Because I loved Natalie Goldberg's, "Writing Down the Bones", I was under the (mistaken) impression that I would also love "Wild Mind- Living the Writer's Life", too. Unfortunately, "Wild Mind" failed to make the same kind of impression on me and didn't really help with my writing as much as I would have liked. 

"Wild Mind" is a mixture between Natalie Goldberg's personal experiences and her writing exercises. Unlike "Writing Down the Bones", her personal experiences in "Wild Mind" barely touch the surface of her life. In "Writing Down the Bones",  I really appreciated her attention to the deep, dark details of her writing life and Zen Buddhism, but "Wild Mind" lacks the wisdom I have come to expect from Ms. Goldberg's writing. 

Most of her advice falls a little short. Instead, she tries her hand at explaining punctuation through her Zen-mind, but again, it doesn't even come close to reaching the level I would expect from her. Here's part of paragraph from "Wild Mind" as she ponders the comma. 

Bologna-a whole object, a whole thought in mind, a visual picture. Yes, then gum with a comma after it. Pause and feel its own solid being. 

I've read "Writing Down the Bones" numerous times and only came across a few sentences which were quite like that particular quote, but "Wild Mind" is rife with them. In "Wild Mind", Natalie Goldberg is also guilty of common writer's mistakes that we all make; for example, redundancy is notable theme throughout "Wild Mind", including two chapters almost back-to-back that begin in almost the exact same way. 

Because Ms. Goldberg is usually such a great writer when writing about writing, I have to wonder what kinds of stress she was under when she was writing. Taking into consideration the fact that "Wild Mind" was first published four years after "Writing Down the Bones", I'm curious as to whether or not the writer has taken the time to read her own advice from "Writing Down the Bones" from time to time because that book is a treasure trove of writing advice that might have assisted her in writing "Wild Mind". 

In one passage in "Writing Down the Bones", Natalie Goldberg advises writers to step away from whatever project they happen to be working on if they feel that their own hearts aren't into what they are writing about. Rather than abandonning the piece altogether, she suggests writers to come back to their project at a later time with fresh eyes and a new perspective. Perhaps "Wild Mind" could have been helped by this advice as it definitely lacks the focus of her earlier writing. 

Another "Writing Down the Bones" passage underscores the importance of the use of details and specifics in writing, which is advice that most writers could definitely benefit from- even Natalie Goldberg herself.