Page 20 – Lovely County Citizen – May 16, 2013
Village View
Alison By Sandra Taylor Synar Brown
Writing Down the Bones
This week I’m devoting my column to an interview that Pamela Toler did with Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones. Natalie has inspired us for years. – Alison Natalie Goldberg is the author of Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (1986), which started a revolution in the way people practice writing. tThe book has sold more than 1.5 million copies and has been translated into 14 languages. Goldberg has written eight other books, including fiction and a memoir, and a book on writing memoir, Old Friend from Far Away. She has been teaching seminars on writing as a practice for the last 30 years. In her newest book, The True Secret of Writing: Connecting Life with Language (Atria, $25), she focuses on the technique and outcomes of her silent writing retreats. Pam: You’ve been leading writing groups for 30 some years, including “silent retreats” based on sitting Zen. Do you see The True Secret of Writing as a “how-to” for reproducing your silent workshops? Natalie: Partially that. I wanted to record it because it’s something wonderful. It’s been incredible for every one who’s done it. People who’ve done it never come back to my regular workshops. The silence has been tremendous for people. But also, I’m 65 now. I’m not going to live forever--so here it is, someplace you can find it if you want it. It’s a legacy book--all of it rolled together Pam: Explain the combination of spirituality and writing that’s the core of your work in so many ways. Natalie: It’s never been any other way. My great writing teacher was my Zen teacher, Katagiri Roshi. Even though we never discussed writing, I learned about being present and I learned about the elements that you
need as a writer through practicing Zen. I got to study my own mind. What are the tools of a writer but pen, paper and the human mind? The better you understand the human mind the better you can use it. Also, I think I understood that life isn’t permanent, and at the same time we have an incredible urge to express our life. Not make it permanent, but to say “I was here, I did this, I exist.” And really everything I teach is backed by 2,000 [Zen] years of watching the mind. That’s true from Writing Down the Bones on. This is my 12th book and I’ve never veered from that. Pam: Tell us a little about the phrase “shut up and write.” Natalie: Oh! It’s everything. Shut up and eat. Shut up and live your life. Shut up and run. We have such a monkey mind that goes on and on. I’m having trouble writing; I should hire a psychiatrist to discuss it. I need a really nice studio. I need a comfortable café. Finally, stop all this. Just shut up, pick up the pen and get moving. And really, it’s what I have said from the very beginning. That’s really the only teaching you need. Silence is the back of all the talk. And so we need to get more in the center. We’re leaning too far forward. In a way, the silence for a week [in the workshops] is the antidote to all the talking all the time. The idea isn’t to be silent all the time: you call me and I don’t say a word. The idea is to feel comfortable eventually with silence and non-silence and to move in and out of that. You’re not afraid of the silence and you’re not running from it. In the silence, you get to digest things. And really, you know what silence is? A relief. We don’t shut up. I don’t know about you, but I go to parties where I meet someone. They’ll go on and on. I have not said a word for the entire conversation.
They have no idea who I am. What happens is that isolates us. We want to communicate back and forth. Silence will teach you that. – Pamela Toler , blogging at History in the Margins A version of this interview originally appeared in Shelf Awareness. Shelf Awareness is a free e-newsletter about books and the book industry. Discover the 25 best books coming weekly as selected by our industry insiders on Tuesdays and Fridays. Sign up now.
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Alison Taylor-Brown has an MFA in Fiction and a lifetime of teaching experience from preschool to university levels. She began the Community Writing Program for the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow and now directs The Village Writing School, whose mission is to foster the development of area writers through workshops, writers’ circles, and coaching. Her column, Notes from the Village, appears weekly. To talk to Alison about your writing goals and dreams, contact her at alisontaylorbrown@me.com or 479 292-3665.
The Village Writing School coming workshops • Friday, May 10: Blog Right at the Garden Bistro on North Main in Eureka Springs. Pamela Toler and Alison Taylor-Brown will get you up and running in the blogosphere or help you improve your current blog. 9-4 $45 • Saturday, May 18: Self-Editing and Publishing Eureka Springs. • Tuesday, May 21: Self-Editing and Publishing
Alison Taylor-Brown will teach you the fine art of taking your writing to the next level of artistry and craft though an understanding of effective self-editing. Sanderia Smith of Dallas, whose novel was recently accepted for publication by the UA Press, will discuss how to find markets for your work and how to submit a successful manuscript. 9-4 $45. At the Holiday Island Club House