Writing Down the Bones

Rarely we discover a book about the craft of writing that shines. Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg, is such a book. Like a ray of brilliance, the text parts the murk of boring and repetitive trade manuals on writing, and introduces readers to the rarified air of hard won knowledge. It’s refreshing to read and enlightening to understand.

“Like a white snail, the toilet slides into the living room, demanding to be loved,” Goldberg writes, quoting a reading. “…In the book of the heart, there is no mention made of plumbing…The toilet slides out of the living room, like a white snail, flushing with grief.”

The humor and originality of this quote discomfits readers while stirring their humor. And, where is the creative lodestone awaiting our touch to shed its magic onto the page? It can be a simple as relaxing, as genuine as a catnap in a patch of sunlight.

“…without thinking, begin to write…” she continues. “This means letting go and allowing the elm in your front yard to pick itself up and walk over to Iowa. Try for good, strong first sentences…play around. Dive into absurdity and write!”

Every writer is a budding writer, whether their works have been published or never seen the light of day. In Writing Down the Bones we experience the childlike awe that led us to believe that a knight could ride down the lane at noon or a monster crawl out of the closet at midnight.

“Writing is 90% listening,” Goldberg states. “You listen so deeply to the space around you that it fills you, and when you write, it pours out of you. If you can capture that reality around you, you need nothing else.”

How often, instead of listening to the space that surrounds us, do we beat ourselves against the polished text of the masters? When did they come up with that opening line? How did that exquisite meter evolve? What did they do to create such matchless rhythm and symmetry? The answer to these urgent questions may be as simple as relaxing, listening and letting the muse within express in its own unique way.

“So while we are busy writing, all the burning life we are eager to express should come out of a place of peace,” she concludes. “…someplace in us should know the utter simplicity of saying what we feel.”

Relax into writing. Rejoice into writing. Refresh yourself through writing. Leave all judgment, critiquing, fearful anticipation and comparison behind. Let the wellspring of creation, alive in children and Spring and stars, pour out of you. As you do, you will taste the joy of…writing down the bones!