Writing Down the Bones

Last night I went to BookPeople to check out a reading by Natalie Goldberg. I'd read a book that she wrote a long time ago, I remember, and really liked it. Its title was "Writing Down the Bones", and it's one of those books on writing that do not emphasize craft so much as learning to invest yourself completely in your writing, with the goal that, upon finishing, you will feel "used up" in some deeply clensing way. It is about learning to write through your fears, past your prejudices, from the deepest and most fundamental part of yourself. Another good book I've found in this vein, which I HIGHLY recommend, is called "Writing from the Body" by John Lee.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this one thought of hers that I found interesting: She was talking about addictions and the power that one gains by writing about them. She said that if she had her way, every addicts' group would require its members to recall, in writing, their favorite experiences with their substance of choice. It may seem like an odd way of facing addiction, but Ms. Goldberg claims that this practice actually helps turn the addiction into a passion, which is really quite a different thing. An addiction diminishes you, but a passion breaks you open. What occurs, I think, is a peculiar sort of reversal that alters the writer's relationship to the substance by his utilizing it as 'subject'; that is, something that HE is appreciating rather than the other way around.

I really like this idea, and believe the process may extend beyond substances to the rest of the things we carry with us from day to day, locked deep inside our bodies: those memories, insecurities, and fears which diminish us and prevent us from living our lives boldly. If you're interested, pick up one of these books I've mentioned. You won't regret it.

*Note: I actually prefer John Lee's book to Goldberg's.