The True Secret of Writing: Connecting Life with Language
“Many years ago my older brother gave meWriting Down the Boneswith the inscription, ‘So write already!’ It was for me and for many readers a novel and fresh way to approach writing. I have delighted in Natalie’s books ever since and in her method, having had the chance to see her at work in Taos.The True Secret of Writingis a rich voyage, a priceless distillation of her accumulated wisdom and experience as a writer, coach, and instructor on mindfulness. This lovely volume will have a permanent place on my writing shelf.” (Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone)"Heartfelt, funny, wise, pleading, calm, and ferocious, Natalie just makes you want to write!" (Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart)“Natalie Goldberg has done the unthinkable, she has shared the secret teaching. The buddhas of time immemorial are rejoicing and the literary bodhisattvas are smiling in silent approval. Read this book, then write a revolutionary manifesto!” (Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx)"Beautifully written, informative, intriguing, and passionate,The True Secret of Writingis a book to be appreciated, read, and reread by the beginning writer as well as the published professional. Natalie captures the pulse and spirit of the writing life with pristine clarity." (Lee Gutkind, Editor, Creative Nonfiction, Author of You Can't Make This Stuff Up)"A uniquely delivered Eastern Zen approach to writing....A pleasantly meditative intuitive writing guide." (Kirkus Reviews)"A fresh practice for writing... rooted in the Zen tradition." --Shambhala Sun(---)“Goldberg’s observations — and guidance on how to conduct a sit, walk, write workshop on your own (with as few as two people) — are inspiring. Readers will be eager to find a café or a quiet room and get down to the business of knowing their writing, and by doing so knowing themselves more deeply.” (Santa Fe New Mexican)“Goldberg does everything she can to get across what needs to be conveyed to others. Time and mortality perfume her writing, as well as the sweetest kind of perseverance, not just with teaching but with life itself. As I read, I kept thinking of the old Chan teachers: 'If you didn't get it that way, what about this? Or this? Or this?' That bottomless generosity flows through Goldberg’s instruction even during the times of doubt.” (Joan Sutherland)“This is Goldberg at her quintessential best, sharing her deep personal history and lifelong experience with writing and teaching… Goldberg doesn’t shy away from the human condition…urges the writer to use all this as fodder… Again and again she pins the reader in the moment with sensuous details of the physical world… She showers us with a cornucopia of words that all point to one essential thing: the silence out of which they were born…” (Book Chat)