I teach writing at the college level, as well as conduct writing workshops for the corporate sector, and thus it is crucial that each of these audiences not only learn the mechanics of writing but, too, understand how we can best draw upon our inner selves to create that which we call writing. This is not an easy task, and calls upon a melding of both the left brain and right brain to get this right.

Ralph Wahlstrom's book, The Tao of Writing, does this seamlessly, and -- after reading it -- one might not win a Pulizter Prize for writing but he or she will certainly be a better writer. Wahlstrom takes the reader on a journey within, delving into all that each person is to open the imagination, inspire creation, and -- the key -- allow this to flow into words, sentences, and paragraphs that effectively express what the writer wants to communicate.

Had this book ended here, it would have been fine, but Wahlstrom becomes the pragmatic Zen teacher of writing as well, offering more than sixty writing exercises that constantly refine one's writing's efforts. This book is for that discerning person who just wants to really get his or her writing -- right: stick with The Tao of Writing and you will.

Errol Craig Sull