For this blog post, I will be reflecting upon a work that we were required to read the first 1/3 of, being Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones. This is a collection of short chapters meant to teach and inspire aspiring writers to learn more effective methods of writing and other techniques meant to enhance writing. But at the same time, it's so much more, as Goldberg's background in Zen meditation peeks it's head from time to time, making for somewhat of a mild spiritual experience. It's a manual that one can use, and to be brutally honest, it's half education and half de-education; while it contains a plethora of ideas, strategies, and techniques that one can utilize in order to better their writing and experience, it also contains a great deal of ideas that break down common notions and stereotypes. For this response, I will be discussing a few chapters in particular, being "Living Twice", "One Plus One Equal a Mercedes-Benz", and "A Tourist in Your Own Town". Through these chapters, I will simply discuss and comment on the content that Goldberg has in each, and reflect upon it and how it applies to my own life.
First, "Living Twice" was a chapter that was brought up seldom in class discussion, which prompts me to discuss it more in depth. I really enjoy how this brings up how different writers are compared to the average stranger on the street, and while artistic distance is incredibly cliché and pretentious, there is some truth in it when you realize that while the smart individual would avoid rain while the writer would step out into it and experience it firsthand in order to write and reflect upon it later. Goldberg talks about how writers are dummies when it comes to certain things, and to be honest I couldn't agree more. Not only do we often do dumb things to write about, our writing into the self aware realm can often be seen as dumb. We make ourselves feel things that sometimes we never knew were emotionally possible. It's like rewatching that one season finale of your favorite tv show that punches you right in the gut no matter how many times you see it. It's an emotional stupor, and maybe that what makes us so dumb. Goldberg says it's ok to be dumb every once in a while, but you have to be a smart writer to make it in this world. Finding the perfect balance between being a dumb writer and a smart writer is part of what makes a good writer, in my opinion.
Next, "A Tourist in Your Own Town" is a shorter chapter however it is also one of the most important ones. Goldberg states that "a writer's job is to make the ordinary come alive, to awaken ourselves to the specialness of simply being", and I think that this phrase is one of the truest thing that I have read in a long time. The special characteristic of a writer is to take something that is completely ordinary, such as an old coffee mug, a table sitting outside of a restaurant, or a simple piece of fruit, and turn it into a masterpiece. It is the ability of the writer to write the still life of the world; to take a snapshot of a world and turn that picture into golden words. Just as a painter can turn a simple bowl of fruit into a beautiful still life painting, the writer can take the most simple of coffee shops and turn it into the greatest place on the face of the planet, where someone met their first love, where moments were shared that become faded with time, but the memory remains nonetheless. We become accustomed to our own surroundings, as humans are creatures of habit. But when we awaken our ability to see the ordinary in our own surroundings as something incredible, then we write gold. For me, I live in Wyandotte, which is the gem of Downriver, and even though it's a pretty basic and plain town, the bars and coffee shops and restaurants make it perfect. At least in my eyes.
Moving onto the final chapter for discussion "One Plus One Equal a Mercedes-Benz", at first I was attracted to this chapter because of the comical title, however I never knew that I would personally synchronize with it on such an emotional and spiritual level. When I write, I often go into this space that I can't describe. It usually happens whenever I see something that inspires me and I transport my mind into whatever that I am inspired by and write off of what I experience. For example, on the drive home, my dad pulled out a cigarette and I remembered how at our Christmas work party I would often take hits off of cigarettes of my coworkers and how intimate that exchange felt. I then kept thinking and swirling around those thoughts and before I knew it I had pulled my laptop out and began to write poetry about the moment. Goldberg states that we ought to "disappear into everything you look at" which is what happened in the moment that I saw the cigarette my dad pulled out. Suddenly I was nothing but a cluster of memories of that night.
I never would have imagined that this book would have been such an experience for me. When assigned it I thought "oh great another reading and writing inspirational book" but little did I know what I was in for. This is definitely a book that I would recommend to others, but not just yet. I want to keep this gem to myself for a while first.
really great responses here, keep going!
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