Rebecca Reads » self-help

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Rebecca Reid — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:11:28 +0000

Any blocked artist, be he or she a painter, writer, or actor, can benefit from the positive course of action suggested by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way. The Artist’s Way is the most powerful call for self-nurturing and creativity that I’ve ever read. I wish I’d found it years ago, because I feel it came into my life at the wrong time.

The Program

Julia Cameron’s premise in The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity is that creativity is a spiritual issue. By nurturing your inner spiritual needs, you are able to unleash the God-given creativity within you. For me, it seemed Cameron’s “spirituality” was synonymous with “positive self-worth.” The Artist’s Way, then, was a much-needed reminder that I am an artist and that I do have creativity within me already.

Cameron’s definition of spirituality is not the same as mine; I consider myself “spiritual,” yet I wonder if her constant referral of “creativity” as a God-given spiritual power would be a “turn off” for those that don’t. If you are turned off by the “spiritual” reference in the subtitle, I’d say still give this book a try.

But The Artist’s Way is not just a book: it is a twelve-week program for recovery of creativity. We are to write our daily fears, worries, and joys down on pages every day; we recite affirmations to ourselves; we eliminate from our lives the destructive people who might hinder our creativity; and we rely on God to heal our broken creativity.

Each week, the program participant focuses on recovering creativity in the following categories:

Safety
Identity
Power
Integrity
Possibility
Abundance
Connection
Strength
Compassion
Self-Protection
Autonomy
Faith

What’s to Like

A main recovery for blocked artists is to write “morning pages.” The morning pages are to be written by any recovering artist (potter, architect, film-writer, etc.) and are stream-of-consciousness rambles and nonsense not intended to be read. This is to give voice to negativity of your life so you can focus on what really matters. I think this could work well: it’s a great idea.

The Artist’s Way also encourages artists to take risks and to let themselves have the luxury of being creative. As the reader progresses through the program over the course of the twelve weeks, the artist is continually challenged to do and be more. It takes work to be an artist, and the artist needs to make sure to take opportunities before they are lost. The Artist’s Way can help you see the opportunities around you.

Cameron seems to urge the reader to leave the jobs and people who discourage away from creativity, and move forward toward his or her dreams. It’s never too late!

Her words are definitely inspiring and helpful to artists afraid to take a step. It is a book to help artists re-find the self-esteem that teachers, parents, and others inadvertently discouraged away.

What I Didn’t Need

When I first started reading this, boxes were piled in every room from our international move, and the baby was still adjusting to a USA time zone (in other words, awaking at 5 a.m.). Now, my baby is just learning to walk, and we are perfecting a post-move new budget. The wonderful ideas Cameron suggests cannot possibly work for me right now. I wish I’d found this book lat year when I had more “abundance” in my life! Yet, her point is that we always have abundance if we allow ourselves.

Julia Cameron encourages artists to take the time to write in the morning pages each day, write for another hour every day, and take a break every week for an “artist’s date.” Get a sitter if you have children, stop serving other people, and serve yourself for once! If you don’t let yourself do these things, she suggests, you aren’t giving yourself the luxury you deserve.

After about 50 pages, I realized why I disagreed: My baby is my luxury. I waited a long time to be a mother. I have the further blessing of staying home with my baby, and to me, it is a blessing. Serving others, particularly my baby, is a great way that I feel spiritual; if I only served myself all the time, I’d feel very depressed. My life must be about service to others!

Cameron would suggest that I’m afraid to start being creative, so I’m using my baby as an excuse. Maybe. But she does ask the reader to ponder what gives us true joy (page 110), and we are encouraged to pursue that. I realized that I already am pursuing it: my baby gives me true joy.

By reading The Artist’s Way, I’ve been inspired to seek moments of creativity. I won’t write a novel this month, but I’ll start writing the morning pages.

Toni Morrison (quoted on page 97) says:

We are traditionally rather proud of ourselves for having slipped creative work in there between the domestic chores and obligations. I’m not sure we deserve such big A-pluses for that.

