Thunder and Lightning: Cracking Open the Writer's Craft Paperback – 30 October 2001

Wonderful author. I wish I could be like her when I grow up. She is really good - an author who writes about writing. Good, excellent stuff

Natalie Goldberg's teachin genius shines through once again. She gets right to the meat of things, breaks through our fears of writing and supports us at the same time. This book demystifies the writing craft and helps the writer become accountable and ready to step up and put it all down, all those rich and juicy moments in one's history in ways that break through from whining into solid plot and character. This book is especially valuable when paired with Writing Down the Bones (for beginning writers) or Old Friend From Far Away (for those who want to write memoir).

I have read and enjoyed most of Natalie Goldberg's books. She tends to bury the point she is making within elaborate anecdotes, so at the end of the book I can recall lots of interesting little stories, but few real nuts-and-bolts tools to help me write with clarity and truth.This book is different from the rest. Each chapter is a discrete whole, with to-the-point essays illustrating the concept. It is her familiar chatty style, but with plenty of meat on the bones. It is not a workbook as such. It is much more readable, I feel -- it's something I can go back to over and over.It also is aimed at experienced writers, people who are weaving together narrative, character, plot, tone, etc. in existing manuscripts. There's a dearth of instructive material for people who've reached that stage of development, but this book takes it all in hand. Nicely done.

Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones got me back on track in my own writing. Since then, I have read all the 5 (?) books by her. She is the best cure for writer's block; this one maybe for a bit more advances writer.

This is a great book for aspiring writers.It lets one write freely banishing the editor in one's head and gives many hints for overcoming writer's block.