Finding Water

Finding Water: the art of perseverance 

By Julia Cameron 

Jeremy P. Tarcher 2006. 286 pages. Nonfiction

Outlines a twelve-week program for overcoming a creative block or otherwise working through dry periods in an artist's life, in a guide that covers such topics as staying focused, starting new projects, and finding inspiration.

This is a great book to read, especially if you stick to one chapter per week, and try to follow the writing prompts (called 'Divining Rods' in this book). The suggestions and encouragement that Cameron offers are so helpful, not only if you are struggling to write, but for overall mental health. In glancing at her other books, it seems like she encourages the same practices across all of them: 1. Morning Pages: three hand-written pages first thing in the morning. 2. Artist Dates: taking yourself on a 'date' once a week, just spending time with yourself and 3. A long walk at least once a week, but more often if possible. When I first started reading this, I followed all three, and while they're not always easy or possible to manage every week, I have stuck to the Morning Pages for four months now and it's made a wonderful difference to my life, and my ability to recognize and express my feelings. 

Cameron isn't shy about discussing her former alcoholism and how she still fights the temptation to drink, but she's persistent in her optimism and the helps she's developed to get her through the rough spots in her life. The layout of the book is very pleasing too, with interesting and thought-provoking quotes from famous authors, artists, actors etc. in the margins. I highly recommend this writing guide, or any of her others that might be appealing, as she has several that target certain areas of creativity and writing.  

If you like Finding Water, you might also like: 

Writing Down the Bones

By Natalie Goldberg

Shambhala 2010. 240 pages. Nonfiction

This new edition, which marks almost twenty years since the original book's publication, includes a new preface in which Goldberg expresses her trademark enthusiasm for writing practice, as well as a depth of appreciation for the process that has come with time and experience. Also included is an interview with the author in which she reflects on the relationship between Zen sitting practice and writing, the importance of place, and the power of memory.

On Writing: a memoir of the craft

By Stephen King

Scribner 2000. 288 pages. Nonfiction

"If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." In 1999, Stephen King began to write about his craft -- and his life. By midyear, a widely reported accident jeopardized the survival of both. And in his months of recovery, the link between writing and living became more crucial than ever. Rarely has a book on writing been so clear, so useful, and so revealing. On Writing begins with a mesmerizing account of King's childhood and his uncannily early focus on writing to tell a story. A series of vivid memories from adolescence, college, and the struggling years that led up to his first novel, Carrie, will afford readers a fresh and often very funny perspective on the formation of a writer. King next turns to the basic tools of his trade -- how to sharpen and multiply them through use, and how the writer must always have them close at hand. He takes the reader through crucial aspects of the writer's art and life, offering practical and inspiring advice on everything from plot and character development to work habits and rejection. Serialized in the New Yorker to vivid acclaim, On Writing culminates with a profoundly moving account of how King's overwhelming need to write spurred him toward recovery, and brought him back to his life. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower -- and entertain -- everyone who reads it.