Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Buy from Amazon

With insight, humor, and practicality, Natalie Goldberg inspires writers and would-be writers to take the leap into writing skillfully and creatively. She offers suggestions, encouragement, and solid advice on many aspects of the writer’s craft: on writing from “first thoughts” (keep your hand moving, don’t cross out, just get it on paper), on listening (writing is ninety percent listening; the deeper you listen, the better you write), on using verbs (verbs provide the energy of the sentence), on overcoming doubts (doubt is torture; don’t listen to it)—even on choosing a restaurant in which to write.  Goldberg sees writing as a practice that helps writers comprehend the value of their lives. The advice in her book, provided in short, easy-to-read chapters with titles that reflect the author’s witty approach (“Writing Is Not a McDonald’s Hamburger,” “Man Eats Car,” “Be an Animal”), will inspire anyone who writes—or who longs to.

“The author’s style is refreshingly informal.  This book is highly recommended to readers who would like to develop their ability to write, and to those who would like to know how to use writing as a Zen-like activity to help them on their personal journeys toward self-discovery.”—New Age Retailer

“I’m convinced that none of the writers of my acquaintance can go another day without a copy of Natalie Goldberg’s magical manual, Writing Down the Bones.”
—Linda Weltner, The Boston Globe

“The secret of creativity, Natalie Goldberg makes clear, is to subtract rules for writing, not add them. It’s a process of ‘uneducation’ rather than education. Proof that she knows what she’s talking about is abundant in her own sentences. They flow with speed and grace and accuracy and simplicity. It looks easy to a reader, but writers know it is the hardest writing of all.”
—Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance