Product Description

With insight, humour, and practicality, Natalie Goldberg inspires writers and would-be writers to take the leap into writing skilfully and creatively. She offers suggestions, encouragement, and solid advice on many aspects of the writer's craft: on writing from 'first thoughts', on listening, on using verbs, on overcoming doubts - even on choosing a restaurant in which to write. Goldberg sees writing as a practice that helps writers comprehend the value of their lives.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31200 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Wherein we discover that many of the "rules" for good writing and good sex are the same: Keep your hand moving, lose control and don't think. Goldberg brings a touch of both Zen and well... *eroticism* to her writing practice, the latter in exercises and anecdotes designed to ease you into your body, your whole spirit, while you create, the former in being where you are, working with what you have, and writing from the moment. --Ali Perry-Gallagher

About the Author
Natalie has been practicing Zen meditation and teaching seminars in writing as a practice for the last twenty-five years. People from around the world attend her life-changing workshops and she has a reputation as a great teacher. The Oprah Winfrey Show sent a film crew to spend the day with Natalie for a segment on Spirituality that covered her writing, teaching, painting, and walking meditation. She currently lives in Northern New Mexico.

Customer Reviews

a fantastic launch pad
This is an excellent introduction for anyone who's ever wanted to write fiction or poetry but was afraid to start. Its friendly tone, direct advice and focus on freewriting have an unnerving capacity to get you going and its short chapters also make it ideal for dipping into once you've finished. It's also exceedingly well-written; intriguing flashes of autobiography lift it above the mass of creative writing text books on the market.

Which isn't to say it's perfect: Goldberg's concentration on generating material means that the twin processes of crafting and drafting are rather neglected in favour of producing more and more freewrites. Anyone wishing to produce work of publishable quality as opposed to writing therapeutically for themselves will probably find that they eventually 'outgrow' it.

Nevertheless, as a book for getting started again, and as a pleasurable read, it remains the best of its kind on the market. Well worth a look.

Loved it
I loved the book so much I've bought copies for all my friends.
Many of the chapters pointed to problems in and solutions for my own writing. Especially liked the chapter on self doubt. Her references back to her Buddist beliefs and philosophies really caught my attention. All in all an excellent book for writers or potential writers of all levels.

Save your money
I've written and published five novels and two works of non-fiction. I still enjoy reading what other people have to say about the art and the craft of writing, but this book really is the most self-indulgent, self-absorbed load of old tosh I've ever read on the subject. The author's attitude is a mixture of New Age flakiness and an unpleasantly dictatorial attitude. She even tells you what kind of notebook to buy. Buy the sort of notebook YOU want, trust yourself and take advice from people who know what they're talking about, eg Dorothea Brande in Becoming A Writer and Stephen King in On Writing.