Ratings40
Average rating3.9
For more than thirty 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 thirtieth-anniversary edition includes new forewords by Julia Cameron and Bill Addison. It also includes a new preface in which Goldberg reflects on the enduring quality of the teachings here. She writes, "What have I learned about writing over these thirty years? I’ve written fourteen books, and it’s the practice here in Bones that is the foundation, sustaining and building my writing voice, that keeps me honest, teaches me how to endure the hard times and how to drop below discursive thinking, to taste the real meat of our minds and the life around us."
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2,805 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...
Reviews with the most likes.
Make this a significant part of your writing toolkit. Worth the work to use in building your writing skills. There's a reason this has a 25th anniversary edition. It remains relevant.
Encore un livre sur l'écriture qui ne m'a pas totalement convaincu, mais j'aurais pu m'y attendre dans ce cas précis. Je savais que l'approche très spirituelle et “zen” de son autrice n'est pas forcément la mienne. Il y a tout de même quelques éléments intéressants dans les nombreux et courts chapitres de ce livre, mais ils sont souvent perdus au milieu d'anecdotes personnelles et de digressions plus ou moins intéressantes.
I felt this was a bit slow, but I'm glad I kept with it. The second half is much better, or at least it spoke to me more. I probably would have liked it more, and given it a higher rating, if I hadn't just read Bird By Bird right before this.
If you're interesting in writing, it's a definite “should read”.