I completely agree. I try to slip in my creativity, but that’s not how it’s nurtured. If I’m serious about writing, I must be serious when I write. It should be my career.

But writing is not my career now, and I don’t resent that at all. I don’t want to give up the life I love.

Someday, I’ll revisit The Artist’s Way to properly rekindle all of the creativity within me.

Have you read The Artist’s Way? What did you think about Julia Cameron’s ideas for creativity and indulging your own creative spirit?

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On Writing by Stephen King

Rebecca Reid — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:00:36 +0000

At age five, my mother was my scribe as I wrote my first book (“The Three Little Pigs”). Since then, I have wanted to be a writer.

I picked up Stephen King’s memoir, On Writing, because it seems to be a commonly recommended book for aspiring writers. I’ve never read any Stephen King. I am not often drawn to best-selling authors. (By best-selling author, I mean an author who writes a book every year that ends up selling millions of copies.) I’ve heard of Stephen King, of course. Unfortunately, I found little in his memoir about writing that helps me in my personal craft. I think his memoir should have been named On Writing Best-Selling Horror Novels.

There were a few gems in On Writing, most of them obvious. For example, to improve your writing, you need to make the time to write. (King suggests a goal of words, like 4,000 a day: I think “quantity” as a standard is ridiculous.) He also discusses the need to read good writing (obviously) and learn grammar so you can actually write (doubly obvious). However, for me, the most inspiring thing I learned was the realization I had every time I picked up On Writing: I don’t want to be a best-selling author.

My General Thoughts about Writing and Books

I feel that there is a big difference between writing well and writing a story. A superior novel (or short story) needs both aspects: just because an author has created a great story and written it does not mean it is good writing. Also, I feel very strongly that quality is more important than quantity. An author can write one book and be a great author; an author can write 35 novels and be mediocre (although they certainly have a great imagination and a knack for turning out books for publication). I also feel intended audience and subject matter is important to keep in mind when approaching writing.

Stories and Writing: Many best-selling books are great stories, but not great writing. For example, I think the Harry Potter series is a great story. I am in awe of J.K. Rowling for having an imagination to conjure up such a world! I have read the series and I enjoyed it. However, I do not think J.K. Rowling is a good writer. Her writing is contrived and repetitive. (I may be unpopular among die-hard fans, but I believe it is true!) I feel many of the best-sellers also lack the good story element: they neither are good stories nor contain good writing. I read them sometimes, but I read them knowing that they are not great. Sometimes I may be pleasantly surprised.

Quantity and Quality: The more novels a popular writer publishes, and the more frequently those are being published, the less likely I am to read their books. There may be some gems, and I’d love to give those highly recommended gems a try, but overall, I can’t stand the thought of writing that has been produced in such a short time: can we really call that quality? For an analogy, I think “quality” writing is like risotto: I know I can’t rush risotto. If I do, the creaminess is missing; to produce good risotto, I must stir it constantly for 30-40 minutes. To produce good writing, I think it’s necessary to polish it again and again. (King has four drafts of each novel. Yeah.)

Audience and Subject Matter: Stephen King is obviously a horror novelist. I guess he has found his calling in life, but I found even the summaries of his novels disturbing. I have no desire to think outside the box if that is the result! I would never be proud of what I’ve written, if that is what I’ve produced. Even 35 novels worth; even for millions of dollars.

For me in my writing, I’ve determined that I want to write quality letters, stories, children’s poems, and prose. I especially want to write for my family, friends, and others whom I respect. As Stephen King described his methods to arriving at his “success,” I realized I have no desire to write the next best-seller.

