I am posting a book review that is on my old website (Pagetime (wordpress.com)), as I am no longer running that site all my future book reviews will be on this website if you are hoping for more, to anyone who found my old site. I was surprised at the number of views I was still getting on that site, despite only having the one book review and then abandoning it, whereas I am getting perhaps less traffic on my blog with nearly 20 posts. Book reviews then!

Writing Down the Bones Book Review:

So last year I read this book, Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg. It was fantastically recommended as a must read for aspiring writers. And since I was in the middle of revising and writing my novel I thought it would be great to read through. However, if you are looking for a book that has practical advice for writing a novel, look elsewhere. This book won’t help you. It is full of anecdotes, which while some are interesting and amusing, none of them will actually be of help to you in the craft of writing a novel.

The sort of writing this book focuses on is freestyle writing or writing as an alternative to meditation, as a lifestyle choice in its self. I would suppose this sort of focus might be useful to someone writing poetry, although Goldberg doesn’t mention poetry much, if at all, in her book. But to be honest, I don’t think this book will be too useful for a poet; I think reading poetry would be a better option for someone aspiring to write verse.

I think the positive reviews for this book overhype it as a must read for all aspiring to succeed in the ancient art of putting ink to paper; but if I want a book to help me with writing, I want it to discuss essential elements like plot and character, rather than presenting a series of disconnected anecdotes that still leave you wondering what you’ve got to do to write and write well. I am surprised, given what the book is, the success it has achieved. I suppose if it is something Goldberg has done well with this book, is in imbuing it with her own soul and strength and that is why it is the success it is.

I may read other books that advise on the craft of writing, but perhaps Oscar Wilde gives the best advice to writers: “It is always a silly thing to give advice, but to give good advice is absolutely fatal.”