Excerpt from The Sun November 2003, “Keep The Hand Moving,” Natalie Goldberg interviewed by Genie Zeiger:
Zeiger asked Natalie, “What is the difference between speaking our stories and writing them down?”
Natalie: Writing it down is more intimate because, first of all, you are developing a relationship among your hand, your arm, your shoulder, your heart, and your mind. Then, because the story is recorded, you have a chance to read it later, so you can see who you are and come home to yourself.
I tell students to read deeply—which doesn’t mean reading all the great literature but just reading carefully, studying the mind of the author rather than whipping through the book. Reading is important because when you read, you enter the mind of the author, and so you get to study a practiced mind.
Notice: How do writers create structure in a book? How do they turn phrases and present facts?
Note from Marlene: Your turn. Just Write!
More about writing practice from Natalie Goldberg
#amwriting #justwrite #imawriter
