By Kristy McCaffrey
While
not everyone is set on writing the next great novel, we all want to tell our
stories. A wonderful book to help get you started, or to reignite a passion
that may have become stagnant, is Writing
Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. First
published in 1986 and rooted in Zen methodology, her advice is simple: trust in
what you love, trust in your own mind, and everything else will follow.
“Writing
is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate.”
Goldberg
points out that people often write from a mentality of poverty, thinking they
need a teacher to tell them what to do or how to do it. The opposite is
generally true. We learn writing by doing it. And to write well one must read a
lot, listen well and deeply, and write a lot.
We
live in a society that rewards being busy, but that often isn’t fruitful or
soul-fulfilling. Beware of monkey mind,
says Goldberg, since it likes to create busyness that can keep us from our true
heart. She believes that everyone has talent, but it’s obviously easier for
some to tap into it than others. Human effort is necessary, so don’t shy away
from doing the work. But it’s also more than just the work, it’s allowing and
recognizing that the effort has awakened us. This lets a writer become aware
and mindful, to shape the talent into something useful, something that
resonates.
“Finally,
one just has to shut up, sit down, and write. That is painful. Writing is so
simple, basic, and austere.”
Develop
a writing practice, a writing workout each day. A runner doesn’t improve
without consistent running. The same is true for a writer. So, carve out this
space, but know that it’s okay to write without a destination. Expectation can
freeze the process. It also takes time to reflect on certain ideas, certain
experiences, before they can be put down on paper. Goldberg refers to this as
composting. These things can’t be rushed, so best to cultivate patience and
acceptance. It can make the writing life less anxiety-provoking.
She
offers techniques to stop fighting yourself (and the endless distractions that
keep you from writing) such as: give yourself free time in the morning to do
whatever, but at 10 a.m. you must sit down and write something; or you must fill at least one notebook a month, not with
quality but quantity; or, as soon as you wake up, go directly to your desk and
write (eating and teeth brushing can wait). Another technique is timed writing
and first thoughts. This can remove the critic filter than often shoots down an
idea before it can be fully crafted.
Need
a writing prompt? Take five minutes to write down your deep dreams. And then?
Don’t ignore what you wrote. Actually, it will likely be difficult to avoid
your thoughts now that they’re laid out before you. Simply said, it will change
your life.
This
book can be read straight through, or sporadically when needed. I guarantee
that at least one of Goldberg’s many suggestions and insights will spark
something inside yourself and may just lead you to write down the bones.
