How refreshing. Julia Cameron gives an open invitation to everyone to write. Ms. Cameron breaks down the barriers and the negative mindsets for stymied, would-be writers. Simply write. Write your way. Write when you can. Write where you can. I love listening to Ms. Cameron with her down-to-earth sensibilities toward writers and writing. There's no pretense as she shares stories and encouragement from her own writing...
4Report
I am not normally a fan of writer's inspiration books like this one, primarily because they are so addicting. A blocked or fearful writer can quickly fill their shelves up with books that explain and examine their literary malaise. On one hand, it can be a huge relief to have your problem recognized in print and read case histories about other writers who eventually made it through. But on the other, you run the risk of drowning...
5Report
I really enjoyed this book. It's inspiring, full of good exercises and has been of great help to me. However, I recently came across Dorothea Brande's 1934 classic 'Becoming a Writer', which somewhat tainted 'The Right to Write' for me. Ms Cameron credits Dorothea Brande's book in the bibliography, but appears to claim the 'morning pages' idea as her own - it is 'the most effective tool I have devised' or words to that effect...
13Report
Just keep doing it, even when you don't feel like doing it, or when you don't think you have anything worthwhile to say. You'll stop thinking of writing as some mystical activity that can only be done in a dreamlike state. Writing will become a commonplace activity that you can do without any undue anxiety.That's what Julia Cameron wants you to realize about writing--that it can be a daily activity, like brushing your teeth,...
2Report
"Abridged? What will they take out?" I wondered. Then the tapes arrived. The answer: the tools at the end of each chapter. Initially, I was disappointed.However, this editing decision makes total sense. The essays really shine on their own merit, even more so when read by Julia. I've played them over and over again: in the car while commuting to my first graduate class in eleven years, at home to bookend my day-- anywhere...
1Report