My review: Writing to Change the World by Mary Pipher

If there has been an inspirational book for me this semester, it is Mary Pipher’s Writing to Change the World, which articulates what I want my life to represent as a writer.

 One of the mantras I live by is that everybody has a story waiting to be told and I feel a kindred spirit with Pipher on that sentiment.  Writing to Change the World isn’t so much about technique as it is about feeling and thinking one’s way through the writing process. This is a book about finding one’s writer’s voice.

Although discovering that voice is a personal process, readers learn about what steps they might take through Pipher’s sharing of her own journey and process.

“I worked very hard to simplify my writing and to make my writing and my speaking voice congruent,” Pipher told Joan Brunwasser in a 2011 interview. “Voice is a very complicated concept. I would define it as a realization of one’s most authentic self. When I found my voice, I felt it allowed me to share everything I knew in a way that connected deeply with others.”

In particular, I was struck by Pipher’s recounting of her childhood, similar in many respects to my own upbringing. “I inhabited the kind of roomy childhood that almost no children today do … blessed with an abundance of time and space. I had some responsibilities, but mostly I was free” (Pipher, 2006, p. 39).

Reading this book, I laughed. I cried – a lot. I saw myself and remembered the child I was. I reaffirmed the adult I strive to be. I feel what it means to be a writer and a person who experiences both struggles and triumphs.

“Fostering awareness and growth is really key to this book and, when you think of it, key to our own writing life – for ourselves and for the people who read us,” writes reviewer Mary Ann Moore (2007).

Pipher’s approach to writing reflects her work as a clinical psychologist and its the insights she gained while authoring several best-selling books on American culture’s influences on mental health that have led her to reach out to others wanting to affect change. She conducts writing workshops and does speaking engagements while continuing to work as a therapist (Pipher, 2012).

In Writing to Change the World, she emphasizes the impact of the written word, a point underscored by the different quotes she’s carefully placed throughout its chapters.

One of my now-favorite quotes I found in this book comes from Alex Haley, who said, “Every person’s death is like the burning of a library.” For me, there is sadness in knowing there are stories for which the chance to tell them has passed. There also is the challenge of searching out the stories I can to bring them to light before they are gone forever.

Writers and their contributions to the world are important to Pipher, who encourages each to explore his or her own life first so as to provide a foundation from which to operate.

Pipher is “the mentor you may not have had, encouraging you and reminding you that your particular life experiences mean you have something to say that no one else can. She offers assignments to help you find your voice” (Moore, 2007).

The path to becoming a good writer is not necessarily easy but there is ultimately reward when a good story is produced. “Stories have the power to open hearts, change minds and inspire action” (Brunwasser, 2011).

Pipher is clear in her expectations: “A writer’s job is to tell stories that connect readers to all the people on earth, to show these people as the complicated human beings they really are, with histories, families, emotions, and legitimate needs. We can replace one-dimensional stereotypes with multidimensional individuals with whom our readers can identify” (p. 6).

This is a book that offers more than just tips on writing technique. “Writing to Change the World is 17 chapters divided into three sections of practical instruction as well as being an inspiring guide for the writer looking to enable change. … [It] offers many avenues to explore, including letters, speeches, essays, blogs, music and poetry to name a few” (Ross, 2010).

The primary piece of advice I took away from my reading is to write, write more and continue writing. It is only through putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard that one can expect to find one’s own unique voice.

“I hope Writing to Change the World helps you clarify your thoughts, experience new hope and new energy, and communicate your best ideas as effectively as possible. My goal is to help you translate your passion and idealism into action. This is not a book on how to write; rather, it’s a book on how to write in order to improve the world. It is for competent writers with generous hearts and bold spirits” (Pipher, 2006, p. 14).

Another lesson I learned is to consider not only the message but also the manner in which it is delivered – and how that may change depending on the scenario.

“Any form of writing can change the world. Your goal is to find the form that allows you to use every one of your talents in the service of what you consider to be your most important goals. You want to search for what you alone can say and then how you can say it most effectively” (Pipher, 2006, p. 27).

Pipher provides “plenty of substance that can inspire you to write a better world into existence. … [she] urges the world-changing writer to be bold and honest, and to look for your own daring, unique observations” (Clark, 2007).

Time catches up with all of us and likely everyone’s life ends before they accomplish all they would like. One of my friends commented recently while tearing off a page of his calendar: “There’s another month of my life gone.” Another friend has this saying posted on her Facebook page: “It’s all just passage of time. You choose.”

Pipher provides a sense of comfort, however, because she touches on how written words can survive their author:

The finest thing we can do in life is to grow a soul and then use it in the service of humankind. Writers foster the growth of readers’ souls, and the best soil for growth is love. Writing can be made visible. In the end, one of our best ways to truly change readers is to love them. We can create a world in which those who know teach those who wish to learn. We writers may not live to see the changes that we work for, but readers will enjoy the shade of the trees we have planted (p. 225).

A recent work I believe Pipher would approve of is Writing on the Edge: Great Contemporary Writers on the Front Line of Crisis, Tom Craig’s collection of essays about the work done by the nonprofit organization Doctors Without Borders.

In her 2010 review of Craig’s book, Susan K. Perry wrote, “When is a coffee table book not a coffee table book? When it inspires liberal guilt in anyone who peeks into it? Begin reading this one, though, and along with the guilt, you’ll find a smidgeon of hope mingled with awe at what a good writer can do with an impossible situation.”

For any writers wanting to affect change in the world, Pipher’s words should provide inspiration toward their goals.

“Our work is about something much bigger and more important than we are. In the long run, success means we secure a place in the centuries-old pantheon of people who care about ideas. We find our chair at the tired, tormented yet joyous old table of humankind. If we are really lucky, we even manage to make room for others there. With success, the muse whispers in our ears, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Pipher, 2006, p. 152).

We’re repeatedly asked the question here at the Mayborn: What do you want to be when you grow up? Perhaps the next question should be as Pipher suggests: “What needs doing that only I can do?”

Indeed, it is for each of us to find those answers.

References (APA Format)

Brunwasser, J. (2011). Mary Pipher: Writing to change the world. Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://www.storycon.org/articles/Mary-Pipher-Writing-to-Ch-by-Joan-Brunwasser-110205-467.html

Clark, S. W. (2007). Writing book review: Writing to change the world by Mary Pipher. Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://writersontherise.wordpress.com/2007/06/15/writing-book-review-writing-to-change-the-world-by-mary-pipher/

Moore, M. A. (2007). Writing to change the world: An inspiring guide for transforming the world with words. Retrieved October 26, 2012,

Perry, S. K. (2010). Writing to change the world: Words, images, and medicine focus on world's hell-holes. Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creating-in-flow/201007/writing-change-the-world

Pipher, M. (2006). Writing to change the world. New York: Penguin Group.

Pipher, M. (2012). Mary Pipher, PhD – therapist, writer, speaker. Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://www.marypipher.net/

Ross, T. (2010). Writing to change the world by Mary Pipher PhD – A book review. Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://tamiross.com/writing-to-change-the-world-by-mary-pipher-ph-d-a-book-review/