Friday, November 13, 2009

Cameron Julia


Cameron, Julia "The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size" Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam: 2007

I wish I could say that this book was responsible for my being slender and thin. It wasn't; however I gained a lot of insight from the problem, but not enough to make a difference. In the introduction to the book, the author states:

"This book is dedicated to my beloved mother, who suffered both from being overweight and from may dark depressions about it. These struggles impaired her ability to lead a creatively fulfilling life. I loved her dearly and miss her deeply."

Overweight is not the problem. I knew that. In a recent article about Daniel Wright who is on a program, The Biggest Loser, he stated he was the heaviest contestant in the show's history weighing 454 pounds. So far he has lost 142 pounds. At one point, he was eliminated from the show because he lost only 52 pounds. He stated he had to concentrate on other issues. He stated: "I realize I'm never going to be a champion of weight loss," he says. "Listen, Erik Chopin was on the show and he lost more than 200 pounds, but he never dealt with his issues and he went back up. I don't want to lose weight now and then lose in life later."

In the chapter, "The Second Tool: The Journal", Cameron recommends that the reader puts down everything he or she feels like eating. This is more or less a trick to get out of eating what it is we are craving for. We do become more skillful in learning why we eat and this book goes a long way in discovering the reasons why we overeat; but it does not go far enough. As I said, this book did help me in discovering and uncovering the reason why I was overeating; but it did not go far enough because food and overeating is only the symptom of our problems.

I have a blog about becoming more healthier. Paying attention to what I am eating in only one of the tools that I use. It is by no means a significant one. In this book, the overeating aspect of eating addiction is put front and center in the arena of life. I don't think it belongs there. I do recommend it as a means to discover the particular pathway that will work for the indivividual to become healthier however. I loved its emphasis on journaling because it is one of the ways I have helped myself. Writing has been one of the single most important ways that I have for getting out of the morass of depression and post traumatic stress disorder problems. I like this author very much, but if I had given this book a miss it would have been alright with me.

Cameron, Julia "The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life" Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam: 1998

Julia Cameron writes in many genres and has been doing so for many years. She has been writing for a multitude of reasons. According to the author: "Writing is how, and it sometimes seems why, I do my life." In this book, Cameron writes about the tools that she uses and her path in writing. She states she left out those things that were not a part of her experience or that they are something that other books on writing have written about very well. For instance, she will not teach the reader how to write a query letter or find a market for your work. The writing life is working on your life as a whole and that is what the book is about. It is about writing for the sake of writing, for the sheer unadulterated joy of moving the pen or curser over the page.

The Right to Write is a birthright, a spiritual dowry, according to Cameron, that gives us the keys to the kingdom. One's higher powers speak to us through writing. Some call it inspiration, the Muses, Angels, God, and so on. I call this ability my Spiritual Center. Cameron states it connects us to something larger than ourselves and allows us to live with great spirit and optimism.

This book is Cameron's attempt to dismantle the negative mythology that surrounds the writing in this culture and as a teacher she has first hand knowledge of this. For her, the writing life "is a simple life, self-empowered and self-empowering" one.

There is much about this book that is fun. There is a lot of this book that discusses what keeps us from writing whether we are writing a book that will end up as a replacement for "Moby Dick" or a cook book for our church rummage sale. The main thing that keeps most of us from writing at least for me is fear and that is echoed in the book:

"The fears may not be conscious, and that's what makes it tricky. When we are procrastinating about writing something or someone, we are always being backed off by our fears. It may be disguised as our business or our "need to focus" or any number of other distractions, but it boils down to our fear of revealing ourselves to others and ourselves." (page 89)

Cameron states that we are taught by this culture to think of writing as a commitment, as a state occasion, as torture, a great many things except for its dominant nature: fun. "The Right to Write" is a book that almost tricks the reader into seeing writing as just that, fun and a way of exploring the world in a fun way.

The book is arranged into short readable chapters such as "Let Yourself Write" and "Let Yourself Listen" and at the end of suggested exercises. I did not do the exercises as I have my own ways of doing what is in the chapters. Cameron also puts in personal information of what is happening in her life with her considerable friends and family. She shares what works with her and her daughter in beating writer's blocks. She leans towards the Eastern Religion as many writers do and includes Buddhist insights.

I read "The Artist Way" many years ago and gain a lot of insight from that book. It was written after her divorce from her first marriage with the director, Martin Scorsese. For most people, divorce is a rough time and this author found a way of dealing with this traumatic time and with expressing her artistic abilities. Luckily, it has made itself into a way for other people to help them into dealing with their own life. I certainly have felt this author's achievements and lessons learned to be a boom for my life as well.




Name of author: Julia Cameron
Dates of birth and death (if applicable):March 4, 1948
Place of birth: Libertyville, Illinois, U.S.A.
Education: Georgetown University, Fordham
Occupation: teacher, author, filmmaker, playwright, journlist
Literary movement associated with author:" The Artist's Way "
Nationality: American
Notable award(s) or ideas (s): Known for integrating art and writing. She states creativity is an authentic spiritual path. Cameron is most known for the book, "The Artist's Way".
Books and years when published:

Nonfiction

Fiction

Musicals

Plays

  • Four Roses
  • Public Lives
  • The Animal in the Trees

Poetry

Film

  • "God's Will"
Source: Wikipedia
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