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. |
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An Abstract and Zen Look at Living A Writer's Life
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Reading Goldberg's book was a feast. It was being at huge smorgasbord where each dish was prepared carefully by the chef in the kitchen. And that is the way I consumed it, too!
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Beginners Mind Pen and Paper | 5 |
First Thoughts | 8 |
Writing as a Practice | 11 |
Composting | 15 |
Artistic Stability | 18 |
A List of Topics for Writing Practice | 21 |
Fighting Tofu | 25 |
The Action of a Sentence | 95 |
Writing in Restaurants | 98 |
The Writing Studio | 103 |
Eroticism | 105 |
A Tourist in Your Own Town | 108 |
Write Anyplace | 110 |
Go Further | 112 |
Engendering Compassion | 114 |
Trouble with the Editor | 28 |
Whatevers in Front of You | 29 |
Tap the Water Table | 32 |
We Are Not the Poem | 34 |
Man Eats Car | 36 |
Writing Is Not a McDonalds Hamburger | 39 |
Obsessions | 42 |
Original Detail | 45 |
The Power of Detail | 47 |
Baking a Cake | 50 |
Living Twice | 53 |
Writers Have Good Figures | 55 |
Listening | 57 |
Dont Marry the Fly | 60 |
Dont Use Writing to Get Love | 62 |
What Are Your Deep Dreams? | 65 |
Syntax | 67 |
Nervously Sipping Wine | 72 |
Dont Tell but Show | 75 |
Be Specific | 77 |
Big Concentration | 79 |
The Ordinary and Extraordinary | 81 |
Talk Is the Exercise Ground | 84 |
Writing Is a Communal Act | 86 |
One Plus One Equals a MercedesBenz | 89 |
Be an Animal | 90 |
Make Statements and Answer Questions | 93 |
Doubt Is Torture | 117 |
A Little Sweet | 119 |
A New Moment | 120 |
Why Do I Write? | 122 |
Every Monday | 126 |
More About Mondays | 128 |
Spontaneous Writing Booths | 130 |
A Sensation of Space | 133 |
A Large Field to Wander In | 136 |
The Goody TwoShoes Nature | 140 |
No Hindrances | 144 |
A Meal You Love | 147 |
Use Loneliness | 149 |
Blue Lipstick and a Cigarette Hanging Out Your Mouth | 151 |
Going Home | 152 |
A Story Circle | 156 |
Writing Marathons | 160 |
Claim Your Writing | 164 |
Trust Yourself | 167 |
The Samurai | 169 |
Rereading and Rewriting | 172 |
I Dont Want to Die | 177 |
Epilogue | 179 |
An Interview with the Author | 181 |
Natalie Goldberg in Her Own Voice | 197 |
Notes | 199 |
Other editions - View all
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within : Expanded with a New ... Natalie Goldberg No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
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