Quotable Thoughts: Writing Down the Bones
"We walk through so many myths of each other and ourselves; we are so thankful when someone sees us for who we are and accepts us."
From the Chapter Artistic Stability in Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
"The problem is we think we exist. We think our words are permanent and solid and stamp us forever. That's not true. We write in the moment. Sometimes when I read poems at a reading to strangers, I realize they think those poems are me. They are not me, even if I speak in the "I" person. They were my thoughts and my hand and the space and the emotions at that time of writing. Watch yourself. Every minute we change. It is a great opportunity. At any point, we can step out of our frozen selves and our ideas and begin fresh. That is how writing is. Instead of freezing us, it frees us. ... The power is always in the act of writing. Come back to that again and again and again. ... We constantly need new insights, visions. We don't exist in any solid form. There is no permanent truth you can corner...that will satisfy you forever. Don't identify too strongly with your work. Stay fluid behind those black-and-white words. They are not you. They were a great moment going through you. A moment you were awake enough to write down and capture."
From the Chapter We Are Not the Poem in Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
Some things are said so perfectly, they do not need explanation.