For more than twenty years Natalie Goldberg has been challenging and cheering on writers with her books and workshops. In her groundbreaking first ...
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Nov 14, 2008
Nikki
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Reading Writing Down The Bones by Natalie Goldberg and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott struck me as reading two very similar books from two distinct voices. Writing Down The Bones is a personal reflection on the craft and what works for Goldberg and might work for you. It's easy to digest, coming in short chapters, and it really does make you think about what you write, how you sit down to work, whether you're really dedicated to writing. The allusions to Buddhism and Judaism and how they affect her
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Dec 17, 2007
Jenny
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I heard about this book a lot while doing Nanowrimo last year, and thought I'd read it. It's a little amusing, written in 1984, so pre-computer really. And some of her advice was pretty repetitive, but I did get some glimmers out of there.
"We walk through so many myths of each other and ourselves; we are so thankful when someone sees us for who we are and accepts us."
"You're never free unless you are doing your art."
"I write because to form a wor More...
"We walk through so many myths of each other and ourselves; we are so thankful when someone sees us for who we are and accepts us."
"You're never free unless you are doing your art."
"I write because to form a wor More...
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May 01, 2008
Jenny
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This is a great starting-point aspiring-writer's book, terrific for getting the creative juices flowing. I have used Natalie Goldberg's techniques both as a writer and as a writing teacher. But eventually, if you want to write Things That Other People Want to Read and not just Things That Are Fun to Write, you need to work on the less free-spirited, less blue-sky, and occasionally less exciting stuff: structure, pacing, whittling away extraneous words. You need to learn to *re*write, to do somet
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Jul 11, 2011
Anne
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I went to a Writing Group in the Hague today for the first time. Seeing the half-read paperback "Writing Down the Bones" on someone's table made me curious as I had heard of it before.
I simply couldn't put it down.
So I negotiated with the owner of the book, the friend who introduced me to the writing group, to swap the book I was reading (something about taking back your life, another self-help book I was half-way through and wanted to finish and give away beca More...
I simply couldn't put it down.
So I negotiated with the owner of the book, the friend who introduced me to the writing group, to swap the book I was reading (something about taking back your life, another self-help book I was half-way through and wanted to finish and give away beca More...
Jul 25, 2008
Michelle
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I've owned this book for six years. My copy is the pocket-size version. Its cover is wrapped in packing tape to slow the dog-earing.
The first time I read this book in college, and many times since, I carried it everywhere with me, reading it before classes, and over lunch in the dining hall. Natalie Goldberg's short, friendly chapters filled with spiritual and practical wisdom and stories made me feel as though a very warm and welcoming teacher had sat down across the table from m More...
The first time I read this book in college, and many times since, I carried it everywhere with me, reading it before classes, and over lunch in the dining hall. Natalie Goldberg's short, friendly chapters filled with spiritual and practical wisdom and stories made me feel as though a very warm and welcoming teacher had sat down across the table from m More...
Jan 26, 2008
Angel
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I put it under inspirational, since it does have a lot of that, but this is also the best writing book I have read. I got it on the recommendation of a colleague of mine when I was still teaching high school English. It has inspired me to be a better writer myself. And it is just a good book to read when you need something that is easy and relaxing. Goldberg is very encouraging, inspiring, and gentle with a bit of an erotic element. I am finally adding it now as I am rereading it yet again. True
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Sep 14, 2008
Laurie
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This book changed my life as a writer, a teacher of writing, and as an individual!
I use this book currently in my high school Creative Writing I class. I read chapters to the students; we talk about what they might mean, and how the advice given could change their writing. I wasn't sure if this approach would be successful with high school age students, but within weeks I have seen more free writing, more stream of consciousness writing, and more unedited writing than ever before! More...
I use this book currently in my high school Creative Writing I class. I read chapters to the students; we talk about what they might mean, and how the advice given could change their writing. I wasn't sure if this approach would be successful with high school age students, but within weeks I have seen more free writing, more stream of consciousness writing, and more unedited writing than ever before! More...
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Jul 07, 2007
Daphne
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This book is what got me writing. Absolutely stunning in its simplicity, but also much more deep than one would think upon first glance. Natalie Goldberg is a brilliant teacher who compares writing to many other crafts that necessitate discipline and daily practice, including meditation, friendships/relationships, athletics, and just about everything else.
