▶▶▶ Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within Review

I first read Writing Down the Bones in 1995 (I think), and it was the first book that gave me permission, no encouraged me, to capture my ideas in a journal without worrying about being perfect, or even making sense, as I did. I recently saw Ms. Goldberg speak, and it reaffirmed for me every thing I learned from this book. Ms. Goldberg teaches that writing creatively should start from a wide open organic process with no rules and no judgement, especially from oneself. Writing is hard work that takes energy and dedication, but it should also be fun and free from the internal voice of our editor that tells us that we 'can't' or 'shouldn't' say certain things. These are ideas is something that many people find really hard to grasp. All of that said, I actually thing that Ms. Goldberg's second book on writing, Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life, is a better book for the beginning writer to start with. This book has great short chapters, but fewer concrete writing exercises to work from, and I find that it does take a certain level of confidence to connect with the ideas in this book easily. That said, I often give copies of both books away, interchangeably, to people I talk to about getting started in writing, and I recommend all of her books on writing to members of my writer's workshop.

As writers we need to find ways to give ourselves permission to speak our truths with authenticity and courage, and Ms. Goldberg's books strive to help us do that.