Delightful Julia Cameron's book The Right to Write beautifully drives home the core message that writing should be something anyone can do, and should do. Writing should not be a big, formal deal. She gives personal anecdotes and exercises to help all of us let the writing inside us come out in its own way. This book can help anyone who is even thinking about writing avoid the traps of guilt and negativity, feelings of unworthiness that are far too common. ( )

This was my first audio book, and perhaps that fact casts a pall on my impression of the content. When I read a codex, I often pause to either jot down a note about what I just read or to pursue some memory my reading just welled up from some part of my brain. You can’t do that while listening to an audio book while driving up the Interstate. I listened to this book at approximately 45-minute intervals. There is a certain skill to fully listening while paying attention to the road, and I would replay a section when I found that I had actually stopped listening. I found that I got better about it after a couple of days. This was a ‘qualified’ unabridged version of her book. The essays remained intact, but the writing exercises were omitted. In many ways, I’m glad that they weren’t there. It would have required me to pull off the highway and write things down, for one. A much stronger reason was that I didn’t have to listen to her voice any longer than absolutely necessary. I don’t know whether she recorded this audio book while she had a terrible cold or allergies or adenoid problems, or (worst-case scenario) it was her natural voice. She should have gotten anyone else to narrate it for her.

Perhaps that was the issue, though – she couldn’t get anyone else to do it. The book was written as a motivational piece, and to that end, she was moderately successful. There were a few times when I gleaned a new viewpoint, or heard an apt analogy – one of which I was able to apply to an issue I was having with a story I’m currently writing. What I am surprised at more than anything else, is that apparently her essays were never edited. I believe no one reviewed what she wrote before the book was published. She uses the same phrases over and over again, ad nauseum. I cringed every time she said “… like a lover…”. She used the term so often, I have a permanent haunch in my back. Her mantra in this book is, “The right to write is a birthright.” Okay, she said it no more than three times, but it’s a trite phrase that is not only unappealing to hear because of the repetitive long “i” sound, but where’s the argument? Everyone already knows that they can write anything they damn well please. I can only assume she thought it was a clever use of homonyms. It wasn’t. If you ever get as far along to read (or hear) the analogy of “writing” and “soup”, do yourself a favor and just skip it. It is dreadfully repetitive. If she had substituted “consommé”, or “bisque”, or even “potage” for “soup”, just to break up the monotony, it would have been a decent essay. She used the term “broth” once, but she was referring specifically to the liquid part of the soup. I now have all the Campbell’s cans in my kitchen cabinet facing the wrong direction just so I won’t be reminded of that essay. She also touches on the “spiritual” aspect of writing. I found it offensive, but that’s due to my own point of view. I listened to it anyway, and thankfully, it was a short essay. In an attempt to be objective, though, I don’t see how anything she said there would even begin to inspire any but the blindly faithful.

In summary, there are a few positives I got from this book, but I’m sure glad I borrowed it from the Library! On the other hand, I could have felt more fulfilled by listening to the radio. ( )

This is by far my favorite book by Julia Cameron. If you are a writer who feels like your writing well has run dry, this is a MUST-read for you. You will find inspiration within the pages of this book. ( )

A bit hippieesque´but fun. ( )

Julia knows her stuff. ( )