A (very!) paraphrased/off the TOP of my head quote:
[You may have $2 in the bank account, your children are screamin More...
A (very!) paraphrased/off the TOP of my head quote:
[You may have $2 in the bank account, your children are screamin More...
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Jul 17, 2007
Melanie
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This book is great! Everything about it is great! I especially like that it's four inches high and can fit in your back pocket. Unlike other writing books I've read (incl. "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott) it never gets redundant or dull. You can pick it up and read any section at any time. It has great tips, great little sources of inspiration, and is really fun to read. Can be read virtually anywhere because each section takes approximately two minutes to get through. Also good a
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Dec 11, 2010
Lacey
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This is actually the second time I've read "Writing Down the Bones." I wrote a rather scathing review of it the first time around . . . and yet, why did I return?
I was asked to teach a writing class for seniors, and immediately this book came to mind as a potential textbook. Despite the fact that I hadn't liked it much, something about it stuck with me. So I read it again, and decided that yes, I am going to use this as my textbook for the class. But why?
What stuck More...
I was asked to teach a writing class for seniors, and immediately this book came to mind as a potential textbook. Despite the fact that I hadn't liked it much, something about it stuck with me. So I read it again, and decided that yes, I am going to use this as my textbook for the class. But why?
What stuck More...
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Sep 19, 2010
Richard
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So many books on writing delve specifically into the craft of writing, explaining how to structure sentences, create memorable characters, move plotline along, or write interesting dialogue. Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg is not one of those books. In her writing how-to, Goldberg discusses the writing life, including why writers write, how to engage with the universe through the act of writing, and how to get past the internal blocks and censors that woul
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Feb 28, 2010
Tim
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Having heard great praise for this book from several people I respect I had high hopes. Like many, I found it lacking. Golberg wrote a book not about writing but about using Zen to overcoming self doubt. I am sure this could be quite helpful to many prospective writers. Judging by the many positive reviews this is the case. And to those of you I say, “More power to ya”. I rarely wallow in self doubt of my writing ability. I fail to write not because I am afraid, but because I am lazy and e
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Jun 10, 2009
April
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I was recommended this book by the children's author Judith Bernie Strommen. I met Judith at a picnic table in Clearwater, MN, when I was about 11, and we kept in touch via letters for years. Of all the things she deserves thanks for, I would put name-checking this book as the most important.
I have re-read this book once a year for years. Natalie Goldberg is cheesy and sincere and straight-forward. In the simplest language, she urges you to write about anything at all, uncensored & More...
I have re-read this book once a year for years. Natalie Goldberg is cheesy and sincere and straight-forward. In the simplest language, she urges you to write about anything at all, uncensored & More...
May 18, 2009
Daniel
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This book constitutes a collection of over sixty short essays. I say essays, really, for want of a better term - Each looks at a different aspect of a writers life, specifically the authors, and allows the reader (always assumed to be a writer too) to draw their own insights from them.
When I bought this book, from the internet, for a ludicrously fair price, I was fulfilling a course requirement. I assumed it was just another writer's handbook full of dry 'tips and tricks' to the writer's tr More...
When I bought this book, from the internet, for a ludicrously fair price, I was fulfilling a course requirement. I assumed it was just another writer's handbook full of dry 'tips and tricks' to the writer's tr More...
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Jul 14, 2011
Cassandra
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Yesterday, I finished "Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within," by Natalie Goldberg. I started reading this book years ago. I began this book, when I was attending the University of Mississippi Writing Project Summer Institute. This Summer Institute was designed to teach teachers how to write and teach writing. At that time, I was only a special education teacher with a Master's degree in English, yearning and longing to teach English. Who would have thought that years lat
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May 27, 2011
Cindy
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It's probably been ten years since I read this book, and so much of it still sticks with me, so it must be a winner! One of Natalie's suggestions that falls within my top ten strategies is to be specific and speak of objects by name, such as: "Playing Monopoly with my family always brought laughter, but in the end, someone left the room, disgruntled. In fact, when all was said and done, only one person left with a smile, usually the one who owned Boardwalk and Park Place ... the winner."