The Main Reason I Didn’t Like On Writing

The biggest reason I have no respect for Stephen King’s advice in On Writing is this one comment (encapsulating the above issues):

I’ve written thirty-five [novels] … On the other hand … there is Harper Lee, who wrote only one book (the brilliant To Kill a Mockingbird) … [names other authors who wrote few books] … I always wonder two things about these folks: how long did it take them to write the books they did write, and what did they do the rest of their time? . . . I’m probably being snotty here, but I am also, believe me, honestly curious. If God gives you something you can do, why in God’s name wouldn’t you do it? (page 118)

Excuse me, Mr. King? Did you just compare your horror novels to Harper Lee’s novel? How dare you?!

I guess this goes back to the fact that I’m not drawn to best-sellers. I have the stereotype in my mind that best-sellers do not contain good writing and probably lack good stories. Stephen King thinks he is being snotty, but I found it painful to read his comparison of his 35 horror novels to a masterpiece like To Kill a Mockingbird.

Obviously, some best-sellers are well-written and come to be considered “masterpieces.” I’m generalizing here. However, best-sellers, in my mind, are nothing compared to real writing. In Stephen King’s case, I’m sure he may be a creative (yet disturbed) story teller, but he is not a good writer (in my definitions). With that one paragraph, I lost the little bit of respect I still held for him. He thinks he writes like Harper Lee!

I may offend people. More likely, you will think I’m being “snotty,” just like Stephen King claims he was being “snotty” to criticize Harper Lee for writing only one book. But this is what I’ve learned from Stephen King’s On Writing: popular, best-selling authors think they are also good writers. That may be true sometimes, but generally, I don’t believe it.

What do you think? Do you expect “best-sellers,” in general, to contain “good writing”? Is an author a “good writer” if they have published dozens of novels?

By reading On Writing, I learned that if I want to write and I want ideas on how to write, I should read authors I respect. I hold no respect for Stephen King, 35 horror novels or not.

Have any good writers compiled their thoughts on writing? No, probably not. They have better things to do.

I was more inspired to write a few months ago when I read a masterpiece. I guess I’ll stick to reading masterpieces for my inspiration.

Other reviews (from those who probably liked it more than I did):

5-Squared (Amanda)

If you have reviewed On Writing, leave a link in the comments and I’ll add your link to this post.

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Home Buying for Dummies and Three Other Books

Rebecca Reid — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:25:36 +0000

We found out two weeks ago that we’re moving back to the USA (from Australia) next month. I began the process of searching online for an apartment we might want to rent. Our former home was one bedroom: we are now a family of three. That won’t work.

Lo and behold, I found that buying a home and paying a mortgage would be a similar cost to renting. It just might be the time to buy, thanks to the low cost of homes right now. It is truly a Buyer’s Market.

However, I know nothing about real estate and mortgages. The thought of closing on a mortgage and owning a hugely expensive piece of property fills me with dread. I am pretty clueless. I decided to jump right in to some books to get me started and to get me ready.

In the last two weeks, I read/skimmed four books about real estate and mortgages. I didn’t read them in the best order, but I did “enjoy” them and learn a lot.

Home Buying for Dummies by Eric Tyson and Ray Brown, Second Edition (the link is to the third edition)

Home Buying for Dummies was an excellent starting point. The book covers budgets, selecting professionals to help you (such as real estate agents), searching and deciding on the right home, and securing a mortgage. It’s written by real estate professionals. I haven’t read other “for Dummies” books so I’m not familiar with the genre, but it was so easy to read and actually incredibly painless. If you’re looking to purchase, it’s a great starting point. And that’s coming from someone who was quite clueless.

100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask by Ilyce Glink, Third Edition

100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask was another basic book that helped me think about what I want, what I need, and where to go next. This book wasn’t as good as Home Buying for Dummies. While the subtitle claims that answers come from “brokers across the country,” I saw no evidence of that as it was all in Ilyce’s voice. I couldn’t figure out what authority she had to be writing about real estate and mortgages. It seemed she was a journalist—a columnist for a newspaper—and that didn’t give her much authority. (I just visited her website at www.thinkglink.com. Her About page says “Award-winning, nationally-syndicated columnist, television reporter, radio talk show host and best-selling book author.” Why should I believe a columnist when it comes to mortgages? I would trust a real estate agent or broker much more.)

