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A review by sjgrodsky
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
3.0
I am taking a "Bones" class from American University's adult education section that is based on this book. The class is team-taught by a man and a woman, both named Pat -- warm and kind personalities with completely conventional life histories.
Contrast that with Natalie Goldberg, who is not just posing when she does the warrior pose. No, this Brooklyn girl emigrated to California at the height of the hippie era, then spent at least ten years as a zen student. Her advice is littered with quotes from her zen master and stories of her own adventures in zen practice. Which can be summarized as: Sit. Breathe. Listen. Write what you hear as quickly as you can, without editing or judging.
This is pretty good advice if your goal is the goal stated in her subtitle: freeing the writer within. But writing is a craft too, and your story is only interesting to others if it is well told. Natalie doesn't even mention the elements that help you tell well: plot, pacing, suspense, character, setting, dialog.
So. Her book is good as far as it goes, but I stated what I learned from it in those few sentences above. You don't need to read the whole book to get that substance. And indeed, I didn't. After reading the preface and introduction word by word, I started skipping and skimming. And that's probably ok. Because, in the end "writing down the bones" is a thing you do, not a book you read.
Contrast that with Natalie Goldberg, who is not just posing when she does the warrior pose. No, this Brooklyn girl emigrated to California at the height of the hippie era, then spent at least ten years as a zen student. Her advice is littered with quotes from her zen master and stories of her own adventures in zen practice. Which can be summarized as: Sit. Breathe. Listen. Write what you hear as quickly as you can, without editing or judging.
This is pretty good advice if your goal is the goal stated in her subtitle: freeing the writer within. But writing is a craft too, and your story is only interesting to others if it is well told. Natalie doesn't even mention the elements that help you tell well: plot, pacing, suspense, character, setting, dialog.
So. Her book is good as far as it goes, but I stated what I learned from it in those few sentences above. You don't need to read the whole book to get that substance. And indeed, I didn't. After reading the preface and introduction word by word, I started skipping and skimming. And that's probably ok. Because, in the end "writing down the bones" is a thing you do, not a book you read.