The Creative Life: True Tales of Inspiration, by Julia Cameron

Julia Cameron is the author of the well-known The Artist's Way and its many spin-offs, none of which I have ever read. Perhaps I made a mistake by picking up The Creative Life without having read her first 30 or 31 books. The Creative Life is essentially a diary, intended (judging by the subtitle) to help readers learn how to find inspiration in their lives. But the book is actually quite dull--we read innumerable vignettes about dinner with a particular friend, being reminded that they always order the same dish and, at some point in the course of the meal, remind each other that writing "is a process." We read about her piano lessons--but without any in-depth discussion of the music or her struggles to play it. Ditto the classes she teaches, the run-throughs of plays she attends, and a variety of her other experiences.

Not recommended.

Favorite passage: None