World Famous Comics: Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
By: Natalie Goldberg Publisher: Shambhala Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Shambhala Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 224 Publication Date: December 06, 2005 Release Date: December 06, 2005
Product Description: For more than twenty years Natalie Goldberg has been challenging and cheering on writers with her books and workshops. In her groundbreaking first book, she brings together Zen meditation and writing in a new way. Writing practice, as she calls it, is no different from other forms of Zen practice —"it is backed by two thousand years of studying the mind."
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.
Amazon.com: Wherein we discover that many of the "rules" for good writing and good sex are the same: Keep your hand moving, lose control, and don't think. Goldberg brings a touch of both Zen and well... *eroticism* to her writing practice, the latter in exercises and anecdotes designed to ease you into your body, your whole spirit, while you create, the former in being where you are, working with what you have, and writing from the moment.
Amazon.com Audiobook Review: Natalie Goldberg's love of writing stems from her desire to connect with herself. In this audio version of her bestselling Writing Down the Bones, this is a potentially self-absorbed wish, especially considering that the author reads from her own work and interjects morsels of wisdom gleaned from a long writing career, which includes books on writing (Wild Mind, Long Quiet Highway), creativity (The Well of Creativity), and art (Living Color). However, Goldberg's relaxed narration and Everywoman sensibility help her avoid this danger. The classroom-like reading gives listeners a growing acquaintance with Goldberg and a friendly assurance of her methods as she quips: "you can hear my New York Jewish voice nagging you." The recording also includes an interview with Goldberg, focusing on her use of Zen meditation in writing and offering additional insight into her own rule-free writing habits. (Running time: 9 hours, 6 cassettes) --Bryony Angell
This is a wonderfully helpful book! I've recently read a wonderful example of fascinating memoir writing: That's How the Light Gets In: Memoir of a Psychiatrist by Susan Rako, M.D. The title comes from a song by Leonard Cohen: "There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." Rako's book is remarkably candid, insightful, and wonderfully well-written. It's a great read. The writing just flows.
Easy reading & helpful instructions This book has striaght forward instructions for the would be writer. I purchased it to give me incentive on how to journal, write in general and write an autobiography. Natalie Goldberg suggests everything from what type of pen to use to the kind of environment you may choose to surround yourself in while attempting to write. I am encouraged to write better now because of this book.
Book Was Okay But Don't Fork Out For A Class With Her! This book really inspired me to try my hand at writing and I was very impressed with the candidness and accessibility of the author's style. I'm sure like many others, it made me want to take a class with her in New Mexico. I spent a small fortune to do so, over a thousand dollars for a week long seminar. Save your money and stay home and just write. She is NOTHING like her books in person. She was a narscissitic, self-absorbed whiner, who spent exactly two hours a day in front of the class reading to us from her own notebooks. The rest of the time she told us to do writing practice. When she wasn't swaning around the classroom like a diva, she was slobbering over one of the young students in class, obviously in the midst of some torrid affair. It was embarassing for all of us. I left feeling completely ripped off, so much so that I almost stopped writing! The book should come with a warning label: Do as I say, not as I do.
Wow, writing doesn't have to be painful heinous experience to avoid at any/all costs? I'm a freelance creative and sometimes (ok, often) need to be reminded why I write. And that I actually love it way, way more than I hate it. Natalie Goldberg's teeny pocket book is perfect motivation for any writer of any genre including the personal journal. This is a written from a personal, vulnerable place as we get a clear sense of her personal struggles/triumphs. Best of all, every chapter has a strong tug to action with suggested topics to get the brain moving and a little infusion of euphoria that sends me right to my journal or computer. Because of its size I leave it out where I can always see it. I take it with me every time I travel. If you love to/want to/have to write, Natalie Goldberg's book will keep your brain from freezing or frying. Any time I want to get my creative flow, I grasp for my well-worn copy to be reminded that wherever I am in my writing, that's exactly where I belong. I feel inspired. I feel excited. This is a big deal, because I have nearly every book there is on the subject. Writing Down the Bones is the only one of those books that never goes back on the shelf. Ever.
What would I do without this book? This book has been so much help to me, especialy when I get writer's block. A friend recommended this book to me years ago. Unfortunately, I did not buy it until recently. I also write poetry and this book has been very useful to me not only for writing in general, but also for writing poetry.
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