During my 3-mile walk this morning, I listened to an audio of The Right to Write, written and narrated by Julia Cameron, author of “The Artist’s Way” and “The Vein of Gold.”
What an inspirational walk this turned out to be.
The Right to Write (also available in book form) is a series of essays in which Julia “reveals the secrets of breaking loose from the grip of established thought processes and shows you how to unleash the wave of creativity within you that is starving to express itself.”
Here are eight out of the many “breaking loose” secrets Julia shares in her essays:
- Writing is fun. Yes, fun. Once you get past the strain and exhaustion of writing out of ego and open the door that connects you to the invisible world of your subconscious and to higher dimensions.
- Don’t make writing so fancy. Allow it to be loose and easy.
- Tell the truth of how you feel and what you see. Our words are the bricks and mortars of every dream we want to realize.
- Don’t let thoughts of getting a publisher, making money, and becoming a best seller stop you. If you care enough to write it, someone will care enough to read it.
- You can always self-publish. The Artist’s Way began as a self-published manuscript. Henry Miller and Walt Whitman self-published their earlier work.
- We are the authors of our own lives. We are all rough drafts.
- Commit and the Universe will follow.
- Let the Universe take care of the quality. You take care of the quantity.
Julia has a way of fingering words like beads and stringing them together in ways that will amaze you. I can’t do justice to how her essays touched and motivated the writer in me.
Writing is a way to metabolize life, she says, and by the time she is through that’s exactly what you’ll feel like doing.
As always, thanks for stopping by,
Margaret – thank you so much for this post. I just started reading and completing some of the exercises in "The Artist's Way" a few weeks ago. I've found it goes right along with the habits I've developed through writing down my soul, and I love it. I'll have to listen to this too. I especially love #6 – it actually goes along with what I posted on my blog this morning about figuring out what makes "art" worthy.
Hi amyisaman. Yes, I agree that The Artist's Way" does go along with Janet Conner's "Writing Down the Soul." You'll love the recording of "The Write to Write." The great thing about it is that you can get mental and physical exercise at the same time.
Wonderful post. I will be passing this along and will link to it in my blog.
Thanks Rosi. Julia Cameron is such an inspiration.
I have both of these books, and they travel with me especially when I'm waiting for my son at soccer practice! Sometimes, just glance over the pages, I'll get a fresh idea! Thanks for visiting..
Hi Icy. By both of these books, I assume you mean "The Artist's Way," and "The Vein of Gold." I agree, they're keepers–to be read over and over again.