{"id":1077,"date":"2012-09-20T14:21:42","date_gmt":"2012-09-20T18:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/?p=1077"},"modified":"2012-09-20T17:10:52","modified_gmt":"2012-09-20T21:10:52","slug":"wild-mind-by-natalie-goldberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/?p=1077","title":{"rendered":"Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/?attachment_id=1078\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1078\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1078 aligncenter\" title=\"wildmind\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/wildmind-188x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"188\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/wildmind-188x300.jpg 188w, http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/wildmind.jpg 298w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 188px) 100vw, 188px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 210px;\">Paperback: 256 pages<br \/>\nPublisher: Bantam (October 1, 1990)<br \/>\nLanguage: English<br \/>\nISBN-10: 0553347756<br \/>\nISBN-13: 978-0553347753<br \/>\nPrice: $17.00<br \/>\nPurchase: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Wild-Mind-Living-Writers-Life\/dp\/0553347756\">Amazon<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/wild-mind-natalie-goldberg\/1103097191?ean=9780553347753\">BN<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Description<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Natalie Goldberg, author of the bestselling\u00a0\u00a0<em>Writing Down The Bones<\/em>, teaches a method\u00a0\u00a0of writing that can take you beyond craft to the\u00a0\u00a0true source of creative power: The mind that is\u00a0\u00a0&#8220;raw, full of energy, alive and\u00a0\u00a0hungry.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Here is compassionate, practical, and often\u00a0\u00a0humorous advice about how to find time to write,\u00a0\u00a0how to discover your personal style, how to make\u00a0\u00a0sentences come alive, and how to overcome\u00a0\u00a0procrastination and writer&#8217;s block &#8212; including more than\u00a0\u00a0thirty provocative &#8220;Try this&#8221; exercises to\u00a0\u00a0get your pen moving.<\/p>\n<p>And here also\u00a0\u00a0is a larger vision of the writer&#8217;s task:\u00a0\u00a0balancing daily responsibilities with a commitment to\u00a0\u00a0writing; knowing when to take risks as a writer and a\u00a0\u00a0human being; coming to terms with success and\u00a0\u00a0failure and loss; and learning self-acceptance &#8212; both\u00a0\u00a0in life and art.<\/p>\n<p><em>Wild\u00a0\u00a0Mind<\/em> will change your way of writing. It\u00a0\u00a0may also change your life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Review<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I started reading\u00a0a chapter a day of <em>Wild Mind <\/em>at the suggestion of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.andilit.com\/\">Andi Cumbo<\/a>. Andi is a friend and gifted writer I have come to respect and admire.<\/p>\n<p>An incredible thing happened when I heeded Andi&#8217;s advice, I actually looked forward to getting up in the morning to read this book. For anyone who knows me, this is a major accomplishment, because I am not a morning person.<\/p>\n<p>This morning, I read five chapters and finished\u00a0<em>Wild Mind<\/em>. I was immersed in Natalie Goldberg&#8217;s writing. I love this woman. Her writing is rich and beautiful. She is really a gifted writer. Each chapter brought to life an analogy or personal reflection. I enjoyed gleaning the nuggets she shared throughout the book.<\/p>\n<p>Now, I&#8217;m eager to start her first book called<em> Writing Down The Bones<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>What I also find interesting is years ago when I was counseling with a particular therapist. I believe it was in my early twenties, she asked me this question, &#8220;What do you enjoy doing?&#8221; I remember blurting out, &#8220;I want to be a writer.&#8221; I even surprised myself with that response. She recommended two books by Natalie Goldberg, <em>Writing Down The Bones <\/em>and <em>Wild Mind.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I bought both books and they&#8217;ve sat on my bookshelf untouched for years.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ll be turning forty six in three weeks. Yep, I&#8217;m an old foagie. You are probably wondering (much like I am), what in the world happened? Why didn&#8217;t I become a writer?<\/p>\n<p>Life happened. I don&#8217;t know. I guess deep down I didn&#8217;t think or believe I was a writer.