ajgschwanz's review against another edition
4.0
Oh Natalie. Thank you for sharing your words, your experience, your encouragement. I love the idea of the "practice" of writing: looking, without condemnation, and seeing what happens when one puts pen to paper...or puts effort into anything.
victorfrank's review against another edition
5.0
Superb!
A liberating, uplifting, moving clarion call to take up your pen and write your best self, Informed by the deepest precepts of Zen Buddhism. I can’t believe it took me this long to find this book!
A liberating, uplifting, moving clarion call to take up your pen and write your best self, Informed by the deepest precepts of Zen Buddhism. I can’t believe it took me this long to find this book!
octoberdream's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
chloraminecolles's review against another edition
1.0
Sheesh.
This book was written in the '80s, and boy, is it a book written in the '80s. A post-'70s '80s book. Example?
"A friend once told me: 'Trust in love and it will take you where you need to go.' I want to add, 'Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go.' And don’t worry too much about security. You will eventually have a deep security when you begin to do what you want. How many of us with our big salaries are actually secure anyway?"
That's from the introduction.
I plodded through about 25 percent of the book and I had to give up, because reading it was turning out to be about as useful as the hours I spent perfecting my Snake game on my old Nokia c. 2002. Don't get me wrong--I'm sure lots of people will find this book great and inspiring. My problem is that my brain is completely immune, resistant to this sort of thing. Seriously--like Teflon. This kind of content just plops against my brain and doesn't stick. It slides right off. I've literally just finished the 25 percent, and I can't tell you anything of substance I've read.
This is not a book about writing short stories or novels or essays, but it's a book about *finding your inner writer* through Zen and self-affirmation. It's fodder of creative writing courses aimed at helping you write about "your first memory" and "things that are pink," and about the precious miracle that is your self and your "magnificent life", and that kind of thing: not even writing a memoir, but just writing for writing's self-indulgent sake, as a form of therapy and, yes, again, self-affirmation. Sure, I think some of what Goldberg preaches (relentlessly)--about overcoming your personal limitations to actually sit on your ass and write, and not caring about what you're writing, just pumping out the pages--is useful at some stage, and perhaps to some writers. But certainly not to all, not even beginners.
The advice in this book is not about how to craft stories and make them better (there were close to none practical tips in the 25 percent I've read). Here is an example of how Goldberg approaches the dreary subject of style and craft:
"Katagiri Roshi [a Zen master, I think] said, 'Capability is like a water table below the surface of earth.' No one owns it, but you can tap it. You tap it with your effort and it will come through you. So just practice writing, and when you learn to trust your voice, direct it. If you want to write a novel, write a novel. If it’s essays you want or short stories, write them. In the process of writing them, you will learn how. You can have the confidence that you will gradually acquire the technique and craft you need."
Instead, you get advice such as this, this one concerning harnessing the use of metaphors (which, in case you wonder, you shouldn't force your mind to "make," because they will sound false):
"Your mind is leaping, your writing will leap, but it won’t be artificial. It will reflect the nature of first thoughts, the way we see the world when we are free from prejudice and can see the underlying principles. We are all connected. Metaphor knows this and therefore is religious. There is no separation between ants and elephants. All boundaries disappear, as though we were looking through rain or squinting our eyes at city lights."
So, uh, yeah. I guess it's the kind of book that needs to explain that metaphor is tricky and must be used with caution, but does so veiled in a New-Agey, me-me-me, depoliticized pseudo-philosophy sprinkled with pretty if sentimental and tired imagery. Literally any other book on any kind of writing will tell you the same thing, only in clearer, more applicable terms. What's also worrying is that Goldberg seems to be dispensing advice on prose and poetry at the same time, as if the two were the same kind of practice and came from the same place. I don't think they are and I don't think they do.
Also, the frequent anecdotes from her own life Goldberg uses to illutstrate certain points seem a bit vacuous, and not at all claryfing the point she's making (they're also boring).
All in all, it's a watered-down self-help book, not a creative writing book. What's more, I think that a really good creative writing book will not only help you write better, but will also help you read better. It will make you appreciate the good craft of writing more: recognize the strategies the author employed and the choices she made, see how carefully she structured the plot and how minutely she imagined and developed the characters, and value the kind of effort that went into making the story a better reading experience for you, the audience. This book won't do any of that; it will only encourage your "self-discovery" through writing.
If you enjoyed the quotations I put above, and you feel like it might be your cup of tea, or if you're interested in writing for yourself to sort out through your life and thoughts, read the book. If, like me, you're seriously put-off, steer way clear.
This book was written in the '80s, and boy, is it a book written in the '80s. A post-'70s '80s book. Example?
"A friend once told me: 'Trust in love and it will take you where you need to go.' I want to add, 'Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go.' And don’t worry too much about security. You will eventually have a deep security when you begin to do what you want. How many of us with our big salaries are actually secure anyway?"
That's from the introduction.
