The Art of Writing Memoir: Finding the Past in the Present

by Natalie Goldberg

This weekend workshop, presented on 3 CDs, is a primer on writing the modern memoir, which, unlike your grandmother's memoir, can be written at any age. Also, a memoir can be about just part of your life. "The more you are present, the more the past will come up and be alive," says Natalie. "Only right now can give you your past."
TOPICS INCLUDE HOW
Crack Open Structure
Listen Effectively
Use Specific Detail
Quiet Your Monkey Mind
Find a New Angle
Fail Successfully
Make Connections with Your Mind

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook

3 pages, Audio CD

Published November 1, 2010

About the author

Natalie Goldberg 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's The Ballad of the Sad Cafe , 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'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: nataliegoldberg.com

In 2006, she completed with the filmmaker Mary Feidt a one-hour documentary, Tangled Up in Bob, about Bob Dylan's childhood on the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota. The film can be obtained on Amazon or the website tangledupinbob.com.

Goldberg has been a serious Zen practitioner since 1974 and studied with Katagiri Roshi from 1978 to 1984.

Reviews

[Bon Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon Writing Down the Bones as maybe 20 yo, and bought it for sole reason of title sounding wicked good. And maybe a tiny little quantum of hope I might turn into half bad but full haired version of Henry Miller some day. Missed on both accounts btw. This is recording of the writing workshop of the same author, and I can tell you this. Can't vouch for participants' hair(s), but damn are they capable in writing department. Some of the works made ad hoc in ten minutes upon hearing Natalie's prompts made me think what they're even doing there. I guess they've been writing down the bones, and their asses off all these years.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun listening to a class on writing memoir and not necessarily having to participate.

[Yolande · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a recording of a live, multi-day workshop Natalie Goldberg gave about writing memoir. I really enjoyed listening to it in the evenings before days where I would be generating new writing toward essays and memoir chapters. Even though I didn't do the prompts in the workshop, it was inspiring to hear her advice and the participants' responses to the prompts. It felt like I was at my own mini retreat in the privacy of my home. It definitely helped get the juices flowing. She shares a lot of insight and advice that I took into my writing sessions the next day.

I highly recommend this if you're looking for an affordable, private writing retreat focused on memoir! The recording plays brief music after each prompt, so you can pause the recording and follow along if you wish to participate.

[Grant Gunston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book.

The book (which is in the form of a summarized, live workshop), provides another perspective on writing, which is helpful and broadening
Its effect is to encourage one to write

Some highlights:

Write anything and often
- keep your pen moving
- ⁠2 minute burst
- ⁠10 minute burst
- ⁠pick themes, even random / odd ones

Write with other(s) for energy
- read your writing to each other

Write details
- it provides intensity
- ⁠and relatability (?)

Sometimes writing surprises you with its importance (to you)

Don’t store a memory to come back to
- Write it now
- ⁠[you can always reorganise it]

"Disrupt the space."
- sit/stand in a different space.
- Write with different people.
- Feel uncomfortable and embrace it.

[Zoe Langley-Wathen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review relates to the audio book. There are some useful nuggets and advice about how to approach memoir and the author is clearly knowledgeable about the craft. It's narrated by Natalie in the form of a live recording from one of her workshops, so you can pause the recording and participate yourself with the writing tasks if you wish. I think I would benefit from reading the hard copy version as there were a few distractions in the audio I couldn't get along with.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally worth! Don’t get tossed away.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent prompts and presentation.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to go write now.

[Vladimir Kozhevnikov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does it make sense? Not much, honestly.

[Lori Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I would have LOVED to be in that class! Gold. I’m so grateful it was recorded and put into an audiobook. Thank you!

[Ana-Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This audio recording of the writing workshop lead by Goldberg was very interesting; the exercises are to do homes for the listener, but my goal was to enjoy the creativity and the stories of the attendees. Many were surprisingly good and some were so emotional that I shed a few tears. It is amazing to see how many stories lie around us and how easy it is to let them out, communicated, and released.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this disappointing. I've always wanted to go to a Natalie Goldberg workshop, but was underwhelmed by this audiotape of a Taos workshop. Perhaps she has just done too many of them, but I didn't feel any energy or enthusiasm from her.

I love, love, love her Old Friend From Far Away, and I think that this workshop was based on that book. The prompts and "take aways" were the same, however, she didn't include many of her insightful stories about writing memoir. So I found this boring. And the majority of it is attendees reading their exercises out loud - really tiresome, to be honest. I'm sure it worked for the workshop, but it didn't work on audio. After each reaching, Natalie would say, "You see?" or "You see what I mean?" But she would never say WHAT we were supposed to see or what she meant. Very little teaching; she expects us to intuit her thoughts. Maybe you do if you're in the room with her.

So I wouldn't recommend this. Buy Old Friend or Writing Down The Bones instead. They are cheaper and much better.

[Rhonda Rae Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this teaching series twice through and gleaned from it both times. A wonderful way to get yourself out of a rut and open up to new thinking. I loved Natalie Goldberg's Writing the Bones and gave this a try. Very different but inspirational...TY Natalie...I'll be listening to your spirit again...(-:

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent inspiration and practical strategies for this who want to write but are stopped by that inner critic. So glad I read this!