Repurposing Blog Posts into My Latest Book — Collage for the Writer’s Soul

Because why not let those posts do double-duty?

by Marilyn Flower

I never imagined I’d write this many nonfiction books.

But as an avid journaler, blogging is right up my alley.  And I can always give readers a peek into my writing process, tips, tricks, and tools I’ve learned, what works and what doesn’t, while slogging away at my passion projects, Man Pregnant!  And my noir-fantasy spoof, Long, Hard, & Twisted.

My favorite way to enhance and deepen my stories, characters, and poetry is an insightful process known as SoulCollage®.

Developed by Seena B. Frost, an art therapist with a Doctor of Divinity from Yale, SoulCollage® is based on the notion that our souls gravitate towards images. You might say that’s their love language.

And what is a collage if not a collection of images selected by our hearts and souls? How they fit together does not have to make logical left-brain sense. This is about spontaneous, intuitive play.

Once the images are arranged in a pleasing way and glued in place, it’s time to ‘read’ the collage.  SoulCollage® cards contain messages from our souls.  Usually about our lives.

But I don’t stop there.

I make collages for my stories and each of my main characters.  That way, when I ‘read’ them, I hear their voices as well as their take on my story world, in their own words.  Given it can be a challenge to give each character a unique voice, syntax, and vocabulary, this process was a Godsend.

It helps me see and hear my fictitious peeps, and know their hearts, desires, and deepest fears. The ones I get to make bite them in the behind.

But I don’t stop with fiction.

I find SoulCollage® valuable for blogging, poetry, and learning about my ideal readers.  All those ways and more are laid out in my latest book, Collage for the Writer’s Soul.  

It began as a compilation of my blog posts on Medium.com. Each one becoming its own chapter, including a humorous chapter for the erotic writer’s soul.  Ever see a peter pepper?  In the competition for sexy veggies, this one’s hard to beat—so to speak.

So why should you check out this book?

If SoulCollage® was such an asset for my writing, it certainly can be for yours.  Whether you’re a beginning or seasoned writer, SoulCollage® can help you:

• Break through writer’s block

• Plot stories and deepen characters, including their shadow sides

• Tap into metaphor and emotion for poetry or lyrical prose

• Generate fresh ideas and inspiration on demand

• Hear and explore the inner voices clamoring for attention inside yourself or your characters

Each SoulCollage® card represents a setting, character, conflict, or archetypal energy pattern offering its unique perspective. They can be ‘read’ literally and metaphorically to discover backstories, enhance scenes, intensify emotional stakes, and invite creative epiphanies.

Once I had the basic chapters, I wrote an introduction and added front and back matter.  My dear friend, mentor, and fellow BAIPA member, Meg Stewart, helped me edit and shape it for loading into Atticus.

Meanwhile, our mutual friend and graphic artist, Kate Rader, designed the front and back covers. And yes, those are three of my actual (digital) SoulCollage® cards on the front cover. The pouty femme fatale is Francesca from Long, Hard, & Twisted.  And the guy leaning out of the car is her dastardly dad, Snively Whippersnapper, who’s the reason she’s as naughty as she is.

The robed dude with the sheep is my pregnant pro-life pastor, Silver Sterling, butting heads with members of his flock who insist that the procedure for men is not an abortion, even though his wife insists that it most certainly is. She’s not his baby mama, and therein lies the rub.

Leaders of SoulCollage.Inc. read an ARC and offered enthusiastic encouragement as well as testimonies to use on the covers and in my promotional materials. They also gave us timely editorial input prior to publication.

Thank you to BAIPA members who gave me feedback on my title and my cover layout, a few months back. Since most folks haven’t heard of SoulCollage® (yet) I put that term in my subtitle instead of the main title.  Great call!

Collage for the Writer’s Soul is currently available in ebook form on Amazon.com. The paperback version is coming soon. Follow my free Substack newsletter, also called Collage for the Writer’s Soul, for the latest updates.