I once worked at a school for wanna-be life coaches, where I was
surrounded by hundreds of self-help and motivational books. The
students I saw every day (mostly middle-aged divorced women) were
constantly trying to convince me of the life-changing benefits of
reading Dr. Phil and The Road Less Traveled. I was skeptical. I
gave a few of these recommendations a shot, but they were a
disappointing mixed bag. Nothing compared to the inspirational doozy I
read in college creative writing class, Natalie Goldberg’s 1986 classic
Writing Down the Bones. Dr. Phil’s got nothing on
Goldberg.
While Bones concentrated on writing fiction, Goldberg’s
newest instructional book, Old Friend from Far Away, dives into
the practice of penning memoirs. Filled with pithy and funny chunks of
advice, Goldberg’s just as rousing as I remember: “[Writing] is not a
diet to become skinny, but a relaxation into the fat of our lives.”
Even if you have absolutely no desire to write a memoir, you’ll walk
away from Old Friend filled with the strangest need to document
the wrinkles of your life. Goldberg makes you feel like an aching hole
has existed in your life unless you step up and start writing.
Not much in the way of a front-to-cover book, Old Friend from Far
Away is an engaging, practical means to an end. Goldberg’s short
chapters range from writing exercises (“What are you not willing to
reveal? Go, 10 minutes.”) to motivational stopgaps designed to get you
off your creative ass. Like: “If you’re 30 years old, stop everything
[and start writing]. You already have too much to capture. If you’re 60
and your memories are fading, seven images—your mother’s face, a
cake from Ebinger’s bakery, the feel of a football, a street you
remember, the smell of gunshot, the first movie you loved, one time of
heartbreaking sex—should fill a book.” It’s the sort of kindly
enthusiasm that ensures a permanent reference place on your writing
desk.
This isn’t the dried-up crust of a “how-to” book. Goldberg’s book is
filled with stories from her life, excerpts and examples of great
memoirs from Steve Almond to Allen Ginsberg, and practical—yet
passionate—advice. She’s like your favorite mentor, giving you
gem after valuable gem as you jump headlong into the
never-before-considered world of memoir.