Writing down the bones : freeing the writer within

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Title:

Writing down the bones : freeing the writer within

Author:

Goldberg, Natalie, author.

Edition:

2nd ed.

Physical Description:

xiv, 200 p. ; 22 cm.

Subject Term:

Authorship.

Publisher:

Shambhala,

Electronic Access:

Contributor biographical information
Publisher description

Publication Date:

2005

ISBN:

9781590302613

Publication Information:

Boston : Shambhala, 2005.

Call Number:

808 GOLDBER

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.

Author Notes

Natalie Goldberg is the author of ten books. Writing Down the Bones , her first, has sold over one million copies and has been translated into twelve languages. For the last thirty years she has practiced Zen and taught seminars in writing as a spiritual practice. She lives in New Mexico.

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

YA Goldberg will catch readers interested in writing with her opening confession that she was a ``goody-two-shoes all through school'' and should hold them until she pulls the last page from her typewriter, one ``Sunday night at eleven.'' Part writing guide, part Zen philosophy, and part personal diary, this book has the smooth, fast flow of a conversation with a good friend who, while struggling with her own writing, has picked up more than a few tips that she eagerly shares. Definitely not another ``how to write better themes'' or a rehash of the writing process, Goldberg's short, quirky chapters give the finer points of how to write in a restaurant and why bother to write at all. The earnest, slightly Bohemian, occasionally vulnerable voice will endear her to young writers who are looking not so much for a teacher or text as for validation that they can write and for some simple but intriguing tips to get them started. While there are the required chapters on using detail and keeping a journal, the most important thing Goldberg has to say to young people is that ``we have lived. Our moments are important. This is what it is to be a writer: to be the carrier of details that make up history. ''Carolyn Praytor Boyd, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, Tex. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Beginner's Mind, Pen and Paper	p. 5
First Thoughts	p. 8
Writing as a Practice	p. 11
Composting	p. 15
Artistic Stability	p. 18
A List of Topics for Writing Practice	p. 21
Fighting Tofu	p. 25
Trouble with the Editor	p. 28
Elkton, Minnesota: Whatever's in Front of You	p. 29
Tap the Water Table	p. 32
We Are Not the Poem	p. 34
Man Eats Car	p. 36
Writing Is Not a McDonald's Hamburger	p. 39
Obsessions	p. 42
Original Detail	p. 45
The Power of Detail	p. 47
Baking a Cake	p. 50
Living Twice	p. 53
Writers Have Good Figures	p. 55
Listening	p. 57
Don't Marry the Fly	p. 60
Don't Use Writing to Get Love	p. 62
What Are Your Deep Dreams?	p. 65
Syntax	p. 67
Nervously Sipping Wine	p. 72
Don't Tell, but Show	p. 75
Be Specific	p. 77
Big Concentration	p. 79
The Ordinary and Extraordinary	p. 81
Talk Is the Exercise Ground	p. 84
Writing Is a Communal Act	p. 86
One Plus One Equals a Mercedes-Benz	p. 89
Be an Animal	p. 90
Make Statements and Answer Questions	p. 93
The Action of a Sentence	p. 95
Writing in Restaurants	p. 98
The Writing Studio	p. 103
A Big Topic: Eroticism	p. 105
A Tourist in Your Own Town	p. 108
Write Anyplace	p. 110
Go Further	p. 112
Engendering Compassion	p. 114
Doubt Is Torture	p. 117
A Little Sweet	p. 119
A New Moment	p. 120
Why Do I Write?	p. 122
Every Monday	p. 126
More About Mondays	p. 128
Spontaneous Writing Booths	p. 130
A Sensation of Space	p. 133
A Large Field to Wander In	p. 136
The Goody Two-Shoes Nature	p. 140
No Hindrances	p. 144
A Meal You Love	p. 147
Use Loneliness	p. 149
Blue Lipstick and a Cigarette Hanging Out Your Mouth	p. 151
Going Home	p. 152
A Story Circle	p. 156
Writing Marathons	p. 160
Claim Your Writing	p. 164
Trust Yourself	p. 167
The Samurai	p. 169
Rereading and Rewriting	p. 172
I Don't Want to Die	p. 177
Epilogue	p. 179

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Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

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