to intuitive, sensitive, and non-linear thinkers—the ones who struggle with outlines, rigid schedules, and the pressure to produce like machines.
This book doesn’t push you to change; it lovingly invites you to trust your inner rhythm and your emotional truth.
If you’ve ever felt broken or “wrong” as a writer, this book says: you’re not. You’re just different—and that difference is your strength.
It’s honestly one of the most validating reads I’ve come across in a long time.

[Rebekah Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

LIFE CHANGING! This book is life changing! What a gem! By far best self-development book I’ve read this year.

In this book, Sapala defines intuitive writing and what the process looks like in fiction and memoir/non fiction. She delves into the imagianal realm and what deep, meaningful relationships are like between author and character because, from personal experience, its most definitely a thing. Characters aren’t simply made-up people the author has produced, they’re very real.

A lot of what Sapala describes in this book is eerily relatable, like she’s in my head. It’s comforting to know that many of the writing methods/suggestions contained within these pages already feel intuitive to me. Reading this was like coming home in the most magnificent way.

[Marjean Chacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A life saver

This lady gets it. I don't know how else to say it other than she knows her audience and she gave me what I needed with her words to reconnect with what writing really means for me.

I want to create an income around my writing and have tried and failed for a few years, but I decided to read this book again for the second time and it's helping me to enjoy this course I'm taking instead of focusing on how far behind the "Schedule" I am.

This course is for me and I'm learning a ton and even having some fun along the way thanks to the viewpoints contained within.

Sure to be one of those books I refer back to over and over again for years to come.

[Echo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Lauren Sapala's book on INFJ writers, and it possibly the most helpful writing book I'd read to date, so I knew I wanted to read this one as well. As someone who flounders when I try to apply traditional writing advice like outlining, this had a lot of really helpful advice. It's also just very validating. I read the last page, put it down, and immediately got back to work on one of my projects.

[Kent R. Madden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable

So you’ve taken many workshops, been on many writing retreats, even gotten your MFA? And no method seems to hit the mark and in fact makes your “writer’s block” worse? As with many of my tribe, I never thought I’d find a writing bible for me. I was wrong. This is it! Lauren Sapala is amazing!

[Peter Coughlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explains a lot about writer’s block

Great resource for those who have experienced prolonged writer’s block. Thanks for validating my longstanding intuition and my recent decisions about writing!

[Felicia Heilgendorff · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my new favourite books on writing ❤️