The Voice of the Muse: "One of the Best Books on Writing I've Ever Read!"

I don't usually post complete reviews of my work on my blog, but this review, for The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write, so eloquently expresses my intent and philosophy in writing the book, that I can't help but share it here with you. The review was posted yesterday on Amazon as the book's 26th five-star review by author/coach Julie Isaac, founder of Twitter's #writechat.


A Guest Post by Julie Isaac

I've read dozens of books on writing, but none have moved me as deeply as The Voice of the Muse.

Mark David's words are not only eloquent, they have a meditative quality about them that takes me directly to the core of my own creative being. He picked the perfect subtitle, "answering the call to write," because his book is the embodiment of that call. Every page invites me to open, and then compels me to write.

His approach is decidedly spiritual, yet it's the spirituality of being totally present, open, courageous, alive, and consciously connected to your creative source. He often talks of surrendering -- to your writing, to your Muse, to your deepest and most sacred Self. He says that "when you sit down at the black page or screen, you have three simple tasks: Trust. Let go. Leap." There are several guided meditations in this book, but simply opening to any page, and reading, can give you something to meditate about, or inspire you to write.

To help me find a way to sum up what this wonderful book means to me, I opened up The Voice of the Muse to see where it would lead me. The page I landed upon was the title page for chapter 5. There, in large bold letters, it said, "listen to your heart." What a perfect message to receive, for the call to write both emanates from, and ends within, the heart. It is with our heart that we hear the voice of the muse calling us to write. And it is from the still and silent center within our heart that our "yes" joyously arises to answer the call.

Mark David Gerson's, The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write sits atop my list of favorite writing books, and holds a very special place in my heart. I highly recommend it.

• For more information on The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write and The Voice of the Muse Companion: Guided Meditations for Writers (CD), including text and audio excerpts, visit Mark David's website.

• Join Julie Isaac on Twitter every Sunday from noon to 2pm PT. Look for the hashtag #writechat.

Please "like" these Facebook pages:
• The MoonQuest movie
• The MoonQuest book
• The Voice of the Muse book
• Mark David Gerson

Join Me In a Global Conversation on Writing This Sunday

I wasn't expecting to be guest-hosting #writechat again quite so soon. (I just hosted it this past Sunday.) But I've been asked again, so please join me once more on Twitter on Sunday, Oct 18 for this live (and lively) real-time chat about writing, as aspiring writers and published authors come together to talk about what they do.

If you're on Twitter, simply access it however you normally do. Then open a new browser window to http://search.twitter.com. If the link didn't already do it for you, type the hashtag #writechat in the search bar. This will bring up all tweets that include that tag.

Make sure all your tweets also include #writechat, which will allow others to read your tweets.

If you're not on Twitter, you can sign up at http://twitter.com.

Regardless, if you're not already following me on Twitter, please do: http://twitter.com/markdavidgerson.

By the way, my calendar of upcoming book-signings, classes, workshops and other events is always posted on my page at booktour.com.

(Julie Isaac is the regular host of #writechat.)