Writing Down The Bones: Freeing The Writer Within (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
This is another memoir posing as a guide to creative writing. Being a writer requires a healthy ego—writers must believe that other people want to know their opinions. However, when I pick up a book purporting to be a guide to writing, I want to know about being a better writer. The experience of being repeatedly encumbered with personal anecdotes becomes tiresome. To be fair, this book is not as bad as many—but I learned more about the author’s fascination with Buddhism than I ever wanted to know. On the other hand, some of the anecdotes were not painful to read. I enjoyed being reminded of the age of typewriters. Note, the book was written in 1983. Natalie said the new word processors allow you to finish a line without being interrupted by an annoying bell ringing. I kinda miss that sound. It is a marker of accomplishment—another line completed. There is an updated version of this book with a new introduction by the author, but I read the edition published in 1983. I found it on the used bookshelf at Goodwill. The book had never been read—the spine was still pristine and there were no marks in the margins, underlined sentences, or even dog-eared pages (although there are now, in abundance). I imagine the book sitting vigil on someone’s shelf for 30 years waiting to be read. I wonder how many books are purchased, sit on a shelf, and end up in the rubbish never being read. I’d say quite a few from the number of unread books I’ve found at Goodwill over the years. I occasionally find a used book with the purchase receipt still in it. The receipt is such a treasure. I like to try to remember where I was on the date and time indicated on the receipt. Receipts are like pins in time. They say a person was at a precise place at a specific time and purchased this particular book with cash or credit. I imagine the person standing in line, alone or with friends, with every intention of reading the book, bringing it home, and the book sitting on a shelf—perhaps moved from one residence to another—until someone discards it. Did the person die or just give up or just lose interest? All of these questions and no answers. Then, I look at the unread books on my shelves and wonder what will become of them? Will I have the time to finish or even begin them? I didn’t used to think about these things. Now, I can’t not think about them.
For you poets out there, this book is for you.For those of you meant to write memoirs and light happy stories about light happy things, this book is for you.For those of you who want to write about things of no consequence that have some consequence - The Light Coming Through The Window, Your Favorite Meal, Blue - this book is for you too.For those of us who are busy thinking of short stories, who are thinking of horror, who think of sf that may deal with harder topics, that think of things that may not be so happy and want to write those things down. For those of us who are dedicated to our short stories and don't want to think in poetical terms (unless, of course, you are an Artiste!), this book does not have as much for us as I had wished.It's not for lack of trying. Indeed, the thrust of this book is to free the idea of what it means to write. Stuck in a section? Why don't you try dressing up as someone else and move to a different location and write there! Sentences too boring? Why don't you change word order and play with that punctuation! And yet, for each one of these things that it brings up, I felt less and less like Natalie Goldberg was talking to me and more like she was talking to the Poet across town. She speaks in a language meant for the Burl Ives of this world. And, you know, kudos to them! We need those folk just as much as we need the David Lynches. But I hoped for a little more. I wanted something that forced me to write. Because (and this is why I was "reading" this book for the last 9 months) I wrote for 10 minutes after each chapter. I wanted something that would gear my writing and yet, for 90% of those writings, I was just meandering about a phrase that I wanted to argue about or some other thing. I'm sure there are many out there who want to read this book, and if you fall into one of those lists from the start, you will get TONS from this book. Otherwise, maybe read [Book: Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life] by Anne Lamott instead?
What do You think about Writing Down The Bones: Freeing The Writer Within (2006)?
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, it was written before computers really took off, but I am sure a lot of the advice is still very applicable. For instance, I am sure instead of notebooks and diners, you may be using a laptop in a coffee shop with wifi. Overall, the book remains very effective and timeless.
—Angel
Better than good, but not quite great. None of the advice is particularly mind-blowing or something I haven't heard a dozen times before, but it was still useful to hear again. I'd say the biggest draw of the book is the sheer amount of enthusiasm and motivation Goldberg made me feel after reading a few chapters at a time. Would have been helpful to finish this back in november for nanowrimo as I'd originally intended, but better late than never.*edit* also I wouldn't recommend the edition I have here, as it's about half the size of a postcard and the font is fairly small as a result. They weren't kidding when they called it a "pocket" book. Although it's fairly thick too, so not exactly ideal for pockets anyway. Not that keeping books in your pockets is really a thing these days, but if you tried it with this you would probably murder someone's thigh if you bumped into them.
—Lauren
I picked up Writing Down the Bones when I was still teaching elementary school, and used ideas from it with my grades two to four students. My emphasis on these “10-minute writes” was on unedited (until later) free-writing. The rules were a condensed version of Natalie’s: -Keep your hand moving-Don’t cross out-Don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar-Don’t thinkI would set the timer, and on the word, “start”, pencils began moving, some faster than others. And of course I would be writing, too. Some students had no difficulty; others couldn’t let go. No matter; it wasn’t a competition. When the timer went off, I’d say, “Pencils down”, and pages were filed into their writing folders. After doing a number of these exercises, when a student thought there might be a story to develop, the raw material of the “stream-of-consciousness” draft was used to expand on the idea, rewrite, and then edit. Eventually, each student improved in fluency and was able to create a “hard-cover” book. Some stories contained a line per page with an illustration. Others filled their book with writing, and the odd illustration. The “published” copy contained a picture of the author on the back, along with a short bio. Quite a number of years later, I participated in a workshop facilitated by a friend and fan of Natalie Goldberg. Most of the exercises began with the words, “I remember….”To this day I still use a pen and paper, instead of the computer, to begin a new chapter or scene, or if I get ‘stuck’ in the middle of one. I would recommend this book for all writers, but especially for beginning writers. And for teachers who might want to incorporate this exercise into their writing curriculum. As the title suggests, “Writing Down the Bones” is actually “Freeing the writer within.” This is a book, not about the revision required for all “published” writing, but about generating and recording the essential ideas in the first place.
—Bonnie