Also, I read the third edition of a book. It was originally written in the early 1990s—and it was obvious. Some parts could have done well to have a complete overhaul, rather than paragraphs that alluded to the fact that things have changed. We should read a book and not notice that it’s the third edition; we should know that everything is up-to-date. While there was some valuable information in this book, overall it’s not the best. I don’t recommend it.

Mortgages 101 by David Reed

Mortgages 101 was written by a mortgage broker with decades of experience—and I could tell. I felt I could trust his insights into the mortgage process. This book was invaluable in my search for understanding of the mortgage process. After all, a house is the largest purchase I will have made up until this point in my life. I need to know what I’m doing before I sign all those papers. I felt David Reed helped me get to a point where I can begin the process.

You may be wondering how you could ever sit and read 200-pages of mortgage information. Trust me, this book (and Home Buying for Dummies) was approachable. While Reed may be a mortgage broker, Reed also has a natural conversational tone in his book. It was great. (However, the publisher could have hired a proofreader; there were silly errors like sentences missing periods and what not. As a former proofreader, I was a bit irked.)

Mortgage Confidential by David Reed

I read Mortgage Confidential after Home Buying for Dummies and it was above my head at that point. I still didn’t have a basic understanding of mortgages. But, like his precursor (Mortgages 101), Reed provided valuable insight into the mortgage process in this book. If you’ve already purchased before and you want some insider tips to getting a good deal on your home purchase or refinance, this book may help ease the pain out of the mortgage process with it’s easy tips.

When I joined the Nonfiction Five Challenge, I put a book about real estate on my alternate reading list; I didn’t realize I’d be contemplating buying a home so soon, but here I am writing about four such books. In the past two weeks, I’ve gone from not knowing was “escrow” means to being willing to start a house and mortgage search. It’s exciting to feel more in “the know” and I don’t feel quite as intimidated now.

If you’re feeling ready to make the home-buying jump, you may want to check out some of the books I’ve reviewed. Or, if you’ve read a good one, let me know in the comments. I’d love to learn more, and I’m always open to more book recommendations.

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A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle

Rebecca Reid — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:03:47 +0000

Madeleine L’Engle’s first memoir, A Circle of Quiet, is a different kind of book. The back cover of my copy calls it “Spirituality/Autobiography,” but this isn’t your typical spiritual tome or autobiography. For me, it was a subtle encouragement to write, because I can and I want to.

This memoir is the first in a series of memoirs called “The Crosswicks Journal.” She approaches it as a journal of one summer living in her country house, called Crosswicks. But her journal doesn’t follow a chronological review of her summer; rather, she explores who she is as a woman, a writer, and an individual in the community. She says:

One of the most helpful tools a writer has is his journals. Whenever someone asks how to become an author, I suggest keeping a journal. A journal is not a diary, where you record the weather and the engagements of the day. A journal is a notebook in which one can, hopefully, be ontological.…[A journal is] a place where you can unload, dump, let go.… A journal is also a place in which joy gets recorded, because joy is too bright a flame in me not to burn if it doesn’t get expressed in words. (page 197)

She keeps a wonderfully refreshing journal in this book: it is an exploration of who she is. As a woman, a want-to-be writer, and a member of a community, I found her insights intriguing. Throughout the memoir, L’Engle claims that to be a writer, we first need to come to terms with who we are as an individual. She got me thinking: Why do I want to write? Who am I as a writer?

I found this book to be a relaxing, slow read. I would read a few pages, pencil in hand to mark passages that stood out to me. Then I’d read another book or go care for my son. The next day, I’d reread a few of the marked passages and read a few more pages. I don’t think I read more than 50 pages a week. As such, I was reading this for about a month and a half. But I didn’t find this a problem. In fact, I’m glad I own a copy of it so I can review the passages I enjoyed.

