Old Friend from Far Away: The
Practice of Writing Memoir by Natalie
Goldberg
Seeing Through New Eyes
Twenty years ago Natalie Goldbergs classic, Writing Down the Bones,
broke new ground in its approach to writing as a practice. Now, Old Friend
from Far Away -- her first book since Writing Down the Bones to focus
solely on writing -- reaffirms Goldbergs status as a foremost teacher of
writing, and completely transforms the practice of writing memoir.To write
memoir, we must first know how to remember. Through timed, associative,
and meditative exercises, Old Friend from Far Away guides you to the
attentive state of thought in which you discover and open forgotten doors
of memory. At once a beautifully written celebration of the memoir form, an
innovative course full of practical teachings, and a deeply affecting
meditation on consciousness, love, life, and death, Old Friend welcomes
aspiring writers of all levels and encourages them to find their unique voice
to tell their stories.Goldbergs enormously popular workshops have given

countless students the ability to heed the call to write. Old Friend from Far
Away recreates her trademark workshop style with its terse, demanding
writing sprints that train the hand and mind to quicken their pace and give
up conscious control. These exercises divert the eye from the obvious and
redirect it to the tactile details we miss, the embarrassments we pass over,
and the complications we overlook in the blur of everyday living. Goldberg
writes, No one says it, but writing induces the state of love. Old Friend from
Far Away guides us into that state of love, where heightened attention and
a rhythm of focus allow the patterns and details of the past to emerge on
the page.Millions of Americans want to write about their lives. With Old
Friend as the road map for getting started and following through, writers
and readers will gain a deeper understanding of their own minds, learn to
connect with their senses in order to find the detail and truth that give their
written words power and authenticity, and unfold the natural structure of
the stories they carry within. An absolute joy to read, it is a profound
affirmation of the capacity of the written word to remember the past, free
us from it, and forever transform theway we think about ourselves and our
lives. Like Writing Down the Bones, it will become an old friend to which
readers return again and again.
Personal Review: Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of
Writing Memoir by Natalie Goldberg
This book is a rare find. I am an unschooled writer but have been writing
my entire life. I am also an earth sculptor. I wrote a journalistic book
entitled "Earth Mothers: One Woman's Path of Healing Through
Motherhood, Art and the Earth." It is about creating a series of life-sized
women out of earth - dirt. I sent my book to several people and to an
agent. Although people loved the writing, the book needs help. The agent
said I need a stronger narrative.
I came across Natalie's book and have, page by page, been doing the
exercises. I am slowly rewriting my entire book. Through the process of
these writing exercises, I am learning things about myself and about my
life that I had not previously unearthed. It has been illuminating and it has
offered a very different construct to how I tell my story.
My book is meant to guide others through their own healing. But it has to
be done in a way that can be heard. Part of my life purpose is to guide
others to have their voices heard. Right now I am a book designer [...]. I
am guiding authors to get their voices out there. Later, in the next stage of
my life, I will be conducting workshops to guide women to access their
deepest selves so that they themselves may hear and speak their own
voices. It is imperative that in my own book, I am able to draw people in, so
that they can, if they so desire, learn from my own growing, learn from my
own daring to speak my voice.
Natalie's book is clear, no nonsense, forthright, and gets you right to it, if
you're willing to go the distance. It is guiding me to offer the gift of my own
passage in a way that may invite and encourage the reader's own healing.

Thank you, Natalie, for helping me on my path!
Robin Brooks, western Massachusetts
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