I plodded through about 25 percent of the book and I had to give up, because reading it was turning out to be about as useful as the hours I spent perfecting my Snake game on my old Nokia c. 2002. Don't get me wrong--I'm sure lots of people will find this book great and inspiring. My problem is that my brain is completely immune, resistant to this sort of thing. Seriously--like Teflon. This kind of content just plops against my brain and doesn't stick. It slides right off. I've literally just finished the 25 percent, and I can't tell you anything of substance I've read.
This is not a book about writing short stories or novels or essays, but it's a book about *finding your inner writer* through Zen and self-affirmation. It's fodder of creative writing courses aimed at helping you write about "your first memory" and "things that are pink," and about the precious miracle that is your self and your "magnificent life", and that kind of thing: not even writing a memoir, but just writing for writing's self-indulgent sake, as a form of therapy and, yes, again, self-affirmation. Sure, I think some of what Goldberg preaches (relentlessly)--about overcoming your personal limitations to actually sit on your ass and write, and not caring about what you're writing, just pumping out the pages--is useful at some stage, and perhaps to some writers. But certainly not to all, not even beginners.
The advice in this book is not about how to craft stories and make them better (there were close to none practical tips in the 25 percent I've read). Here is an example of how Goldberg approaches the dreary subject of style and craft:
"Katagiri Roshi [a Zen master, I think] said, 'Capability is like a water table below the surface of earth.' No one owns it, but you can tap it. You tap it with your effort and it will come through you. So just practice writing, and when you learn to trust your voice, direct it. If you want to write a novel, write a novel. If it’s essays you want or short stories, write them. In the process of writing them, you will learn how. You can have the confidence that you will gradually acquire the technique and craft you need."
Instead, you get advice such as this, this one concerning harnessing the use of metaphors (which, in case you wonder, you shouldn't force your mind to "make," because they will sound false):
"Your mind is leaping, your writing will leap, but it won’t be artificial. It will reflect the nature of first thoughts, the way we see the world when we are free from prejudice and can see the underlying principles. We are all connected. Metaphor knows this and therefore is religious. There is no separation between ants and elephants. All boundaries disappear, as though we were looking through rain or squinting our eyes at city lights."
So, uh, yeah. I guess it's the kind of book that needs to explain that metaphor is tricky and must be used with caution, but does so veiled in a New-Agey, me-me-me, depoliticized pseudo-philosophy sprinkled with pretty if sentimental and tired imagery. Literally any other book on any kind of writing will tell you the same thing, only in clearer, more applicable terms. What's also worrying is that Goldberg seems to be dispensing advice on prose and poetry at the same time, as if the two were the same kind of practice and came from the same place. I don't think they are and I don't think they do.
Also, the frequent anecdotes from her own life Goldberg uses to illutstrate certain points seem a bit vacuous, and not at all claryfing the point she's making (they're also boring).
All in all, it's a watered-down self-help book, not a creative writing book. What's more, I think that a really good creative writing book will not only help you write better, but will also help you read better. It will make you appreciate the good craft of writing more: recognize the strategies the author employed and the choices she made, see how carefully she structured the plot and how minutely she imagined and developed the characters, and value the kind of effort that went into making the story a better reading experience for you, the audience. This book won't do any of that; it will only encourage your "self-discovery" through writing.
If you enjoyed the quotations I put above, and you feel like it might be your cup of tea, or if you're interested in writing for yourself to sort out through your life and thoughts, read the book. If, like me, you're seriously put-off, steer way clear.
morgan_haybook's review against another edition
4.0
Coming from a beginner writer, this book's tips and tricks are fabulous. The only complaint I could possibly have is the fact that one is constantly wanting to put the book down and try every little excersize she mentions (She's that motivating). Consequently my book became horrendously overdue and I think the librarian placed a hold on it so I couldn't renew it anymore.
Oh yeah, the book itself. Even if someone were not interested in writing, the small amount of narratives give the reader a reason to pause and reflect on their own life. So this book is not only a great writing guide, but also an excellent re-reader as well.
Oh yeah, the book itself. Even if someone were not interested in writing, the small amount of narratives give the reader a reason to pause and reflect on their own life. So this book is not only a great writing guide, but also an excellent re-reader as well.
arielrichardson's review against another edition
3.0
I have had friends recommend this book to me for years. Finally, I have read it.
I really appreciated that you can read the book in any order. Each chapter is a vignette on a given aspect or approach to artmaking. A good deal of her advice about writing could be applied to other art forms. Her advice rang true, her strategies were helpful.
It took me a little while to get used to Natalie Goldberg's style and personality. I think ultimately her quirkiness frees up the reader to be quirky, and artistically free, along with her.
I really appreciated that you can read the book in any order. Each chapter is a vignette on a given aspect or approach to artmaking. A good deal of her advice about writing could be applied to other art forms. Her advice rang true, her strategies were helpful.
It took me a little while to get used to Natalie Goldberg's style and personality. I think ultimately her quirkiness frees up the reader to be quirky, and artistically free, along with her.
librelivre's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good! I recommend this for anyone starting out in their writing practice or hoping to reenergize their routine. I wish I had read this years ago but it was a nice reminder-read with lots of resonance. Take the plunge or get back on the diving board.