Book Review: Sit Write Here

In Sit Write Here, award-winning novelist and certified mindfulness instructor April Dávila presents a groundbreaking approach to writing that integrates the practice of Insight Meditation. Drawing from her personal journey and professional experience, Dávila reveals how mindfulness can help writers improve their craft and navigate common challenges such as writer's block, self-doubt, and ubiquitous distractions. Through practical exercises and relatable anecdotes, she demonstrates how cultivating present-moment awareness can enhance creativity and bring greater ease to the writing process.

Whether you're a seasoned author or just beginning your writing journey, Sit Write Here offers a compassionate and practical framework to transform your writing practice. Structured around six key practices, the book guides writers to:

• -Get Writing by developing deep concentration to foster a state of creative flow.
• -Embrace Discomfort to better portray conflict on the page.
• -Keep Going by identifying and overcoming internal obstacles that masquerade as "writer's block."
• -Explore Emotions to deepen authenticity.
• -Engage Reality to refine the editing process with mindful awareness.
• -Find Equanimity to maintain resilience in the face of feedback and rejection.

By embracing mindfulness, writers can not only enhance their craft but also find greater fulfillment and joy in the creative process.

Sit Write Here: 6 Mindfulness Practices to Help You Write More and Suffer Less by April Dávila will be published July 7, 2026. St. Martin's Press provided an early galley for review.

Back in 2020, I read and enjoyed the author's debut novel 142 Ostriches. From that, I wanted to hear her approach on the writing process. I can honestly say it was not an approach I have heard of from other writing books I've read.

While other writing books might focus on the manual process, this one is all about the mental one. It is about understaning how our minds work to better approach how we can harness it when we are writing. She provides guidance on the meditation process as well as offers solid tips for new writers just starting out.

These are techniques that take only a fraction of your daily routine but can yield great gains when it comes to your writing results.