Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones
Hey NNWP peeps- it’s Caroline! So, I have a hunch that many of you have heard of both the author and this book, but for me, it was a first, and a great hands-on book that I can implement in the classroom daily. Goldberg went on a spiritual journey to “unleash the writer within,” practicing Zen and what she calls, “writing as a spiritual practice.: It’s almost like a cleansing of all the words inside of her, but she breaks down this vast idea into small chapters of advice for the struggling writer. What I most enjoyed about this book is that throughout, she takes a rather humble tone and doesn’t dare to write a how-to book, but rather puts herself out there as a vulnerable writer who doesn’t have all the answers- she’s real, not lofty, and I liked that- her witty sense of humor is worth it as well.
So, I decided immediately to write down specific chapters, which seriously are most of them, and use them immediately in my newly developed “Sacred Writing Time” in the classroom. I found myself writing down all kinds of ideas and quotes, but the main one I want to instill is that we need to listen first, and then write- meaning, “the deeper you can listen, the better you can write.” Ain’t that the truth? Not only do I think this will help us become better writers, but also find our inner peace (clearly the Zen factor is working with this woman- probably why I was drawn to her book).
Another favorite chapter called “Syntax” involves taking a “boring” piece of writing, pulling out 3-4 sentences, arbitrarily adding punctuation (E.E. Cummings) and not trying to make sense of it, but reading it aloud as though it were saying something. She writes that we think in sentences and the way we think is the way we see; therefore, releasing the syntax order, we release energy and are able to see the world from a new perspective- the poem examples in the chapter rock, especially the story behind the authors!
Seriously, an easy, but very in-depth and fulfilling read. I plan to use all of the book in my sacred writing time, but of course, time constraints are a big concern. If I only see students 50 minutes a day, plus 30 minutes once a week, how can I build consistent quality writing time into my lessons? I am struggling. The books we read this summer often talked about a need for at least 20-30 minutes daily, or else it wasn’t worth it- what do you think and what are your experiences?
I sign off with a favorite Goldberg (my new BFF) quote: “Though death is howling at our backs and life is roaring at our faces, we can just begin to write, simply begin to write what we have to say.”
Hi Caroline,
I read this book a while back and read her novel, Banana Rose, too. It was autobiographical and read pretty well, however her forte is writing about writing. She has had so much experience writing and admits that tons of her writing is pretty worthless,which is an inspiration in itself. One of the first books that inspired me to write was called, “If You Can Talk, You Can Write”. That author, like Natalie Goldberg, finds value in the 5% or less “good stuff” that we can sift from our ramblings. For me it was a way of perceiving an accurate expectation about my early attempts to write. There are different kinds of writing certainly and Natalie Goldberg and many others stress the value of the process not emphasizing the product– a little tricky for an English teacher– but that is the part that could link writing about 10-15 minutes each day, then finding the nuggets to bring in and share with the class, as well as having them talk about the effect the process had on them and their writing.
I think your time with your students allows you time to inspire them and come up with selected readings to let them expand on and then share when they come back. Not all the writing has to be done at school.
What about having them read about writing? I don’t recall that we discussed the potential value in that with older students!!
Bye for now,
Terry