I think Natalie Goldberg has a good idea of what helps her write. She is consistent, funny, and her tone is really readable. However, I don't agree at all with her techniques. For a beginner, this is a good place to start; but for somebody who has been writing for a while, her suggestions don't apply.
Everybody has their own technique. On page 7, Goldberg says, "Handwriting is more connected with the heart." This would be true, if she specified that it's her opinion. I am much more thoughtful when I type because I can get my thoughts out faster.
Another concern I have is about her rules. Page 8 has rules like "Don't cross out" and "Don't worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar..." Personally, I write better when I edit as I go. Some may think that this disrupts my thought process, but it actually helps me to decide where I'm going next. I am the type of person who is constantly thinking, so by editing I am organizing and arranging my thoughts (it's my way of taking a break to assess.)
I think what gave me the most pause is when Goldberg talks about practicing on page 11: "You practice whether you want to or not. You don't wait around for inspiration and a deep desire to run." I wait around. What's the harm in that? Why can't I wait for an intense, emotional moment to write? I don't practice my writing by writing nonsense everyday. I practice by writing meaningful things that happen on the spot. I think this is also an important skill to develop; can you just drop everything and write in an intense moment like that?
Getting deeper into that subject, Goldberg touches on it again on page 15: "...I attempted several times a month to write about my father dying. I was exploring and composting the material. Then suddenly...a long poem about that subject poured out of me." That was probably one of her most treasured pieces of writing. I guess I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around the requirement to write nonsense everyday and only having a few moments of pouring yourself out. Why waste your energy when the "pouring out" is coming anyway?
My problem is that I don't think people should be writing if they don't have anything to say. (Isn't that what Facebook is for?) As Goldberg says on page 19, "The blank page can be intimidating, and it does get boring to write over and over again for ten minutes of practice." Why write something if you have nothing to say? I don't see the point in practicing if you are a blank state. I guess I'm just attracted to emotion in my writing!
All in all, I think beginners will definitely benefit from reading Goldberg's book. Her description of detail and how to go about it is flawless. Unfortunately for me, I have already developed a technique that has made me (from a personal standpoint) a good writer. I hope people don't think that they have to follow this to the letter as I truly believe that finding your own process is the main part in becoming an excellent writer.
The most interesting poem in the assigned packet, in my opinion, was the very first one. Reading it in a quiet place, I finally could piece apart the poem.
"Geology of Water" seems to slowly get darker and darker as the poem goes on. First, I observed the colors used in the poem; in the first verse, indigo and cobalt are the two colors. In the second verse, the author describes a drowning, "...I can hear him/ drown, a man made out of water/ whose words arise like bubbles/ to the surface..." (lines 14-17). Keywords that darken the poem in the next verse (or continuing verse two depending on how you look at it) are "catastrophe" (23) and "...some things aren't worth surviving" (24).
The poem gets even darker in the next verse: "...like scars, the rings a fallen tree keeps to itself...sun and steel, moon and slate..." (33-35).
Using more violent terms in the next verse, the poem almost reaches its darkest spot: "Water is a momento they've thrown back...and those who came too late to be remains" (38-45).
Finally, "Geology of Water" reaches the point of death in the last verse. As time goes on, the poem goes from peaceful colors to "...the sea grew old here, and here it left its will to live..." (46-47). There is no hope remaining at the end of the poem. I felt like I was attending a funeral after watching the person grow up. It left me with a sad, bitter taste in my mouth. I think this poem took the most emotion from me, and that is why it was so easy for me to interpret.
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