Write for Life: Creative Tools for Every Writer

This competent program by creativity teacher Cameron (Seeking Wisdom) provides advice on how writers can see projects through to completion. She offers guidance on how to foster creativity and develop discipline as a writer, encouraging readers to quiet their inner critic and follow their intuition. The cornerstone of her advice is to write “three daily pages of longhand morning writing that is strictly stream of consciousness” because the habit builds confidence and puts writers in touch with their “insight.” She takes a spiritual view of creativity and notes that Johannes Brahms and William Blake believed their art channeled input from a “higher power.” Walking, Cameron contends, helps clear one’s head and primes one to tap into this otherworldly inspiration. Cautioning against comparing one’s writing to published authors, she posits that “competition kills art” and assures readers that even if others have written about one’s subject before, each take is valuable and distinct because it reflects the individuality of its creator. The advice will be familiar to those who have read Cameron’s previous volumes on creativity, but such sensible suggestions as setting daily quotas and picking consistent spots to write in will be a boon to those struggling to get started. Aspiring writers will appreciate the solid advice. (Jan.)