Goldberg: Claim Your Writing

In Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, there is a section on claiming your writing. In the first part, entitled Use Loneliness, she discusses literally using your own loneliness to write. She suggests writing with the purpose of connecting to another human being - and I find that to be good advice. Oftentimes we think that writing is therapeutic if we only write it for ourselves - but are we truly getting it out of us if no one else is reading it? Similarly, if we have certain feelings, we won't be rid of them unless we talk to someone about them. There is no release, no catharsis, if no one is there to listen.


In another part called A Story Circle, Goldberg suggests getting some friends together and having a writing circle, where you suggest a prompt such as "tell us a story you love to tell," and write about it. I really like this idea, and plan to utilize it in the future. Also in this segment, Goldberg says to "write how you talk, nothing fancy." I feel that this is important, as the stories I enjoy most are the ones written in a believable voice. The ones written in a voice I can relate to, casual and real. I think that is an important piece of advice.