Every Writer Should Read Writing Down the Bones

My NaNoWriMo 2015 prep started with reading the fantastic work of Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones, which is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. Congratulations, Natalie, and thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. I must confess, Writing Down the Bones has been sitting on my shelf for about ten years next to my grandmother's old LC Smith typewriter. Unread and unloved. I'm still kicking myself for not pulling it off the shelf much, much sooner. 

It wasn't until last fall that I decided I needed guidance to keep me writing. Enter Natalie, her reflections, and her honest and pure incites on what it is to be a writer. With the help of her Zen practice and years of writing and teaching, Natalie Goldberg was the first person to ever really inspire me to keep writing. That I am a writer not just by title, but because it is my obsession, my passion, and my purpose.

"There is freedom in being a writer and writing. It is fulfilling your function. I used to think freedom meant doing whatever you want. It means knowing who you are, what you are supposed to be doing on this earth, and then simply doing it." - Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones

Once I absorbed Natalie's every word I had to decide my next steps. It wasn't enough for me to dream, I also had to act. But those first steps are debilitating. Stephen King said it best - "the scariest moment is always just before you start." The horror king was right and if I had let Writing Down the Bones continue to collect dust I would have been frozen by my fear and probably never finished anything.

However, with Natalie's words of courage - "You will succeed if you are fearless of failure" - echoing in my head I took that first step. I grabbed a character that had been teasing me for a year, locked her into her front row seat, and took on and won NaNoWriMo 2015. 

I'm still scared when I put my fingers to the keyboard or grab my pen. I worry if my writing is horrible and not deserving of the ink. Those fears are real and I doubt they will ever go away, but I am no longer going to let them stop me because "obsessions have power," Writing Down the Bones.

How has Writing Down the Bones or Natalie Goldberg inspired you?