Goldberg Blog

This was a very interesting piece of writing. Breaking it up into the short stories helped me to define the difference stages or strategies for good writing. It put things into perspective and gave really good advice.

Use Loneliness
Reading this I was able to put myself in her shoes and really felt what she was was trying to say. I too have been alone in the past so I could really relate to this. "Taste the bitterness of isolation, and from that place feel a kinship and compassion for all the people who have been alone." Good advice since everyone has felt loneliness in their lives at one point or another and using loneliness as a starting point lets you connect with more people.

Blue Lipstick and Cigarette hanging out your Mouth
Very unique advice given here, and one that works because it opens your mind to other different or unique things like, "Dye your hair green, paint your nails purple, get your nose pierced," all things that most of us would not do, but if we did, it would open our minds to write about different things and not the usual boring things we tend to write about. Great advice here!

Going Home
More great advice here. We tend to focus our writing on other people, places we've been, or past experiences, and we tend to avoid writing about our own families. I think it is because most of us find it boring since we had to live it. We tend to forget we are writing to inform other people and it just might be quite interesting for them to read about our family. The part that was intriguing to me was where she said to write about how your family may speak, "there are charming ways your family and region speak. Get to know that; appreciate it." My family has quirky sayings as I'm sure most families do, but I would have never thought to write about them. Interesting!

Claim your Writing
This is how I feel when I have to write a story. I do not have the confidence and I believe my stories are garbage. "It is very difficult for us to comprehend and value our own lives." I see other peoples work as magnificent, but mine is worthless to me. I have to work on this and take her advice, "It is not as important for the world to claim as it is to claim it for ourselves." I need to stand behind my work and look at it as it is at that moment and worry about the other stuff later. If I claim my writing as it is, I will be able make adjustments later on (add, subtract, etc.).

Trust Yourself
This is kind of like the workshops we do in class where we passed around our work for the others in our group to critique. That helped me a little. I was able to take the criticism and revise my work using my classmates suggestions. Her suggestions here is to "listen to what people say; take in what they say, then make your own decision." Sometimes listening to other peoples suggestions will help you if your are struggling and cannot find the right words to use.

The Samurai
She talks here about rereading your notes and taking unnecessary things out, "cutting it out." "Be willing to look at your work honestly." If it works, keep it, "if it doesn't, quit beating a dead horse."Something good will eventually come to mind and then you will be able to write it down. I think patience is the key too. In fact I think it is the main thing.

All in all, very good advice to anyone just beginning to write. I really thought her advice given was right on key and hopefully I will be able to take her advice on these. She really knows how to describe things in ways we all can understand and like I said before, her breaking them down into little stories will help the writer-to-be stay focused. I got a lot of out this particular reading.