Product Description

Natalie Goldberg, author of the bestselling  Writing Down The Bones, teaches a method  of writing that can take you beyond craft to the  true source of creative power: The mind that is  "raw, full of energy, alive and  hungry."



Here is compassionate, practical, and often  humorous advice about how to find time to write,  how to discover your personal style, how to make  sentences come alive, and how to overcome  procrastination and writer's block -- including more than  thirty provocative "Try this" exercises to  get your pen moving.



And here also  is a larger vision of the writer's task:  balancing daily responsibilities with a commitment to  writing; knowing when to take risks as a writer and a  human being; coming to terms with success and  failure and loss; and learning self-acceptance -- both  in life and art.



Wild  Mind will change your way of writing. It  may also change your life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29769 in Books
• Published on: 1990-10-01
• Released on: 1990-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From Library Journal
This book is well intended but flawed by its somewhat incoherent style, lack of good writing, and an inability or unwillingness to target an audience. The brief autobiographical chapters offer counsel and moral support to the aspiring author, with a little Zen thrown in for good measure. There are several exercises for writing practice that are useful but can be invented or found elsewhere. The cosmic angle may appeal to those with New Age inclinations, although it may annoy others. While this book is inexpensive and accessible, a work on writing ought to contain some fine examples (e.g., Strunk and White's Elements of Style, or anything by William Zinsser).
- Janice Braun, Medical Historical Lib., Yale Univ.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
"I could stand on the Rue de Rivoli: BEING," says Goldberg. By the time I reached side four, I wished that she would. Her French accent is abysmal, and her Latin is off, too ("ik cetera" for "et cetera"). Happily, most of this audiobook is in English, or some version of it made up of psycho-babble and cosmic abstractions. At best, Goldberg's voice is incantatory, and she has a habit of beginning new sections without pausing so that different topics are oddly juxtaposed. However, this book treats writing as a spiritual practice. This is a smart idea that works. Goldberg projects warmth and genuine kindness to the listener and passion for the act of writing. E.K.D. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher
"Natalie Goldberg, author of the bestselling Writing Down The Bones, teaches a method of writing that can take you beyond craft to the true source of creative power: The mind that is "raw, full of energy, alive and hungry."

Here is compassionate, practical, and often humorous advice about how to find time to write, how to discover your personal style, how to make sentences come alive, and how to overcome procrastination and writer's block -- including more than thirty provocative "Try this" exercises to get your pen moving.

And here also is a larger vision of the writer's task: balancing daily responsibilities with a commitment to writing; knowing when to take risks as a writer and a human being; coming to terms with success and failure and loss; and learning self-acceptance -- both in life and art.

Wild Mind will change your way of writing. It may also change your life.

Customer Reviews

Great Writer's Reference
Every writer should have this on his/her shelf. Although it is not a step-by-step guide to how to write, it offers useful tips for improving our writing. Many of the exercises can actually lead one to a publishable piece of work. Every writer has to find his/her own method, system, way of getting from the beginning to the end, and Ms. Goldberg makes the reader privy to hers. This book encourages writers to step out of their own notions of "how" to experiment and find out what's on the outside of the box they've put themselves in.

Lucy Adams, author of If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny

An Honest View of One Writer's Life
"Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life" was one of those books that was picked for its title. Yet once I dived in, it continued to hold me in ways I had not expected. I loved the personal stories told in a way to connect with the reader. It wasn't preachy or condescending. Instead the combination of the stories and advice gave me one honest picture of an artist in process. Of which we are all always in a state of process.

I truly appreciated getting a view inside her life. I completely related to her and didn't feel as alone as I once did. I am not saying that this book is a cure for all that goes on with writers or a how-to write a book book and get it published. What I am saying is that "Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life" is one account of how one writer deals with all that comes with being a writer - professional or aspiring. Which being a writer is more than technique. It is also everything that leads to the final result that then leads to the technique.

It is when we let go and not take ourselves seriously that our truest, purest self can some through beautifully. This is an excellent book to use as a way of searching yourself throughout your writing career. Embrace it.

This book helped me enjoy my travelling years
After College I went travelling for a few years. I'm glad I read Natalie's book, because it gave me a very simple, grounded way of writing about my experiences. I wasn't interested in mimicking 'great authors' or using high-brow literary style - but rather capturing the flavor of the moment.

She taught me about relishing and really living the small details of my life - appreciating the people and things around me. E.g. the 'what I see' exercise when I described the cafe I was sitting in, helped me get grounded and really take a good second look around me. This is so much more satisfying for a traveller than just whizzing around and superficially seeing (but not really seeing) lots of scenery.