The character of Julia reflects Cameron's memories of herself as an aspiring young writer. In the foreword to The Green and Burning Tree, Cameron states that she has been "preoccupied with the craft of writing since the age of eleven," and she has alluded to the books in the Julia Redfern series as "autobiographical in spirit." At the core of Julia's intense character is her love of words, exemplified in her Book of Strangenesses. She records lists of words she detests or considers beautiful. She bases her opinion on how the words sound. "Okra," "mucus," and "intestines" sound repulsive to Julia, while "undulating," "melifluous," and "Mediterranean" sound graceful.

Julia begins to appreciate the meanings of words, in addition to their sounds, when she wants the name of a medical doctor to be "Mendenheal" as in "mend-and-heal" instead of his actual name, Mendenhall. Cameron as a writer...