Thank you Natalie. I have felt writing as a spiritual practice for a long time, even though I had no name for it particularly. I don't know much about Zen but the insights helped me with my own practices. The book also helped me free the part of me that wants to write self-indulgently and for fun instead of always pursuing the next big project. Write for joy and for yourself, as well as for publication or money. The book also has evocative places where Natalie has written, and lots of food - linking writing to daily life. It does not have to be in a special place or a special time - just somewhere with a pen and paper. I also use notebooks so it is good to read that they can be filled with brain-junk or "monkey mind" ramblings... and that they can still contain hidden ideas that later compost down into great writing.
A wonderful book, a meditation on writing.

Natalie Goldberg published this book in 1985 to critical acclaim. Her teaching revolutionized how writing is taught in the US. "Writing without stopping," one of the basic tenants of her book, is breakthrough, opening, connecting to what is deepest in you. It allows you access to your own deepest knowing and frees not only the writer within; it frees the heart and soul and spirit of the writer. A great gift for yourself and others. Jamila Vicki Davies

So what is it that Goldberg is trying to accomplish? Is she trying to convert people to zen? Is she a mouthpiece for Katagiri Roshi (whose name she brings up about every fifteen pages or so)? If she's trying to teach people how to write, she fails miserably. She takes a lot of time to say absolutely nothing and instead delivers common sense wrapped with pseudo-sagely drivel. The only redeeming feature? It proves that ANYONE can be published.

That's How the Light Gets In: Memoir of a Psychiatrist by Susan Rako, M.D. The title comes from a song by Leonard Cohen: "There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." Rako's book is remarkably candid, insightful, and wonderfully well-written. It's a great read. The writing just flows.

This book has striaght forward instructions for the would be writer. I purchased it to give me incentive on how to journal, write in general and write an autobiography. Natalie Goldberg suggests everything from what type of pen to use to the kind of environment you may choose to surround yourself in while attempting to write. It is simple straight forward suggestions. Don't buy it, however, if you need technical information like how to footnote or set up your pages. It isn't that type of book. It writes as if someone is speaking to you.