The Writer's Life: Insights from The Right to Write [Paperback]

Julia Cameron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2001

In her groundbreaking book The Right to Write, Julia Cameron dismantled the mythology surrounding the writing life in our culture. Tackling issues such as time, mood, inspiration, and support, she revealed that writing is in fact a natural-and crucial-part of life. Questions of how, when, and why yielded to the virtual tool kit of strategies, tips, and tools she provides in this extremely valuable book. With The Writer's Life, Cameron's pivotal insights and pointers are distilled in a tiny, portable companion that will help readers lead a writer's life more easily, joyfully, and powerfully.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist's Way, is an active artist who teaches internationally. A poet, playwright, novelist, and composer, she has extensive credits in film, television, and theater.

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher; Min edition (May 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585421030
• ISBN-13: 978-1585421039
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #362,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julia Cameron has been an active artist for more than thirty years. She is the author of twenty-eight books, fiction and nonfiction, including her bestselling works on the creative process: The Artist's Way, Walking in This World, Finding Water, and The Writing Diet. A novelist, playwright, songwriter, and poet, she has multiple credits in theater, film, and television.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT ONLY YOUR RIGHT BUT YOUR DUTY, January 14, 2004

By 

Gail K Kroll "ECLECTIC READER AND LISTENER" (Northbrook, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Writer's Life: Insights from The Right to Write (Paperback)

THE RIGHT TO WRITE was my first introduction into Ms. Cameron's wonderful spiritual world of God and writing. She always has something wonderful to say. This is the BEST inspiration into writing which I have ever read. (If only I could take a class from her!!!) The necessity of writing which can release yourself into a new and wonderful world is so creative and liberating any one who loves life itself should read this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes you want to write, July 3, 2010

By 

Courtney (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Writer's Life: Insights from The Right to Write (Paperback)

This is a great little book. It's sort of a collection of highlights from a bigger book by Julia Cameron, "The Right to Write", which is also fantastic. Both books make you want to sit down and start writing--a book, a script, a poem, a song... Cameron is gifted at writing about writing. She articulates things that are hard to articulate, about the process of writing. And she is very democratic; she believes everyone can write (or create) and should. What's also nice is that each page deals with a different aspect of writing, and is short and sweet. It's not a lot of verbiage you have to wade through--Cameron makes her point easily and effectively. No matter how uninspired you may feel, or how fearful you might be, when you read even just a few pages of this book, or the bigger book, "The Right to Write," you will suddenly feel a strong desire to write. If you don't, then maybe you're really blocked? In which case, you should check out her classic, "The Artist's Way."

10 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To those who it helps this is a good book, December 22, 2004

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Writer's Life: Insights from The Right to Write (Paperback)

To those who it helps this is a good book. There is a lot of positive advice that can help people write, and perhaps feel better about themselves and their lives. This is good.
But I have been a writer for many many writers , and writing it seems to me is a far more painful, difficult, problematic activity than this book suggests. Writing involves coming to terms in some way with what one cannot do as a writer. It involves dealing with one's own failures and one's effort to overcome those failings. My writing life begins in suffering, warding off madness. It continues in trying to understanding the suffering of others I loved, and what such suffering can mean. Writing is so so many different things that I do not wish to generalize or make my own experience the model for anyone. I just would say ' simple formulas help sometimes' but for many writers the search for the truth in writing does not necessarily lead to some world of happiness or greater hope.
Writing has kept me going, helped give meaning to my life, and as with Kafka has been a kind of prayer.
I hope this review does not discourage any reader of this little book. And I also hope my few words have indicated to you what you probably already know, writing can be not so simple and so easy.