I am not certain I will reread the entire book. It doesn’t have a plot and I found it hard to follow her progression of thinking. However, there are many sections that really stood out to me. I’ve marked them for a reread at some point. Some highlights:

She discusses limits in children literature (1970s).

The more limited our language is, the more limited we are; the more limited the literature we give to our children, the more limited their capacity to respond, and therefore, in their turn, to create. The more our vocabulary is controlled, the less we will be able to think for ourselves. We do think in words, and the fewer words we know, the more restricted our thoughts. As our vocabulary expands, so does our power to think. (page 149)

Let’s not be afraid to use “regular” words in children’s books! there is no need to “dumb it down.”

She discusses children’s versus adult books.

If it’s not good enough for adults it’s not good enough for children. If a book that is going to be marketed for children does not interest me, a grownup, then I am dishonoring the children for whom the book is intended, and I’m dishonoring books. And words. (page 198)

I totally agree with her. I don’t want to read lousy books and I think if I find it lousy, it’s not quality enough for my son to be reading (of course, he’s still only an infant, so I have a number of years before he’ll come home wanting to read Captain Underpants…).

She discusses how we, as writers, are inextricably connected to our community.

No matter how fantastic a story line may be, it still comes out of our response to what is happening to us and to the world in which we live. (page 97)

I found this the case with A Wrinkle in Time when I reread it last month: it felt like it took place in Anytown, USA, even though it was taking place throughout the universe, because the themes and characters were recognizable to me.

She explains why we write.

If something deep within even the most tentative and minor of artists didn’t think his work was good, he would stop, forever. (page 27)

Of course. It’s all been said better before. If I thought I had to say it better than anybody else, I’d never start. Better or worse is immaterial. The thing is that it has to be said; by me; ontologically. We each have to say it, to say it our own way. (page 28)

She compares writing a book to having a baby.

I have a friend, a beautiful and talented young woman, who is afraid to have a child and who is afraid to use her talent to write. She does not yet understand the joy that follows the pain of birth. I’ve experienced the pain and joy of the birth of babies and the birth of books and there’s nothing like it: when a child who has been conceived in love is born to a man and woman, the joy of that birth sings throughout the universe. The joy of writing or composing or painting is much the same, and the insemination comes not from the artists himself but from his relationship with those he loves, with the whole world. (page 49)

I need to abandon my fear of writing and just do it. I wouldn’t give up my little child for anything.

She explains why we need to read.

[After grandmother’s funeral, I picked up a book.] I do not think that this [retreating into a book] was escape or evasion. The heroine of the book had her own problems with loneliness and anxiety and death. Sharing these, being totally in this different world for an hour or so, helped me understand my own feelings.

I love this! It so succinctly explains to me why I feel compelled to read, rather than do any number of other things.

She discusses great literature and why we need to read it to prepare to write.

A great novel, rather than discouraging me, simply makes me want to write. This response on the part of any artists is the need to make incarnate the new awareness we have been granted through the genius of someone else. (page 147)

My favorite quote from the book:

A great piece of literature does not try to coerce you to believe it or to agree with it. A great piece of literature simply is. (page 201)

There are so many more things in this book that inspired me to read, write, and think about myself. I think it’s necessary to be aware of our place in the world, and I appreciate L’Engle’s reminders and insights.

Don’t expect a page-turner, but this book is a circle of quiet in the midst of the page-turners of the world.

Have you read this book? What did you think and what stood out to you? In the comments, link to your review if you have one.

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Booking Through Thursday: Manual Labor

Rebecca Reid — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:46:21 +0000

Writing guides, grammar books, punctuation how-tos . . . do you read them? Not read them? How many writing books, grammar books, dictionaries – if any – do you have in your library?

I love writing guides, grammar books, dictionaries, etc. When I studied English in college I borrowed (I must have borrowed because I can’t believe I would have sold it again!) someone’s copy of Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage. I loved it and would just sit and read it.

