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malikasbooks's review against another edition
4.0
A favorite quote: "In the middle of the world, make one positive step. In the center of chaos, make one definitive act. Just write. Say yes, stay alive, be awake. Just write. Just write. Just write."
heathersparkman's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
warwriter1939's review against another edition
3.0
Zen and the art of Writing, it should be called. Lots of belief in writing out junk and not letting the muse sit on things (like I do). Belief in just pouring out drivel to find a few nuggets is abhorrent to me, but I'll try it for a month.
heyshannonhall's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Some chapters were repetitive, but overall an encouraging little book that has helped me think about writing in a new way. Just need to put it into practice!
misssophiereads's review against another edition
2.5
I honestly expected more from this book, which is still named as one of the most important and useful writing craft books that are around. It is a quick read and there were some nice thoughts in it, but fundamentally I am aiming to write very differently than Ms. Goldberg does. I had a similiar issue with this book as I did with Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird - I am not into autobiographical literary writing. While I appreciate Ms. Goldberg's premise of trusting your own voice and practising to improve, I need structure in my writing as the skeleton for my "inspired" free writing.
Here and there were some bits that resonated with me:
- timed writing exercises as the basic unit of writing practise (keep your hand moving - don't cross out - don't think, don't get logical)
- "This writing practice is also a warmup for anything else you might want to write. [...] Runners don't say, 'Oh, I ran yesterday. I'm limber.' Each day they warm up and stretch."
- "Like running, the more you do it, the better you get at it."
- "Sit down with the least expectation of yourself; say, 'I am free to write the worst junk in the world.'"
- "It is important to have a way worked out to begin your writing; otherwise, washing the dishes becomes the most important thing on earth - anything that will divert you from writing."
- "If you want to write a novel, write a novel. [...] In the process of writing [it], you will learn how. You can have the confidence that you will gradually acquire the technique and carft you need."
- "Play around. Dive into absurdity and write. Take chances. You will succeed if you are fearless of failure."
- "Don't pay attention to [critical] voices [in your head]. There is nothing helpful there. Instead, heave a tenderness and determination toward your writing, a sense of humor and a deep patience that you are doing the right thing."
I don't think this is a bad book per se, but as a book on the craft of writing I found it lacking in substance.
Here and there were some bits that resonated with me:
- timed writing exercises as the basic unit of writing practise (keep your hand moving - don't cross out - don't think, don't get logical)
- "This writing practice is also a warmup for anything else you might want to write. [...] Runners don't say, 'Oh, I ran yesterday. I'm limber.' Each day they warm up and stretch."
- "Like running, the more you do it, the better you get at it."
- "Sit down with the least expectation of yourself; say, 'I am free to write the worst junk in the world.'"
- "It is important to have a way worked out to begin your writing; otherwise, washing the dishes becomes the most important thing on earth - anything that will divert you from writing."
- "If you want to write a novel, write a novel. [...] In the process of writing [it], you will learn how. You can have the confidence that you will gradually acquire the technique and carft you need."
- "Play around. Dive into absurdity and write. Take chances. You will succeed if you are fearless of failure."
- "Don't pay attention to [critical] voices [in your head]. There is nothing helpful there. Instead, heave a tenderness and determination toward your writing, a sense of humor and a deep patience that you are doing the right thing."
I don't think this is a bad book per se, but as a book on the craft of writing I found it lacking in substance.
celyncodex's review against another edition
5.0
Inspiring and just what I needed to read. For a book I found in a box of free books, it was definitely a worthwhile "purchase"! A little disjointed and rambling, not very well structured, but covers all the stages of writing and all the mindsets that writers feel, and some very good writing exercises.
Perfect for dipping into when suffering from writer's block.
Perfect for dipping into when suffering from writer's block.
kael_lockwood's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I've come back to this book a few times over the years and it never fails to disappoint. Goldberg writes about the craft of writing from the perspective of a zen practitioner and existentialist. She treats writing as a practice, not a way of producing a product, a way to see what's inside of you on the outside.
I particularly needed this book when I was first starting a writing practice (though I appreciated it the least back then). Goldberg asks you to get your hand on a pen and start exploring, which isn't what you want to hear when you're new and filled with dreams of publishing, but it's the anchor I return to again and again.
Chapters are very short, I love the pocket edition because I can keep it in my bag and usually get through a chapter in the times I would usually pick up my phone. It also means that I can read a tight thesis and take some time to chew on it before I move on to the next topic. Despite its brevity (or maybe because of it) her thought is grounded in image and experience that keeps me interested even if the topic doesn't apply to me.
Now this book was published in '87, and there's plenty I found corny or not exactly in alignment with my values. She's a very experiential writer, and that means her biases (fatphobia, some white savior stuff) leaks out. But her heart is there, and most of the time I think my dissonance was a result of how language has changed over the years. I leave this book curious how her voice has changed between Writing Down the Bones and her newer books.
I particularly needed this book when I was first starting a writing practice (though I appreciated it the least back then). Goldberg asks you to get your hand on a pen and start exploring, which isn't what you want to hear when you're new and filled with dreams of publishing, but it's the anchor I return to again and again.
Chapters are very short, I love the pocket edition because I can keep it in my bag and usually get through a chapter in the times I would usually pick up my phone. It also means that I can read a tight thesis and take some time to chew on it before I move on to the next topic. Despite its brevity (or maybe because of it) her thought is grounded in image and experience that keeps me interested even if the topic doesn't apply to me.
Now this book was published in '87, and there's plenty I found corny or not exactly in alignment with my values. She's a very experiential writer, and that means her biases (fatphobia, some white savior stuff) leaks out. But her heart is there, and most of the time I think my dissonance was a result of how language has changed over the years. I leave this book curious how her voice has changed between Writing Down the Bones and her newer books.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction and Fatphobia