Rating: 
Summary: Thunder & Lightning: Cracking Open the Writer's Craft
Review: This book gives little insight into the craft of writing - beyond the instructions to just schedule some time to write and then do it. It does give Goldberg's reflections on the writing process with emphasis on her internal thoughts and processes when writing. I was disappointed in this book, as it seems to be a recycling of old material, such as her well-known writing practice. This book is primarily a book of musings on the writing process. I do not recommend this book for those who are seeking how-to-do it information on the craft of writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Read Carefully to Glean the Gems
Review: While this book is essentially a memoir of Natalie's life as a writer, there are tangible, useful clues plus decent and practical advice about how to move your writing to a higher level. True fans should appreciate this book as it represents a deep meditation of a honest and hardworking writer's mind.Like her earlier books on writing, this one again delivers in a series of essays, divided into three distinct sections. Considering the wide territory she attempts to cover, the chapters end up forming a more cohesive story than before. Believe it or not, Natalie is on to something here. To find the roadmap that is the promise of this book, you have to read carefully and not skim the pages looking for them. I recommend highlighting or bookmarking these passages so you can go back to them. Just "Like Writing Down the Bones" and "Wild Mind," the ultimate lesson here is to take her advice and carve your own path. What I liked best about "Thunder & Lightning" is how Natalie walks us through her journey as a writer. Like me, she started with no idea on how to write and made many attempts that lead nowhere. Although she occasionally covers old territory, there's a terrific and inspiring lesson here about what it takes to be a writer. Natalie also reveals her internal dialogue in dealing with her editors and bravely shows us the editorial revisions to original sentences from her various manuscripts. This should give anyone struggling with the writing process some measure of hope and consolation. I was a bit stymied when she advises *two* full years of regular writing practice to break through instead of the year she suggests in her second book. I wished she had explained why she's upped the ante.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent. Thanks, Natalie!
Review: Writing Down the Bones always gets me writing, but Thunder and Lightning is finally the guidance I need to put my writing into a finished form. Skip the intro, though. It's unnecessarily depressing. The rest of the book shines.
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