I’ve been on a writing book bender, and Writing Down the Bones had been on my TBR pile for much too long. One of the most often-suggested writing books, Writing is yet another mix of bio and craft, this time with a spiritual slant. Goldberg is a Jewish convert to Buddhism, though she treats all religions with equal heft and importance. Focus on yourself and the potential in you, Goldberg says over and over, and you will have words and stories and poems flowing out of you so fast you can barely catch them all. Recommended for the inspiring tone and Goldberg’s hippie recollective passages. Very interesting. ( )

This is one of my favorite books on writing. I have every book that Goldberg has written about writing. I think this book and its popularity speaks for itself. ( )

I've seen this book mentioned time and again for being a huge inspiration to writers. I lucked out and found a copy at Goodwill recently; it is a first edition, so therefore it may not be the exact same as the current edition.

The full title of the book is Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. That sums up the book very well. Goldberg draws heavily on her Buddhist faith (mixed with her Jewish background) to show how mindlessness and freedom help a writer to actually write. Discipline is part of this freedom. She encourages the reader to write everyday and pull inspiration from common objects, and to keep writing even when everything seems like complete drivel.

I've read several books on this subject. Writing Down the Bones may have been the first of this sort in the mid-'80s, but there are several other more recent books I feel I connected with more strongly - Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and The Mind of Your Story by Lisa Lenard-Cook. I loved how Goldberg connected the fundamentals of Zen Buddhism with writing, and I really wish that could have been more prevalent. In all, it's a good book, and one with hundreds of inspirational quotes for writers... but it's not necessarily the best available. ( )

This was an assigned book for Writers University, the free course where groups were arranged by author, back in the 90s. I bought it and now it has made its way to my daughter's house, but I am sure it is mine. What do I think ? There is nothing underlined, no coments on the fly sheets. Mostly what I remember is the suggestion to write in coffee shops, not how to write.I would say hers is a Rebok approach to writing.

Just write
And write
And DO IT ( )

WRITING DOWN THE BONES

What am I going to write? How am I going to write? If these are your questions or if you often find yourself staring down a blank piece of paper and the paper winning, then Natalie Goldberg’s book, WRITING DOWN THE BONES, is for you. Of course there are thousands of other reasons for reading this book; any writer will benefit from it.

Goldberg is the master of no stopping, no editing, no fear writing. Listening to the book-on-tape version, I felt I sat at her feet while she read her work and she stopped to comment on it from time to time. She giggles and chuckles while she relates stories on her writing practice. She encourages you to write in a notebook, try different locations, meet with a friend for a writing session, and to write whatever comes to mind. She helps you find your creative center.

The six cassettes, nine hours of play time, I found to be a delight. I found myself smiling and eager to write. ( )