“consider the possibility that our dreams and desires are the voice of our soul,”
Julia Cameron
Vein of Gold: A Journey to Your Creative Heart
As I thought about what to write this week, I considered some of the books I am currently reading–yes I read more than one–is that weird? One book I am reading is by Tom Cox (@tomcox), here on Substack. It is entitled, Villager, and it is unlike what I usually read. However, I am enjoying it, for it is quite brilliant. Cox’s mastery of the English language in his descriptive writing style and his command of character development qualifies him as a master in my opinion. He is certainly one any writer should study, for by studying the masters, we can only improve our own craft.
I like to read nonfiction books as well, particularly self-development ones. (I shy away from using the term, self-help, for some strange reason.) One of the nonfiction books I am currently enjoying is by Robin Sharma, and it is entitled, The Wealth Money Can’t Buy: The 8 Hidden Habits to Live Your Richest Life. This one is formatted with short chapters in eight different sections addressing the habits mentioned in the title. It is interesting and helpful in many ways. I like how Sharma addresses wealth from several different categories. The way the book is formatted is such that I approach it as a daily meditative reading, so when I say I read more than one book at a time, I don’t mean I am reading more than one novel at a time. I like to approach self-development books studiously, somewhat like a textbook for a course.
The third book is a classic by Julia Cameron, yet another master. It is entitled, The Vein of Gold: A Journey to Your Creative Heart. Cameron addresses the processes readers can take to improve their creativity, and she talks about the soul and divine intuition.
Each author in all three books demonstrate a connection between writing and walks in nature. Tom Cox posts notes and photos on Substack about his walks and it is evident in his book, Villager, that he has a deep connection to nature. Sharma talks in his book about taking walks in nature, and Cameron speaks of walking as a practice every day to enhance the creative process between ourselves and our intuitive selves. She asks the reader to, “consider the possibility that our dreams and desires are the voice of our soul,” and I find that encouraging. It is evident that by reading the masters, we can improve our writing through many different avenues and practices. My own soul voice has spoken to me a few times when I was walking.
I walk my dog every day though we don’t walk as far as we used to because at fourteen years old, she is slowing down a little, as am I. During one afternoon walk, the title of one of my favorite songs by Bob Seger popped into my head out of seemingly nowhere. The title of my book, Learning to Respect my Strut, came from, “Her Strut.” Seger was always one of my favorite artists, and that song was second in my favorite Seger songs to “Turn the Page.” When the song dropped into my head, I knew I had something, but I had to play around with it for a bit before the final title came. When it came, I knew it was the right one.
Quieting the mind in meditation is another way of making the connection to the creative side of ourselves, but when I find it difficult to sit in meditation and quiet my mind, walking does the trick. After a few minutes of the constant babbling of my monkey mind, I will open myself up to the birds, butterflies, trees, breeze, sun or clouds, and the scents all around. This effectively calms my mind and allows me to be present in the moment. I am sure this is how my soul gave me the song title to help me with my book.
I learn a great deal about writing by studying the masters, but I also learn even more about creativity, being human, and allowing intuition to come through, so that I can write with purpose.
Ah, thank you, Sally. I will check that book by Silva out. Thanks.
How strange that I'm reading The Villager by Tom Cox which I'm really enjoying! plus The vein of gold by Julia Cameron, also dipping into her 'The right to Write' I'll read a paragraph then it starts me 'hearing' and I begin to flow with her 'listening' writing
Another book that is fascinating, I've just read,I can't belive I've never heard of him all these years is, Jose Silva's book 'Help from the other side' It's amazing to do the exercises, and it really does work!