Tag: Natalie Goldberg

“You have to give yourself the space to write a lot without a destination.”

After winning the UK’s most prestigious writing award, this Irish novelist was asked which books had influenced her most. She said she loved Writing Down the Bones because it told her to “just have a go and see what comes out.” This 30-year-old book still sells 30.000 copies a year… Read More

“Embrace the crumbs with the cake.”

It’s been eight years since I last read this book, and this time around, I’m struck by Goldberg’s advice to pay attention to memorable, small pieces. In fact, one of the best ways to write about the “monumental” is to begin by describing one “crumb” of it. Other writers … Read More

“Don’t begin with an idea: begin with the point of the pen touching paper.”

Goldberg cropped2Uniquely in America, there is “a desire to understand in the heat of living,” says Natalie Goldberg in her book about the practice of writing memoir. Don’t think of memoirs as records of events.  Instead, think of it as a chance to make sense of your life and search for … Read More