Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones, has written another sure-to-be-classic for people wanting to write a memoir, but who are not sure how to get started.
Natalie Goldberg, popular writing teacher, and author of eleven books, has just published a new work titled, Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir. With a wonderful mix of humor, intimacy and spirituality that are the hallmarks of Goldberg’s work, Old Friend from Far Away feels like having tea with a wise, and trusted, but slightly bossy, old friend.
Author of Writing Down the Bones
More than twenty years ago Goldberg published Writing Down the Bones, a book that urged readers to take up their fast-writing pens and begin the spiritual journey of filling the pages of cheap spiral notebooks with the rich thoughts, feelings, and insights gleaned from the small moments of daily life. Recently rereleased, Writing Down the Bones, has become a classic for professional and aspiring writers alike.
Memoir Writing
Once the exclusive territory of elderly public figures reflecting back on their accomplishments, memoir has become a very popular genre for writers of all ages and from all walks of life. Literally thousands of memoirs have been published in recent years, and the reading public has made many of them best sellers.
Goldberg believes writing helps to clarify life by slowing down the pace and allowing the writer to comprehend the emotional reality of his or her life. Memoir writing, she explains, is more than a list of life events, it is a dynamic a process for going under the skin and finding those lost, hidden or long ignored truths that make each life a unique and fascinating journey.
A Writing Workshop on Paper
In Old Friend from Far Away Goldberg provides a collection of writing exercises drawn from the hundreds of writing workshops she has taught over the years. The exercises are designed, she says, to come at memories "sideways." Goldberg says that we tend to frame our lives with “easy, polite, convenient, and comfortable” explanations that keep us from the cathartic process of discovering and embracing the fundamental truths of who we really are.
For any writer wanting to embark on a journey of self-discovery, or wanting to publish his or her life story, Old Friend From Far Away has much to offer. It will likely join Writing Down the Bones as a classic reference for both writers and teachers of writing.
Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir is published by Free Press , and will be available in hardback after February 12, 2008. It is priced at $25.00.