<\/p>\n<p>Until I met the brilliant writer Jeff Goins who taught me otherwise. I have no idea how it happened, but I walked into an amazing writing community on Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>I started reading <a href=\"http:\/\/goinswriter.com\/\">Jeff Goins blog<\/a>, but it wasn&#8217;t until I read his book called<em> <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/PHUGdm\">You Are A Writer<\/a> <\/em>(which is free today only), I came to accept that I am a writer. I will always have Jeff Goins to thank for this. (If you haven&#8217;t read his book, I highly recommend it).<\/p>\n<p>Jeff Goins will be coming out with another resource in a week, which I&#8217;ve been blessed to get a sneak peak, called <a href=\"http:\/\/tribewriters.com\/\">Tribe Writers<\/a>. Seriously, you don&#8217;t want to miss this online writing course. It&#8217;s going to be awesome.<\/p>\n<p>I read another amazing book recently (which I also reviewed) called <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Lets-Write-Short-Story-ebook\/dp\/B008Z96GF6\">Let&#8217;s Write a Short Story!<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>by <a href=\"http:\/\/joebunting.com\/\">Joe Bunting<\/a>.\u00a0 He is a deep, distinguished and gifted writer. His writing is absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. He has a great website which is also an excellent resource for writers called <a href=\"http:\/\/thewritepractice.com\/\">The Write Practice<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I am thankful the Lord opened doors for me to meet these wonderful people who are great writers and read their amazing books. I have been blessed to learn and grow as a writer.<\/p>\n<p><em>Wild Mind <\/em>by Natalie Goldberg is a great book which I highly recommend to all writers on any level. There is something for everyone in this book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/?attachment_id=1088\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1088\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1088  aligncenter\" title=\"Natalie\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Natalie1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"210\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Natalie1.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Natalie1-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"authorBio\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/nataliegoldberg.com\/\">Natalie Goldberg<\/a> lived in Brooklyn until she was six, when her family moved out to Farmingdale, Long Island, where her father owned the bar the Aero Tavern. From a young age, Goldberg was mad for books and reading, and especially loved Carson McCullers&#8217;s <em>The Ballad of the Sad Cafe<\/em>, which she read in ninth grade. She thinks that single book led her eventually to put pen to paper when she was twenty-four years old. She received a BA in English literature from George Washington University and an MA in humanities from St. John&#8217;s University.Goldberg has painted for as long as she has written, and her paintings can be seen in Living Color: A Writer Paints Her World and Top of My Lungs: Poems and Paintings. They can also be viewed at the Ernesto Mayans Gallery on Canyon Road in Sante Fe.A dedicated teacher, Goldberg has taught writing and literature for the last thirty-five years. She also leads national workshops and retreats, and her schedule can be accessed via her website: <a href=\"http:\/\/nataliegoldberg.com\/\">nataliegoldberg.com<\/a>In 2006, she completed with the filmmaker Mary Feidt a one-hour documentary, Tangled Up in Bob, about Bob Dylan&#8217;s childhood on the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota. The film can be obtained on Amazon or the website <a href=\"http:\/\/tangledupinbob.com\/TangledUpInBob.html\">tangledupinbob.com<\/a>.Goldberg has been a serious Zen practitioner since 1974 and studied with Katagiri Roshi from 1978 to 1984.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: Bantam (October 1, 1990) Language: English ISBN-10: 0553347756 ISBN-13: 978-0553347753 Price: $17.00 Purchase: Amazon | BN Description Natalie Goldberg, author of the bestselling\u00a0\u00a0Writing Down The Bones, teaches a method\u00a0\u00a0of writing that can take you beyond craft to the\u00a0\u00a0true source of creative power: The mind that is\u00a0\u00a0&#8220;raw, full of energy, alive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[16,90],"tags":[136,21,99,101,133,135,134,132,22],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1077"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1077"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1103,"href":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1077\/revisions\/1103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ordinaryservant.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}