WRITING ON EMPTY : A Guide to Finding Your Voice by Natalie Goldberg allowed the author to articulate her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly as it related to struggling to write and processing the reality of aging. 

The frequent focus on personal musings made the book feel more like a memoir than a guide, which wasn't what I was expecting, and the anecdotes overshadowed the broader message I was hoping to take away.

That said, Goldberg ends the book with "A Writing on Empty Road Map: Writing Instructions," which I found the most valuable piece and more of what I was expecting when I picked up the title. The road map is broken into ten sections, which mirror the ten parts of the book. I would rather have had each section immediately follow the relevant section in the book, as it could then offer natural writing exercises at ten points, rather than holding them all to the end.

The audiobook is narrated by the author, which adds depth to the production.

(Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

I was a bit worried when it opened with Natalie talking about the pandemic but I didn’t need to be. She shared stories of her writing life and times when the rest of the world kept her from writing with her trademark whit and honesty. While it isn’t Writing Down The Bones it is a book I found myself engaged in and looking forward to every morning.

For writers dealing with a time in life when they can’t seem to find their way to words on the page it’s a good reminder that we all go through these times. For the young writer it’s a fresh perspective and the stories of a master to learn from. For the writer in the middle in the messy middle it’s a reminder that the words will always come back and that connection to the world around you and the people you love can be just as important to the process as time alone in the silence.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and think it’s the kind of book that will meet a writer where they are and everyone who reads it will take away what they need and find it when they need it.

This book was not at all what I expected. I struggled to listen to the author/ narrator and was disappointed to hear this wasn’t a craft book but more of a memoir. I couldn’t listen straight through and when I went back to attempt to listen again the book was gone.

Book was gone before I could even listen so I am not in a position to give any feedback. Sorry. At least allow time to experience the book.

Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones was one of the first craft books I’d read, so after reading the synopsis of Writing on Empty I was quite interested in hearing her thoughts on overcoming writer’s block. Unfortunately, this isn’t quite the book I was expecting. Rather than being instructional, it’s more of a memoir of Goldberg’s experience with her own block during the pandemic. I’m not going to claim I didn’t find parts of it quite interesting, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I did enjoy that Goldberg herself narrates the audiobook. Are there lessons to be learned here? Sure, but in more of a roundabout way of learning, so just be aware of that going in. I’d like to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audio version of Writing on Empty.

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When I was trying to find my writer’s voice, way back when I was in my 20s, I found Natalie Goldberg. In the decades since, I have gone back to her Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind over and over. She is an inspiring and grounded writing teacher, and I was looking forward to getting into her new book. When I saw that she read the audio book herself, I knew that was how I wanted to experience this book. And I’m so glad I did.

While I love Goldberg’s instructional books, filled with beautiful prose and mindful compassion, this book is especially personal, and hearing it read by the author took it to a new level. Writing on Empty isn’t really what the subtitle says (A Guide to Finding Your Voice), but it is about Goldberg’s journey through a dry spell and how she found her voice again. After twenty-some books that flowed from her easily, she hit a wall (she refuses to use the term “writer’s block”) and wasn’t sure what to write next. Or if she was going to write again. Clearly, she got past that, as we’re able to read this book, but it was not an easy journey for her.

Writing on Empty starts with the pandemic, when Goldberg was alone and stuck at home. She had no classes to teach, no students to leave. She was just home, day after day, going stir crazy. And eventually she realized that this was how her mother felt. As a child, Goldberg didn’t have a great relationship with her mother, and the more she was stuck at home with nothing to do and nowhere to go, the more she could understand her mother, who found herself stuck at home as a young woman expected to take care of her husband, children, and home.

Finally, the pandemic was less dangerous, vaccines were available, and places started to open up again. Goldberg found herself traveling, meeting strangers, and visiting graves. After wanting to go for 30 years, she finds herself in Idaho, the place where Ernest Hemingway is buried. She found his gravestone, between two pine trees, and poured her heart out to him. She thought about her history with his books and how they moved her. She feels like he gives her some advice after it all, “Get going.” And she does.

She struggles to write her new book about the problems that technology may be causing us, but she rediscovers her love of reading by reading Bill Buford’s book about cooking in France. She takes a trip to her favorite lake to find it drained and sets out to find out why. She meets up with a writer friend and works on memory puzzles. She remembers her high school English teacher and what he would think of her current writing. And she thinks back to when she first decided she wanted to be with women instead of men.

While walking back through her life and keeping her hands moving on the page, Goldberg was able to write again. Writing on Empty is the result. Part memoir, part love letter to words, it’s a compelling reminder of how writing—and life—require you to keep showing up. It’s a guide to finding your voice only by example, as Goldberg’s curiosity and insights that lead her back to her writing can serve as a vague roadmap to others who are struggling to find their voice. But it’s not specifically instructional as a traditional writing book, and I think that the publisher let her down and let us down by adding that subtitle to the work.

I loved listening to Goldberg herself narrate this book, especially the stories about her mother, which I think were more poignant told by the author herself. Since this book had so many personal stories, hearing it in Goldberg’s voice brought an intimacy to the book that I wasn’t expecting. But it was moving and smart and heartbreaking and honest, much like the rest of Goldberg’s books, and it will take up space in my head for some weeks to come.

A copy of the audio book for Writing on Empty was provided by Macmillan Audio, and egalleys were provided by St. Martin’s Press, both through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Writing on Empty was a very interesting read for me I wasn’t expecting this book to be more of a memoir but that’s what it gave. Goldberg talks about her childhood, relationships, traveling, covid, death and writers block. Release date: 7/9

The title and description felt kind of misleading. I was excited to read a book that would help me overcome obstacles to writing, but this was more of a memoir of recent years. It was enjoyable, but I think I was able to relate because I've just lost a lot of friends and family. This book has an audience, and it's interesting. I'm glad the writer narrated, because that helped the stories feel personal.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I absolutely devoured this book! As a mom of four, and a dream to write a book one day, I just loved the beautiful insight that was given in this book! So wonderfully done. I really enjoyed this read. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Essentials and Natalie Goldberg for providing with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The title of this book is misleading as it is not, in fact, about how to find your voice when suffering from writer's block. It is Goldberg's stream of consciousness memoir that jumps back and forth between her youth, the paralyzing years of Covid, and the lingering reality of death.

I found the first few chapters interesting, even laughing at a few jokes. However, it takes a sharp turn and suddenly becomes a massive critique of the internet, modern technology, and the way people communicate on devices. It essentially boils down to "things were better in the good old days" providing no captivating reason for her argument other than "people say they're addicted."

There's also a great deal of unchecked privilege throughout this book. Goldberg talks of purchasing houses, traveling to Paris, Japan, and other foreign counties, and purchasing book after book (because heaven forbid someone read a digital copy). She's able to take weeks of time to herself, locking herself away in a cabin for a month to reconnect with her writing. Not everyone can do that.

Many people cannot afford houses, many people will never get to visit a foreign country, many people do not have time to sit and "be zen." I don't think I'd have as much of an issue with her experiences if they weren't juxtaposed with the rants about the age of the internet and how it's ruining everything. Some people rely on the internet to learn about different countries and cultures. Some people use the internet to research or read because they don't have access to libraries.

There is a brief section where Goldberg points out what a copyright page is and where to find it in a book - emphasizing that she's not being condescending. Frankly, it is condescending to a writer who picked up this book looking for writing advice - and I would imagine a majority of the audience will also be writers given the title.

If you're looking for a memoir about Covid and the "issues with the younger generations," then this is a book you would love.