Natalie Goldberg’s books on writing are some of those must-haves that I need to keep handy for ongoing encouragement.
I have begun to feel that Natalie, Anne Lamott and Annie Dillard are old friends. It is their books that I grab when I feel like I’m faltering once again. Writing down the Bones, Bird by Bird and The Writing Life are so dogeared and underlined and coffee-stained that it’s a little sad, but I think my good friends would understand and appreciate that their advice is heeded.
This particular video is a bit of a plug for her book, Old Friend From Far Away, which I enjoyed but don’t think of as a one of those ‘life-line’ books. I like this clip for her thoughtfulness and insight into the appreciation of details.
Listening to her talk about her spiral notebook and pen is a little harder to fathom. I can’t imagine writing without my laptop. I certainly write my three-pages of journal with pen and paper…but to write a book? It just seems impossible to picture.
I love my Sticky Notes program and don’t think I’d have gotten as far as I have in my memoir without those popping up on the screen whenever I need to remember where a particular scene is in a chapter.
As much as I like reading about writing, it doesn’t quite do the trick as well as actually getting down to it…which is what I’m going to do now.
My copy of Bird by Bird is “well loved” as my mother used to say about my tatterd stuffed animals. It’s a guaranteed shot in the arm for writing. As is Writing Down the Bones. I also like Julia Cameron’s The Right to Write and Barbara Abercrombie’s Courage & Craft (about writing memoir).
It’s all to easy to get caught up in reading about writing, rather than actually writing 🙂
Your last line is so true…that’s what I do wa-a-a-a-y too often. Read about writing instead of doing the actual deed.
I wonder how many Bird by Bird fans are out there. It seems we’d make quite a crowd. Might have to tuck in with my tea and do another perusal tonight 🙂
I was nodding the whole time I read this. I also have well-worn copies of those books (and also didn’t care for Old Friend as much). I haven’t tried the sticky notes program. Will look into that. I read somewhere that Stephen King wrote his last book (humongous) all in long-hand!!! I still can’t fathom it.
I’m reading “Bird by Bird” again — an absolute favorite of mine. It’s so worn, and that almost makes me love it more.