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Feb 02, 2010
Katherine
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This book reminded me of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron which I read shortly after it came out in 1992. Like it, the focus is on letting go of all the negativity and self-imposed pressures that prevent us from writing or doing anything considered to be ‘creative’. I would heartily recommend this book (The Artist’s Way, as well for that matter) to anyone who would like to write but doesn’t quite know where to start. The answer is simple enough – you start with a pencil and a piece of paper.
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Nov 12, 2011
Tai
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I am always in search of a book that discusses and give personal experiences and exercises on perfecting the craft of writing. “Writing Down the Bones” is a great beginner’s reference book for aspiring writers and writers experiencing writer’s block. I found this book to be very insightful in aiding me to keep my fingers on the keys and my pen on paper; to get my creative juices flowing again. Goldberg offers timed exercises that get you to write without thinking. She says “Of course you ca
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May 09, 2009
Shane
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A sincere commitment to writing as a vocation - that message comes out clearly in this book which harks back to the hippie era. It's a pity that Goldberg is more a poet than a novelist as I was looking for some tips in the latter genre. Yet I uncovered a few gems that are still fresh:
1) Obsessions - a writer's constant themes and what he writes most powerfully about
2)Fill a notebook per month with random writing. Eventually, after they have composted, they may render something beauti More...
1) Obsessions - a writer's constant themes and what he writes most powerfully about
2)Fill a notebook per month with random writing. Eventually, after they have composted, they may render something beauti More...
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Oct 28, 2009
Leah
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I'd heard a lot of good things about this book, but hadn't gotten around to reading it until now. NaNoWriMo is next month so, wanting to prepare, I figured that now would be the opportune time to read it.
The book is a series of really short chapters or essays on different aspects of writing. I read the book straight through, but one could just as easily read the chapters in any order. Although it wasn't the most cohesive book on writing I've ever read, I did find it to be very inspi More...
The book is a series of really short chapters or essays on different aspects of writing. I read the book straight through, but one could just as easily read the chapters in any order. Although it wasn't the most cohesive book on writing I've ever read, I did find it to be very inspi More...
Jan 07, 2009
W.
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ฉันไม่รู้ว่าจะบอกว่านาตาลีเป็นนักเขียนหรือไม่ เพราะสิ่งที่ฉันพบคือ การเรียนรู้ชีวิตและตัวตนภายในจากการเขียน
เธอ ปลุกเร้าให้ผู้คนขึ้นมาเขียนหนังสือ (นิยายส่วนใหญ่)โดยฟังเสียงภายในที่เชื่อมั่นในสิ่งที่ตัวเองกำลังจะบอกออกไป สิ่งสำคัญเธอเน้นให้เห็นเสมอว่า การเขียน ต้องเพียร และเพียร อย่าหยุดกับความสำเร็จ จงเขียนต่อไป เขียน ต่อไป
เธอทำให้ดูเป็นแบบอย่าง
จิตวิญญาณที่ผ่านในหนังสือที่สอนเกี่ยวกับการเขียนนี้เธอได้รับอิทธิพลจากอาจารย์เซนอย่างคาตางิริ โรชิ ที่เขียนเรื่อง Zen Mind ,Beg More...
เธอ ปลุกเร้าให้ผู้คนขึ้นมาเขียนหนังสือ (นิยายส่วนใหญ่)โดยฟังเสียงภายในที่เชื่อมั่นในสิ่งที่ตัวเองกำลังจะบอกออกไป สิ่งสำคัญเธอเน้นให้เห็นเสมอว่า การเขียน ต้องเพียร และเพียร อย่าหยุดกับความสำเร็จ จงเขียนต่อไป เขียน ต่อไป
เธอทำให้ดูเป็นแบบอย่าง
จิตวิญญาณที่ผ่านในหนังสือที่สอนเกี่ยวกับการเขียนนี้เธอได้รับอิทธิพลจากอาจารย์เซนอย่างคาตางิริ โรชิ ที่เขียนเรื่อง Zen Mind ,Beg More...
Oct 13, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
I'm not really feeling like writing this review but I know if I don't, I'll never get around to doing so.
Now, this is great book. It talks about how writing is ultimately a Zen practice and how there exists all these negative thoughts and self-doubt that one must overcome in order to write. She's very reassuring throughout the entire book, using herself as an example of someone whose mind constantly wanders and who, in the beginning of her writing career, always doubted herself. She gi More...
