"The Right to Write" Julia Cameron

Anton Chekhov advised actors, "If you want to work on your acting, work on yourself." This same advice applies to working on our writing.

Why should we write? We should write because it is human nature to write...We should write because writing brings clarity and passion to the act of living...We should write, above all, because we are writers whether we call ourselves writers or not.

Writing is about getting something down, not about thinking something up.

When writing is rooted in the process of taking down the next thought as it unfolds itself to us, then it is less about our brilliance and more about our accuracy.

Henry Miller advised: "Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls, and interesting people. Forget yourself."

The idea that writing is more about listening than creating takes the pressure off. I like to write, but I often question the value of writing. But through reading this book, things are making more sense to me. I do like to be accurate, I am a better listener than talker, writing does help me clarify my own thoughts. I like to take things in...not necessarily with any specific purpose, but for the mere chance of building on my own experiences.

For a while now, I've enjoyed reading about lives of writers. Something fascinates me about writers. There's a nice mixture of detail and mystery. It reminds me of how God so often works. We don't see the whole story right from the beginning; things may not seem like they fit together, but soon enough, things are revealed in a beautiful way.

As I read about writing, I'm able to apply it to work. Doing more listening than promoting my own agenda...no matter how noble my agenda is.

Even though I may not stick to a lot of things that I start, I believe that writing will always be something for me to return to. I haven't been pouring my heart into writing as often as I used to. I want to work on developing my writing life.