No Place Else to Go: A Glimpse of Natalie Goldberg's Writing Life

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No Place Else to Go: A Glimpse of Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Life Karen L. Giles-Smith Spring Arbor University

Natalie Goldberg discovered she loved literature in college. Although she was passionate about poetry — especially the poems of Milton, Shelley, and Keats — she didn’t realize she herself had license to be a poet until she stumbled upon a book of poetry to which she could relate, Erica Jong’s Fruits and Vegetables. Since then, even though she considers abandoning writing every other month, Goldberg knows that she is meant to write. “When you accept writing as what you are supposed to do, after you’ve tried everything else…there’s finally no place else to go” (Goldberg, 1986, p. 135). For nearly 20 years, Goldberg has been a successful writer, poet, and teacher. She has written eight books, including writing guides, poetry, and memoirs. This paper provides some insight as to why Goldberg is passionate about writing and briefly examines some of her advice on how to create good writing. The Proof is in the Passion According to Goldberg, connecting with herself and with the world are the benefits of writing (Saunders, 1991). Goldberg also believes that anyone can write – that everyone has something to say and a unique way to say it (Zeiger, 2003). Goldberg also believes talent isn’t necessary to write well. Instead, she puts emphasis on perseverance and determination — human effort. But the effort is not blood, sweat and tears. The effort is forcing oneself to wake up. And to Goldberg, waking up means being aware and mindful: noticing subtle details and knowing the specific names of things like trees and flowers. Talent is nice, she says, but work takes you much further (Goldberg, 1986; Sounds True, n.d.).
Goldberg believes that noticing and appreciating the details in all aspects of life is crucial to living in the moment – being awake, aware, and present. In addition to adding depth and meaning to life, awareness provides material to draw upon when writing. And there’s another advantage of writing, as Goldberg (1986) explains: In a rainstorm, everyone quickly runs down the street with umbrellas, raincoats, newspapers over their heads. Writers go back outside in the rain with a notebook in front of them and a pen in hand. They look at the puddles, watch them fill, watch the rain splash in them. (p. 48) Afterward, writers sit down, experience this event again, and consider it carefully. “Writers write about things that other people don’t pay much attention to,” says Goldberg, “A writer’s job is to make the ordinary come alive, to awaken ourselves to the specialness of simply being” (Goldberg, 1986, p. 99). In other words, writers get to live twice. The Bare Bones of Writing Goldberg advises, “What is important is not just what you do…but how you do it, how you approach it, and what you come to value” (Goldberg, 1986, p. 118). Goldberg’s advice on writing is mainly philosophical: trust in yourself, pay attention to what’s right in front of you, listen without judgment, write from your heart (express your first thoughts before second-guessing), be adventurous in your writing, practice, and persevere. Goldberg sums it up this way: “Basically, if you want to become a good writer, you need to do three things. Read a lot, listen well and deeply, and write a lot. And don’t think too much. Just enter the heat of words and sounds and colored sensations and keep your pen moving across the page” (Goldberg, 1986, pp. 53-54). Goldberg also offers some specific suggestions on the craft of writing: use real detail; add passion; don’t get too far off topic; don’t be self-absorbed; don’t tell readers what to feel, show them the situation; make clear, assertive statements; and use verbs in fresh ways. To discern if Goldberg follows her own advice, I searched one of her memoirs, Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America (1993) for examples of three of her suggestions: embed emotion into writing, use clear and confident wording, and use verbs creatively. I chose these suggestions as markers because they are easy to identify within prose and are more objective than subjective (compared to “Don’t be self-absorbed,” for instance). Goldberg’s suggestions are not innovative, but they are solid pieces of advice also given by experts in the craft of writing such as Zinsser (2001), Lamott (1994), and Cameron (1992). Embed Emotion Goldberg credits this piece of advice to an old adage about writing: Don’t tell, but show. She suggests that writers show the reader what circumstances give birth to an emotion instead of telling the reader exactly how it feels or how they should feel. Emotion should be roused in the reader through the writer’s prose without using words that define