Now, this is great book. It talks about how writing is ultimately a Zen practice and how there exists all these negative thoughts and self-doubt that one must overcome in order to write. She's very reassuring throughout the entire book, using herself as an example of someone whose mind constantly wanders and who, in the beginning of her writing career, always doubted herself. She gi More...
Jun 07, 2011
I first came across Writing Down the Bones in a creative writing class I was doing some 15 years ago. The book was recommended as a critical text and I read it with some surprise and a great deal of interest. When I saw that the book had been re-released recently with new material, I jumped at the opportunity to revisit it. I read a lot of creative writing ‘how-to’ books, but Writing Down the Bones really isn’t that kind of book. It doesn’t cover such things as creating good characters, plot
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Nov 26, 2008
Would I consider this a bible to every budding author, or even a book of how-to for writing in general? Definitely not.
Would I consider it a very enjoyable and heartening book to read, whether you're a writer or not, that almost anyone can relate to? Definitely yes.
Natalie Goldberg has this wonderful style of prose, this sort of dreamy optimistic way of looking at things, and it comes across when you read it and can brighten your mood. Also, it can make you think about yo More...
Would I consider it a very enjoyable and heartening book to read, whether you're a writer or not, that almost anyone can relate to? Definitely yes.
Natalie Goldberg has this wonderful style of prose, this sort of dreamy optimistic way of looking at things, and it comes across when you read it and can brighten your mood. Also, it can make you think about yo More...
Jul 17, 2011
J.
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I was nearing completion of my own book, when I found Writing Down the Bones. I really regretted that I had not found it sooner because I think it could have helped my process quite a bit.
In my writing I sometimes focus too much on the destination, so I have to guard against hurrying to get there. Writing Down the Bones inspires you to appreciate and be present in the process of writing. I have studied Zen and eastern philosophy, but had failed to apply what I learned to writing. Th More...
In my writing I sometimes focus too much on the destination, so I have to guard against hurrying to get there. Writing Down the Bones inspires you to appreciate and be present in the process of writing. I have studied Zen and eastern philosophy, but had failed to apply what I learned to writing. Th More...
Nov 28, 2008
Paula
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Writing down the Bones: A helpful manual to discover the writer hidden in every one of us.
Natalie Goldberg will embark the audience into a journey where at the end of it the writer hidden within them will awake.
Her knowledge in “Zen Techniques” and her life experiences helped her develop the most creative way to start writing. According to Mrs. Goldenberg less rules are better, just go back to the simplicity of things. She teaches that in every happy moment, in every sad More...
Natalie Goldberg will embark the audience into a journey where at the end of it the writer hidden within them will awake.
Her knowledge in “Zen Techniques” and her life experiences helped her develop the most creative way to start writing. According to Mrs. Goldenberg less rules are better, just go back to the simplicity of things. She teaches that in every happy moment, in every sad More...
Apr 11, 2011
Karri
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I took only one book with my on my recent trip to Mexico. It was this one.
I had never cracked it before, but had read reviews along the lines of “every writer should read this,” “changed my life,” etc, that prompted me to buy it a few months ago. I now understand why.
From the first chapter, I was inspired. I don’t know if it’s Natalie’s zen outlook on life, or the way her words move freely on the page, but she’s a master of the craft and within three pages made me want to be More...
I had never cracked it before, but had read reviews along the lines of “every writer should read this,” “changed my life,” etc, that prompted me to buy it a few months ago. I now understand why.
From the first chapter, I was inspired. I don’t know if it’s Natalie’s zen outlook on life, or the way her words move freely on the page, but she’s a master of the craft and within three pages made me want to be More...
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Nov 14, 2009
Melissa
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Goldberg shares reflective ideas, interesting prompts, and basic equanimity with writers and it's accessible to a wide variety of ages. Like a good therapist, she doesn't for a minute let you think that you've solved the problem of writing; instead, she lets the problem grow into a nicely knotted, wildly reaching tree that no one would ever want to tame.
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Dec 07, 2008
Nick
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I believe I’ve already gone into why I read writing manuals, and for those purposes, this is a pretty good one. It’s just irritating and twee enough to keep me from getting hypnotized, but it’s actually full of good advice—the sort that is both obvious when you think about it and easy to forget without being reminded once in a while. It struck me as the sort of book one should read small parts of and come back to at some later date, which is what I did with it. (Well, the first half; it’s not re
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