Natalie Goldberg: Writing

Natalie Goldberg is American writer. Explore interesting quotes on writing.
Natalie Goldberg: 72 quotes1 like

“Use original detail in your writing. Life is so rich, if you can write down the real details of the way things were and are, you hardly need anything else.”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

Essay, "Original detail". p.45
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

“Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.”

Natalie Goldberg

Source: Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

“Writers end up writing about their obsessions. Things that haunt them; things they can’t forget; stories they carry in their bodies waiting to be released.”

Natalie Goldberg

“Play around. Dive into absurdity and write. Take chances. You will succeed if you are fearless of failure.”

Natalie Goldberg

Source: Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

“My goal is to write every day. I say it is my ideal. I am careful not to pass judgment or create anxiety if I do not do it. No one lives up to his ideal.”

Natalie Goldberg

“I don't think everyone wants to create the great American novel, but we all have a dream of telling our stories-of realizing what we think, feel, and see before we die. Writing is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate.”

Natalie Goldberg

Source: Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

“Writing is the act of discovery.”

Natalie Goldberg

Source: Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

“What is important is not just what you do - "I am writing a book"”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

but how you do it, how you approach it, and what you come to value.
[…] There are many realities. We should remember this when we get too caught in being concerned about the way the rest of the world lives or how we think they live.
Essay, "Every Monday". p.127
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

“Just write. Just write. Just write. [...]
When we are in the heart of writing it doesn't matter where we are. We can write anyplace.”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

Essay, "Write anyplace". p.110, 111
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

“Anything we fully do is an alone journey. […] You are alone when you write a book. Accept that and take in any love and support that is given to you, but don't have expectations of how it is supposed to be.”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

Epilogue. p.179, 180
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

“See the big picture. You are committed to writing or finding out about it. Continue under all circumstances. Don't be rigid though.”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

Essay, "No hindrances". p.145
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

“If you want a room to write in, just get a room. Don't make a big production out of it. If it doesn't leak, has a window, heat in the winter, then put in your desk, bookshelves, a soft chair, and start writing.”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

Essay, "The writing studio". p.103
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

“Read a lot, listen well and deeply, and write a lot. […] If you read good books, when you write, good books will come out of you.”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

Essay, "Listening". p.59
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

“The basic unit of writing practice is the timed exercise.
1. Keep your hand moving.
2. Don't cross out.
3. Don't worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar.
4. Lose control.
5. Don't think. Don't get logical.
6. Go for the jugular.
[…] That is the discipline: to continue to sit.”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

Essay, "First thoughts". p.8, 9
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

“First, consider the pen your write with. Think, too, about your notebook. […] A cheap spiral notebook lets you feel that you can fill it quickly and afford another. Also, it is easy to carry.”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

Essay, "Beginner's mind, pen and paper". p.5, 6
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

“I went home with the resolve to write what I knew and to trust my own thoughts and feelings and to not look outside myself. I was not in school anymore: I could say what I wanted.”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

Introduction. at p.2
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

“This is the practice school of writing. Like running, the more you do it, the better you get at it. […] You practice whether you want to or not.
Through practice you actually do get better.
Sit down with the least expectation of yourself; say "I am free to write the worst junk in the world."”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

You have to give yourself the space to write a lot without a destination.
Essay, "Writing as a practice". p.11
Writing Down the Bones (1986)