emotion such as anger, sadness, elation, or frustration (Goldberg, 1986). Following her own “Show, don’t tell” advice may be more difficult in a memoir such as Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America (1993), however, Goldberg’s writing is overburdened with phrases such as “I felt like a fool…” (p. 3), “Again, I was that sad girl in high school…” (p. 5), “In fifth grade I was mad for my teacher, Mr. Burke.” (p. 9), “I was embarrassed because somehow I knew I had been arrogant.” (p. 111), and “I wanted to support him, but my heart ached.” (p. 215). Goldberg’s openness and honesty help the reader understand and relate, however, nearly every page contains emotional declarations. The reader isn’t given the chance to feel for themselves. Use Clear, Confident Wording Goldberg believes that writers, especially beginners, should use clear, assertive statements and avoid indefinite modifiers such as perhaps, maybe, and somehow. Even though life isn’t always clear, she explains, affirmative statements encourage writers to trust their own minds and to stand up for their thoughts. Goldberg says, “Even if you are not sure of something, express it as though you know yourself. With this practice you eventually will” (1986, p. 86). It’s evident that there is nothing tentative about Goldberg’s writing. In Long Quiet Highway, she doesn’t seem to seek validation or apologize for her thoughts or feelings. Her writing is clear, concise, and powerful. Readers may not agree with Goldberg, but she appears to understand and accept herself. As a result, her writing is strong and refreshing.
Use Verbs Creatively “The more you are awake to all aspects of language, the more vibrant your writing will be,” counsels Goldberg, referring to the power of verbs (1986, p. 89). She believes verbs are the action and energy of a sentence and should be used in fresh ways. To discover creative noun-verb combinations, Goldberg suggests making a list of nouns on the left side of a piece of paper and a list of verbs on the right side, joining the nouns with various verbs, and then finishing the sentences. Unique and interesting wording may result, such as: “Dinosaurs marinate in the earth,” and “Her husband’s breathing sawed her sleep in half” (pp. 88-89).
In practice, Goldberg’s prose is simple and straightforward. She incorporates similes and metaphors, but her descriptions are far from flowery. Creative uses of verbs are lightly sprinkled throughout Long Quiet Highway (1993), but her writing maintains a conversational sound. An example of her use of “fresh” verbs is: “There was no place else to go, but moving my hand across the page gave me a way to eat my landscape, rather than be eaten by it” (p. 31). Ordinary noun-verb combinations such as “I’d watch the big white cumulus clouds sail over Taos Mountain…” (p. 84) are more common in Goldberg’s writing, which helps maintain a conversational style. After listening to a recording of an interview with Goldberg on New Dimensions World Broadcasting Network, I realize that she writes in a style very similar to the way she talks – she is well-spoken, but also plain-spoken. Conclusion Goldberg’s convictions come through in her writing. She is passionate about experiencing life in a state of awareness and appreciation and utilizes her writing to open readers’ eyes so they too can appreciate the extraordinary in the ordinary. As a result of this passion, and to articulate this passion, Goldberg’s writing style is open, direct, clear, and confident. She uses language descriptively to express herself, but does not obscure the meaning of her words with ornate prose. Although Goldberg’s writing doesn’t excel in a technical sense, it is an accurate expression of and effective vehicle for what she wishes to convey.

References Cameron, J. (1992). The artist’s way: A spiritual path to higher creativity. New York: G. T. Putnam’s Sons. Goldberg, N. (1993). The long quiet highway: Waking up in America. New York: Bantam Books. Goldberg, N. (1986). Writing down the bones: Freeing the writer within. Boston: Shambhala. Lamott. A. (1994). Bird by bird: Some instructions on writing and life. New York: Anchor Books. Saunders, C. (1991, December). Wild mind: An interview with Natalie Goldberg. The Sun. Retrieved March 2, 2005, from http://www.drcat.org/articlesinterviews/html/nataliegoldberg.html Sounds True. (n.d.). Interview: Writing as spiritual practice - Natalie Goldberg. Retrieved March 2, 2005, from http://store.yahoo.com/soundstruestore/interview-goldberg.html Zeiger, G. (2003, November). Keep the hand moving: Natalie Goldberg on Zen and the art of writing practice. The Sun. Retrieved March 2, 2005, from http://www.thesunmagazine.org/Sun335Goldberg.pdf Zinsser, W. (2001). On writing well: The classic guide to writing nonfiction. (6th ed.). New York:

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