Rating: 
Summary: Enh.
Review: The difficulty we had with this book was not that it seemed so very new-agey, or fluffy, or any such thing; it was that, as with so many of these "You Can Write" books, the authors seem to assume that everyone has money.She does make some good points on Western society's (particularly the U.S.) attitude toward personal writing (it is discouraged, which is worse than if it were forbidden; we let greeting cards do our self-expression for us). She emphasises that we must not be afraid to produce raw writing; the polishing should come later. Although the computer makes it much easier to edit as you go along, it's a mixed blessing to those of us who fit her description of the overly self-censoring child who earns stellar points in English by writing prose like concrete blocks. She speaks strongly about people who complain that they have no time to write. Her advice is to snitch a few minutes here and there, while waiting for the bus or on coffee breaks, which is perfectly reasonable. But she seems completely to ignore the fact that for many of the working poor, it isn't time, it's money. It's a rare person who can hold down four jobs just to pay rent, groceries and basic utilities, and still have energy left over to write. This kind of working poverty is reality for countless people, many of whom might well be creatively brilliant, but will never have an opportunity to explore their "inner voice" or whatever it may be. Her writing style is not all that impressive, aside from a few amusing similes. Perhaps this is deliberate, so as not to intimidate. In summary, Julia Cameron like most "You Can Write" authors rather defeats her own purpose. A published writer with quite an impressive track record, she's successful enough to be able to afford real estate (however small) in New Mexico, an Arabian horse and various other luxuries. Much as she would like to think so, she is not just like everybody else. I can see why some reviewers have pegged her as a new age type; she's amazingly shortsighted when it comes to the "nickeled and dimed" reality of how most people -- particularly women -- live nowadays. As always, use what you can from this book and leave the rest.
Rating: 
Summary: A book about the Art of writing rather than the mechanics
Review: There aren't enough books on the market that approach writing as an Art. This is one of them.
The people that dismiss this book as "derivative" or "New-agey feel-good fluff" are usually the people who enjoy the serious "You must be published before you can call yourself a REAL writer" types of books. These are also the people who will gleefully rip a new writer to shreds because they can.
This author speaks to the person who writes not because it's a supposedly easy way to make money (it isn't), but because they MUST. The people who respond to this book know what it's like to feel blocked because some insenstive lout decided to mess with their head by telling them they are lousy, and can't write anything else because of this. The people who respond to this work are artists at heart, people who know what it is to "feel the flow", "be in the Zone"; to lose themselves in the act of writing itself. For these people, this book is an invitation to dream, to write it all down, even if no one ever sees it.
Any -good- writer I have ever read, who comments on the art and act of writing says the same thing as Ms Cameron, albeit in their own words.
"Let the writing write through you". Bradbury said it too.
I'd recommend "Zen in the Art of Writing" in addition to this book for people who want to connect with the Art and spirit of writing.
This book is also for people who have no interest in the publishing game, and just want to write, because they want to set themselves down in some kind of tangible way. I'd recommend this book for people who like to journal, and those who'd like to set down their life's story for their children and grandchildren.
This isn't a book for shallow wanna-bes. It's for people who understand what it is to meditate and can understand advanced concepts like spirituality in art.
Rating: 
Summary: Self-indulgent, derivative
Review: I loved The Artist's Way, and like thousands of other people, found it immensely valuable. That's why I'm sorry to see Cameron try to rehash the SAME information again and again. Further, there's way too much "the wonder of me" in this book...she seems to be creating a cult of personality around herself. Enough already with romanticizing the writing process!
Rating: 
Summary: A tonic for writer's block
Review: This book is good for beginning writers, especially those who are unsure about putting pen to paper. I have read The Artist Way, but I prefer this book because it is specific to writing. You can use the morning pages to help you overcome writer's block, by relieving you of the pressure to write perfect prose every time. Also, writing flows easier with practice.
I use this book, but I also attend a creative writing course and read definitive texts on the craft. The Right To Write won't teach you about style or help you develop your ear, but that is not the intention of the book. I do not criticize it for that, because there is not a single book in existence that can teach you everything about the craft. I do recommend this book, however, as a useful addition to your writer's toolkit. It seems that Julia Cameron is the Dorothea Brande of our times.
Rating: 
Summary: Come on and play!
Review: I have enjoyed the "Artists Way"/"Artists Way at Work" model, but they were getting a little tired. The "Right to Write" is a collection of Julia Cameron's essays with a simple invitation at end of each one to pick up your pen and play. At Cameron's behest, I actually did take myself down to a local cafe one rainy afternoon. There I spied a couple snuggling on a sofa, sipping lattes and bodily (or bawdily) broadcasting "we're not married--at least to each other". I never would have noticed (or enjoyed!) that bit of neighborhood naughtiness without Julia's challenge to get out look for the delicious things happening in the world around me. There's an exercise called "You have to be willing to write badly in order to write well." It involves buying all five major tabloids (I didn't know there WERE five!), analyzing the stories and whipping up my own improbable slumgullion with their dubious inspiration. I love books on writing by good writers. Stephen King, Caroline Knapp, Anne Lamotte and Dan Wakefield have brought me much delight, whether they have improved my output or not. Julia Cameron has given me real inspiration to write as practice, as meditation, as personal therapy and just plain fun! I have to chuckle at people who exhort readers to only read Serious Books about how to be a Serious Writer. If that joyless mind-set were applied to other pursuits, only proven athletes would ever play games; only divas/divos would ever dare to sing; only Thoreau and Muir would ever enjoy nature; only holy people would ever pray... If you aren't consumed with taking yourself all that seriously, you might be delighted and enthused by "The Write to Right".
Rating:
Summary: Totally uninspiring
Review: I bought this book after reading through the reviews on Amazon.com for it and I regretted it the minute I started reading. The exercises exert a certain kind of pressure on one, I feel, and I found them very unproductive. This book is, I guess, fine for the person who wishes to flirt with writing, but if you want some advice on being a serious writer I suggest Stephen King's "On writing" instead.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I listened to this as I was traveling across country and was so inspired that I began writing immediately. Julia absolutely helps us get through the "hangups" of writing. I have a laptop and love to type. The first thing in the morning, I put on some music and meditate as I type......WOW! When I open my eyes, I see words that took no effort to write. Unbelieveable!! I am on the road to writing again! Thank you Julia for the invitation and the permission to just do it!
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly inspirational
Review: I write as a hobby, and I have an obsession with reading. This book was a purchase initially to inspire me to write better. But it did so much more. I was amazed at the way this book not only encouraged me to write more, but as a single mother, helped me to convert my writing hobby into something almost spiritual. A way to say it is okay to do things alone and search daily for things of beauty or sorrow to write about. I was very impressed by this work and have read it several times since. If you are like me and enjoy writing, read this book. It should be required reading for all those interested in making writing a profession.
Rating:
Summary: Jane's review
Review: Although I haven't read the book yet, I must say that I hope it's an easier go than reading Jane Steinberg's Editorial Review! Whew!
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing rehash of "Artist's Way"...
Review: I found Julia's book "The Artist's Way" to be very valuable, but "The Right to Write" was a huge disappointment. It's basically a rehashing of all the same material in the previous book, but told in a much less organized way. Plus, Julia's ramblings about how cool her own life is and how she's *sooo* productive in her writing gets a little old after a very few pages. I'f you haven't read "Artist's Way", get that one first. If you have, you can skip this.
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