Greetings, dear Wordsmiths –
I'm sure I've mentioned more than once that my favourite writer for writers is Natalie Goldberg, and my favourites of her books are the first two she wrote in that capacity: Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind. I still return to them for inspiration, and for the pleasure I take in her clear and engaging writing. (The photo below shows how well-used my copies are!)
One of the chapters in Wild Mind is called Pleasure. It recounts the tale of someone who had a severe nervous breakdown in her twenties, and completely lost touch with who she was. She was lucky enough to find a therapist who gradually restored her to herself. This started with the therapist asking her ‘to find one thing that she liked, just for herself,’ not because anyone else, or society in general, said it was good, and not to impress other people.
‘Finally … she came up with one thing. She knew, irretrievably, just for herself, that she honestly liked the taste of chocolate. From that one pleasure, she and the therapist began the reconstruction of an authentic life.’
Goldberg goes on to talk of the ‘deep pleasure’ that not only reading but writing can be. She finishes the chapter with a prompt, and I pass it on to you :
Your optional prompt this week is to answer the question, What pleases you?
(Yes, that sounds a bit like Rommy's 'glimmers' prompt from last week, but I don't see why we can't have two prompts in a row which accentuate the positive.)
Goldberg says to first make a list of things that please you, 'all for yourself, not because your mom, your girlfriend, your aunt likes it,' and then to write about one of the pleasures on your list.
She adds, ‘It is a very kind act to take a friend’s hand and show him or her the pleasure you have in something. Write with this in mind, as though you were sharing it.’
Guidelines
Goldberg's instruction to her readers is to write for ten minutes. Here, we don't mind how long you take, but we do ask you to limit your piece to 369 words max (excluding title).
It can be poetry or prose, old or new. Please post it to your blog and link to that post via Mister Linky below.
(If the prompt doesn't inspire you, please feel free to share something else you've written.)
For next week, Magaly will invite us to write poetry or prose, which includes a cliché used in an unusual way.
All kinds of things entered my mind but my schedule isn't for writing much. And I had already decided to post a previously written piece. I did leave a note that this did give me pleasure that they come. I've lived through some pretty tough winters, growing up in Nebraska. One of my uncles would come to southwest Texas every winter, for he and his wife a home away from home, they had a trailer that stayed in the trailer park year round. Another cousin still lives in Las Vegas every winter.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that prompt, I'll see how the folks wrote for it, especially you that came up with it.
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Thanks, Jim. It's perfectly fine to share something previously written – and I know you are someone who savours life's pleasures and joys in any case.
DeleteAm still sharing from my series, though I love the idea of writing as if sharing with a friend. Colleen's link doesn't seem to work - or is that just for me? Have a great day, everyone!
ReplyDeleteIt's not just you. I've alerted Colleen about her link, deleted it and asked her to try again. Very happy to read from your series!
DeleteI like so many things but cats and humour take priority. Enjoy the weekend everyone. Four weeks until Spring.....counting down the days....hate winter.
ReplyDeleteBeen a cold one this year (for us ) Signed Rall
I hate the cold too, but also have some fear of what our summer is likely to be, with all the fires in the northern hemisphere and dry conditions predicted here. But yes, I can look as far as a nice weekend!
DeleteWhen I took writing classes, one of the books we had to read was Writing Down The Bones. It had a great effect on me.
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to meet others who have benefited from it. I think there are a lot of us! I first read it somewhere between 20 and 30 years ago, and I notice it doesn't go out of print.
DeleteI have a copy of Writing Down the Bones in my to-be-read pile. I guess I should move up the list.
ReplyDeleteI hope you fall in love with it as so many others have.
DeleteThe breakdown recovery aided by here therapist was wonderful. It pleases me, I wish Plath could have had a good therapist, maybe that just didn't work for her. Such a wasted talent. Also though, she was my age is partly why I like her.
ReplyDeleteA thought, a "wish" afterwards for something that didn't happen is a wasted wish, adds to the grief. Not really a "wish" at all.
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Despite Plath's tragic death, troubled life, and the appalling treatment she received in the name of therapy, despite wishing she could have gone on to greater heights, still I don't think we can call her talent wasted when the poems she did leave us are of such lasting brilliance. I think she was far and away the greatest poet of her time. The things she could do with language ... !
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