Natalie Goldberg is a writer, painter, and workshop leader who is perhaps most famous for penning the 1986 classic Writing Down the Bones. In honor of the book's release in ebook format, Natalie shared her insights on writing then and now.
Urban Muse: Since Writing Down the Bones originally came out, the way people read has changed dramatically. Do the same rules of good writing still apply? Did anything change in converting your book for e-readers?
Natalie: Nothing has changed about good writing, except that most people now choose to punch in their good words on the keyboard instead of writing them out in longhand. It is a different physical activity, so a slightly different bent of mind comes out, but I don't think that it makes it better or worse. It may be a good idea for a writer to be good at both methods, though; sometimes the brain wants to work something out more slowly with the whole arm and shoulder involved, the fingers clutching a pen.
When Writing Down the Bones was turned into an ebook, none of the writing changed. Back to your question about good writing and the medium: regardless of the medium of the book, writing is still writing, and being a human being is still about smell, touch, taste, feel heart, head, muscle, mind. Thank you for your question about this, though. It's a good one.
Urban Muse: A lot of writers who had tortured childhoods, alcoholic parents, or emotional issues themselves have channeled that pain into writing. Is there hope for people who didn't deal with these horrible demons but still want to write books or essays that move readers on an emotional level?
Natalie: There is absolutely hope. People who didn't have tortured childhoods can absolutely write well and tell good stories. As a matter of fact, they may have an advantage because their pain doesn't get in the way of a clean story. Good or bad childhood, what really matters is getting to work. Start writing. Keep it moving. Let writing be the writing, and you get out of the way.
Thanks, Natalie! Readers, have you read Writing Down the Bones or other works by Goldberg? How did it change the way you approach writing?