Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer WithinFor more than twenty years Natalie Goldberg has been challenging and cheering on writers with her books and workshops. In her groundbreaking first book, she brings together Zen meditation and writing in a new way. Writing practice, as she calls it, is no different from other forms of Zen practice --"it is backed by two thousand years of studying the mind." This new edition, which marks almost twenty years since the original book's publication, includes a new preface in which Goldberg expresses her trademark enthusiasm for writing practice, as well as a depth of appreciation for the process that has come with time and experience. Also included is an interview with the author in which she reflects on the relationship between Zen sitting practice and writing, the importance of place, and the power of memory. |
Contents
Introduction I | 1 |
First Thoughts | 8 |
Composting | 15 |
A List of Topics for Writing Practice | 21 |
Trouble with the Editor | 28 |
We Are Not the Poem | 34 |
2 5 | 42 |
Baking a Cake | 50 |
The Writing Studio | 103 |
Write Anyplace | 110 |
Doubt Is Torture | 117 |
A Little Sweet | 119 |
Every Monday | 126 |
A Sensation of Space | 133 |
The Goody TwoShoes Nature | 140 |
A Meal You Love | 147 |
Listening | 57 |
What Are Your Deep Dreams? | 65 |
Nervously Sipping Wine | 72 |
Big Concentration | 79 |
Writing Is a Communal Act | 86 |
Make Statements and Answer | 93 |
A Story Circle | 156 |
Claim Your Writing | 164 |
Rereading and Rewriting | 172 |
Epilogue | 179 |
Natalie Goldberg in Her Own Voice | 197 |
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Common terms and phrases
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