Thunder and Lightning

Natalie's "Writing Down the Bones" changed my life. It opened up many hidden worlds. It has informed my writing, theatre-making and teaching for over 3 decades. I'd never read "Thunder and Lightning" until my wife happened to leave her copy in the kitchen. Written nearly 20 years ago, it's just as inspiring, practical, generous and motivating as "Bones." For anyone familiar with Natalie's first book, anyone who understands writing as practice, here's a powerful jolt of pure Natalie to help you go further on your journey. It's also full of stories that made me laugh and cry - often at the same time.

Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones got me back on track in my own writing. Since then, I have read all the 5 (?) books by her. She is the best cure for writer's block; this one maybe for a bit more advances writer.

Like her earlier books, this is a mixture of advice and anecdote incorporating a bit of Zen. As always, it is easy to read and full of good advice and ideas. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in writing.

Typically wonderful stuff from Natalie Goldberg. Luscious prose and sharp ideas that convey the life of a writer as both scary and exhilarating. This is the perfect culmination to a trilogy that began with 'Bones' and 'Wild Mind'. I started reading it from the start again as soon as I had finished it.

Beautiful. Now I have to come up with a set number of words to put here in order to meet the minimum requirement when I have already said all I want to in the first word.

Natalie takes us through her process and writing practice with lots of examples. The fluid, no-nonsense writing is enjoyable and provides context to grasp her message. For experienced and new writers, she has two messages: keep writing and it is not personal. Easily said, but difficult and challenging to do. That's where this book comes in. It is a source of reassurance and encouragement for writers to see that even the best among us overcome the hurdles. Not once, but again and again. Caution for those who are not into Eastern philosophies - this book makes lots of references to her Zen practice. It is not good or bad, it just is.

Basically, the author just rambles on until she finds her point. In fact, she admits that this is her writing style. Yes, the book is well-written. It is like a conversation with an interesting author. But I did not find it helpful. It will not teach you to write well. It does not contain many secrets. If you simply want to connect with a brave author who has mastered her own voice, go for it. If you are looking for guidance to become a better writer, you should probably avoid this. To become a better writer check out David Morrell's book on writing and Stephen King's book:On Writing.

I'll read anything by Natalie Goldberg. This isn't a how-to writing book, but I find it inspiring and have already read it three times.

As I finished this, so many questions were answered for me on how to take Writing Practice to a different level. Natalie has been and still is my my writing hero, mentor and guru!

Collecting experiences from the turbulent storms of life and intuitive flashes of inspiration is one thing. Refining them creatively into a brilliant piece of work is another. Bringing clarity to that transformation process is what Ms. Goldberg offers in "Thunder and Lightening". She covers fear of criticism and rejection, the value of writing workshops and the benefits of an editor. She shares her own mistakes and her vulnerability. She says, "writing opens us wide so that our own individual suffering becomes universal suffering". This personal window into the author's life says much about the expressive depth of her writing. You may want to add this "thunderbolt" to your writing kit. It is a an excellent follow-up to Ms. Goldbergs, "Writing Down The Bones" and "Wild Mind".

Natalie Goldberg's teachin genius shines through once again. She gets right to the meat of things, breaks through our fears of writing and supports us at the same time. This book demystifies the writing craft and helps the writer become accountable and ready to step up and put it all down, all those rich and juicy moments in one's history in ways that break through from whining into solid plot and character. This book is especially valuable when paired with Writing Down the Bones (for beginning writers) or Old Friend From Far Away (for those who want to write memoir).

You need to read this book. You will come away with a clearer intent to your own work. It's that simple.

I have read and enjoyed most of Natalie Goldberg's books. She tends to bury the point she is making within elaborate anecdotes, so at the end of the book I can recall lots of interesting little stories, but few real nuts-and-bolts tools to help me write with clarity and truth. This book is different from the rest. Each chapter is a discrete whole, with to-the-point essays illustrating the concept. It is her familiar chatty style, but with plenty of meat on the bones. It is not a workbook as such. It is much more readable, I feel -- it's something I can go back to over and over. It also is aimed at experienced writers, people who are weaving together narrative, character, plot, tone, etc. in existing manuscripts. There's a dearth of instructive material for people who've reached that stage of development, but this book takes it all in hand. Nicely done.