Instead of giving up, I reread a few passages from Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
Is this a sign to read more often or a temporary gift from a stranger? Maybe I just need someone else to guide me to clarity. It’s more like a Writer’s Bible that I’ve read so often I should have it memorized by now. Each time, I manage to get another good hit of inspiration to last a few hours.
Specifically, the passage titled ‘Artistic Stability’ caught my attention. In the two pages, Goldberg talks about notebooks she piled onto her neighbors doorstep before a retreat.
This reminded me of the standard I used to have for writing when I was in high school; all the hundreds of journals I’d fill and relentless hours spent in front of a computer screen.
Is the answer to my problem really so simple?
I’ve reread her words over a dozen times — trying to recharge my own artistic ability. Lately I feel like I’ve lost the magic. Nothing feels perfect, like it seemed to be in the past.
I remember Sophomore year; the A/C in our classroom broke and the Florida heat remained a guest for two months, yet I somehow managed to write clearly.
See, my English teacher had a habit of anonymously sharing three or four stories, reading them aloud, and then allowing everyone to critique things about the essay. I noticed he had chosen my essay in this particular round, but I remained silent, wanting to hear if my writing was any good. Would I get honest feedback because they didn’t know the author?
“If you are not afraid of the voices inside you, you will not fear the critics outside you.”
- Natalie Goldberg; Writing Down the Bones (pg. 19)
They hated it. Or at least, that’s how I initially took it. I regretted that I was Curiosity, hoping to be liked by everyone.
But I had to remind myself: what was I trying to accomplish with this piece?
In this instance, I attempted to write a piece that told people how bad it would be if we developed AI robots. I wanted to scare my readers. One classmate made a comment that I sounded crazy, which prompted my teacher to point out that the author must have reached their intended goal then.
I keep talking about getting back in touch with my creativity like it walked out the door and left me. If I’ve learned anything from Goldberg’s advice, it is that even if I write complete trash — I need to write something in the first place to make it any better.
So, my friends, if you take anything from this post, know this: Don’t let the hope of perfection make you halt your own growth.
