Writing Resources: Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones

I was assigned Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg for a creative writing course in college. We were supposed to read a chapter or two a week, but I had a hard time putting it down and ended up inhaling the entire volume in a couple of days. It’s one of the best writing resources on the market but what’s great about this book is that it’s a blast to read.

Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go.

Ah, words of wisdom. Goldberg, who has penned a number of books about writing, including several well-known writing resources, mastered the mechanics of writing in college. It was later that she discovered how to tap into her creativity and write more artfully. Four years after that discovery, she began teaching writing workshops and has since become a master of the craft.

Priceless Writing Resources

Writing Down the Bones is perfect for young or new writers. The first chapter discusses pen and paper, and how to select the appropriate materials, supplies, and other writing resources. Yet, the book is also ideal for writers who are ready to get serious about the craft, although they may have considerable experience. That’s where I was with my own writing when I was first introduced to this book, and it made me realize that writing could be more than just a way to pass the time when I was feeling particularly inspired. Natalie Goldberg will teach you how to freewrite (she calls this the timed exercise), how to make writing a daily practice, and give you countless ways to explore your writing on a deeper and more creative level. From setting up your own writing space, to finding topics to write about and unlimited sources of inspiration, she crams in enough ideas to keep you busily writing for years to come.

Natalie’s experience in Zen meditation, which is essentially a subtractive process, has provided her insights. -Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

With over seventy chapters, each just a couple of pages long, this text is a quick and easy read. At the same time, it’s packed with ideas, information, inspiration, exercises, and writing tips that will get you writing, and keep you on task. This is one of my favorite writing books, and the first one that I recommend to anyone who loves to write. Have you read Writing Down the Bones? What did you think of it? Are there any other books or writing resources for creative writers that you would recommend?

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