Quote: Nathalie Goldberg

I read Nathalie Goldberg's two books about writing, Wild Mind and Writing Down the Bones years ago.  Still have them on the shelf, and did a quick squizz through them the other day.  Some of what she says I can still see influencing my writing process and habits.


I was reminded of her again by this quote, which Ali Edwards used on her blog (here is her page of Collected Quotes).  While playing along with NaNoWriMo, I find myself harvesting from the day.  Blue birds, meals, glimpses, people, words, phrases.  Noticing, then remembering is so important.


Learn to write about the ordinary. Give homage to old coffee cups, sparrows, city buses, thin ham sandwiches. Make a list of everything ordinary you can think of. Keep adding to it. Promise yourself, before you leave the earth, to mention everything on your list at least once in a poem, short story, newspaper article.
Nathalie Goldberg