I previously worked as a proofreader in (1) a scholarly environment (while in college), then (2) in a business environment, and then (3) at a publisher. When times got slow, I’d sit and read (1) Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage and Chicago Manual of Style; (2) The Gregg Reference Manual; and (3) The Chicago Manual of Style and the in-house style guide. I love Chicago style the best, but like I said, I have a soft spot for the Usage Guide: 900+ pages of basic usage debates (and everything is a debate). It’s great. It’s been more than a year since I’ve been in that world. Sigh.

As for how many I own: sadly, I don’t own many. I had some of the reference manuals in college, but I sold them to other students. I always had them in the office at work for obvious reasons, so I didn’t need my own. I own a Merriam-Webster dictionary, but it’s sitting in storage in Chicago while I live in Australia. I debated taking it until my husband pointed out that we have an online subscription to Merriam-Webster (http://www.m-w.com) unabridged. That is definitely worth $29.95 a year. After a year relying on the internet, why would I need the hard copy any more? It’s so much easier to search online, unabridged none-the-less.

I once owned the online subscription to the unabridged Oxford English dictionary, but at nearly $300 a year, that wasn’t worth it. I think my local library in Chicagoland had a subscription, anyway.

I don’t think it’s necessary to own those things any more. Roget’s Thesaurus and Merriam Webster’s is online, and it’s easier and much more time efficient to search online. But, I’m always interested in “how to get started writing” books and some day I hope I can sit down with M-W’s Dictionary to English Usage again. Those were good old days. Sigh.

What’s your thought? Link to your answer if you want!

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The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

Rebecca Reid — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:00:45 +0000

What is Wealth?

At my mother’s suggestion, I listened to the abridged version (144 minutes) of The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William D. Danko (published 1998) rather than the 18-hour version. In some ways, it still was too long. You get the main idea from the beginning.

Since, like most people, I wouldn’t mind being a millionaire, I found it interesting that those with million-dollar salaries (sports figures, etc.) are rarely millionaires: although they live a “high life,” they have very little “wealth.” In other words, millionaires don’t live the lifestyles we might think we’d want to live if we earned a high income.

The premise of this book is that lifestyle that makes a difference to whether or not one becomes a millionaire (one with lots of wealth), and anyone making $60,000 a year can become a millionaire by adjusting lifestyle.

Here are the common factors that millionaires (those who “successfully build wealth”) share (I’ve merged those that I think relate).

1 and 3: They live well below their means and they believe financial independence is more important than displaying social status.

Obviously, living well below one’s means is easier to do with a high income. But even with a high income, most millionaires function on a well-thought-out budget. Most millionaires also live in a house in an average neighborhood, drive a four-year-old used car, shop at Sears and Penney’s (not Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom) and live unassuming lives. Most millionaires only wear suits they purchased at a discount and eat low-cost food (rather than expensive wine).

2: They allocate their time, energy, and money efficiently, in ways conducive to building wealth.

For example, they do not waste time “playing the stock market” but carefully figure out what they know about and invest in that. Here’s another example that they didn’t give but that I assume: they don’t waste their time and money with the lottery or gambling.

4: Their parents did not provide economic outpatient care (i.e., parents did not provide substantial cash gifts to their children).

Hmmm. No help from parents? Darn.

5: Their adult children are economically self-sufficient.

In other words, they know what they do to live frugally and were able to teach frugality; they’re kids don’t expect to live a high lifestyle, funded by their parents.

6 and 7: They are proficient in targeting market opportunities and they choose the right occupation.

I didn’t actually pay much attention to these sections—it was the end of two hours of listening and it was getting boring by now (like I said, an abridged version is enough). But obviously, some occupations have more promise than others (although I think it’s also important that one chooses an occupation that he or she enjoys).

In all, I enjoyed this reminder that a high income and winning the lottery are not guarantees to wealth: slow and steady wins the race. Maybe there is hope for the rest of us!

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