Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life - Goodreads

Bird By Bird is less a book about writing techniques and more a writer speaking to other writers and telling them that it's okay. All of it. All their neuroses ... Goodreadshelpsyoukeeptrackofbooksyouwanttoread. Startbymarking“BirdbyBird:SomeInstructionsonWritingandLife”asWanttoRead: WanttoRead saving… WanttoRead CurrentlyReading Read Othereditions Enlargecover WanttoRead saving… Errorratingbook.Refreshandtryagain. Ratethisbook Clearrating 1of5stars2of5stars3of5stars4of5stars5of5stars OpenPreview SeeaProblem? We’dloveyourhelp. Letusknowwhat’swrongwiththispreviewof BirdbyBirdbyAnneLamott. Problem: It’sthewrongbook It’sthewrongedition Other Details(ifother):   Cancel Thanksfortellingusabouttheproblem. ReturntoBookPage Notthebookyou’relookingfor? Preview—BirdbyBird byAnneLamott BirdbyBird:SomeInstructionsonWritingandLife by AnneLamott(GoodreadsAuthor) 4.23  ·  Ratingdetails ·  89,807 ratings  ·  8,706 reviews Anewereditionofthistitlecanbefoundhere."Thirtyyearsagomyolderbrother,whowastenyearsoldatthetime,wastryingtogetareportonbirdswrittenthathe'dhadthreemonthstowrite.[It]wasduethenextday.WewereoutatourfamilycabininBolinas,andhewasatthekitchentableclosetotears,surroundedbybinderpaperandpencilsandunopenedbook Anewereditionofthistitlecanbefoundhere."Thirtyyearsagomyolderbrother,whowastenyearsoldatthetime,wastryingtogetareportonbirdswrittenthathe'dhadthreemonthstowrite.[It]wasduethenextday.WewereoutatourfamilycabininBolinas,andhewasatthekitchentableclosetotears,surroundedbybinderpaperandpencilsandunopenedbooksonbirds,immobilizedbythehugenessofthetaskahead.Thenmyfathersatdownbesidehim,puthisarmaroundmybrother'sshoulder,andsaid.'Birdbybird,buddy.Justtakeitbirdbybird.'"Withthisbasicinstructionalwaysinmind,AnneLamottreturnstoofferusanewgift:astep-by-stepguideonhowtowriteandonhowtomanagethewriter'slife.From"GettingStarted,'with"ShortAssignments,"through"ShittyFirstDrafts,""Character,""Plot,""Dialogue."allthewayfrom"FalseStarts"to"HowDoYouKnowWhenYou'reDone?"Lamottencourages,instructs,andinspires.Shediscusses"WritersBlock,""WritingGroups,"and"Publication."Bracinglyhonest,sheisalsooneofthefunniestpeoplealive.Ifyouhaveeverwonderedwhatittakestobeawriter,whatitmeanstobeawriter,whatthecontentsofyourschoollunchessaidaboutwhatyourparentswerereallylike,thisbookisforyou.Fromfaith,love,andgracetopain,jealousy,andfear,Lamottinsiststhatyoukeepyoureyesopen,andthenshowsyouhowtosurvive.Andalways,fromthelifeoftheartistsheturnstotheartoflife. ...more GetACopy AmazonOnlineStores ▾AudibleBarnes&NobleWalmarteBooksGooglePlayAbebooksBookDepositoryAlibrisIndigoBetterWorldBooksIndieBoundThriftbooks Paperback,237pages Published September1st1995 byAnchor (firstpublishedMay5th1994) MoreDetails... OriginalTitle BirdbyBird:SomeInstructionsonWritingandLife EditionLanguage English OtherEditions(48) AllEditions | AddaNewEdition | Combine ...LessDetail EditDetails FriendReviews Toseewhatyourfriendsthoughtofthisbook, pleasesignup. ReaderQ&A Toaskotherreadersquestionsabout BirdbyBird, pleasesignup. PopularAnsweredQuestions Isthisaninstructionalbookonwriting? 22likes · like 7yearsago Seeall10answers Laurelle Frommyperspectiveasapersontryingtomakewritingpartofmydailylife,I'dsayBirdbyBirdismoreofapeptalk/psychotherapysessionforwri…moreFrommyperspectiveasapersontryingtomakewritingpartofmydailylife,I'dsayBirdbyBirdismoreofapeptalk/psychotherapysessionforwriters.Sittinghomealonewritingcanbemorethanalittlecrazy-making,soit'snicetohavesomereassurancethatthecrazinessisnormal,alongwithsometoolsforgettingtothenextday.(less) flag Haveyoufoundthisbookworthyourtime? 4likes · like 6yearsago Seeall6answers MekiahJohnson Yes,it'sveryhelpful,andifyouareawriter,andhavingabitofahardtime,thenthisbookwillbeperfectforyou,althoughIdon'tknowwhoyo…moreYes,it'sveryhelpful,andifyouareawriter,andhavingabitofahardtime,thenthisbookwillbeperfectforyou,althoughIdon'tknowwhoyouareasawriter.But,ifyouarenotawriter,itisstillveryhelpful.Liketheotherpersonsanswertoyourquestion,Iagree,Ithinkanyonecanreadthisbook.Thewritingadvicecanfitintoreallifealso,soit'shelpfulbothways,inwritingandinlife,asthefrontcoverdepicts.(less) flag Seeall11questionsaboutBirdbyBird… ListswithThisBook BestBooksonWriting 733books — 1,327voters BestBooksonCreativeLife 486books — 658voters Morelistswiththisbook... CommunityReviews Showing1-30 Averagerating 4.23  ·  Ratingdetails  ·  89,807 ratings  ·  8,706 reviews AllLanguagesBahasaIndonesia‎(1) Dansk‎(1) Deutsch‎(4) English‎(8398) Español‎(13) Français‎(6) Italiano‎(5) Latviešuvaloda‎(3) Lietuviųkalba‎(1) Nederlands‎(6) Português‎(14) Pусскийязык‎(19) Slovenčina‎(1) Slovenščina‎(1) Svenska‎(2) TiếngViệt‎(1) Türkçe‎(5) en-US‎(1) українська‎(16) עברית‎(1) العربية‎(8) فارسی‎(38) ქართული‎(1) Morefilters  |  Sortorder StartyourreviewofBirdbyBird:SomeInstructionsonWritingandLifeWriteareview Jan09,2015 WillByrnes ratedit itwasamazing Shelves: on-writing, nonfiction Thereisnothingtowriting.Allyoudoissitdownatatypewriterandbleed.-ErnestHemingwayOnewriterIknowtellsmethathesitsdowneverymorningandsaystohimselfnicely,“It’snotlikeyoudon’thaveachoice,becauseyoudo—youcaneithertypeorkillyourself.”-AnneLamottIhavenotalwaysfeltmuchlikewriting.Mywriter’sblock,ifthatiswhatitwas,andnotmerelythetardydevelopmentofsomecreativemuscles,occupiedalargeportionofmyyouth.Writingpapersforsc Thereisnothingtowriting.Allyoudoissitdownatatypewriterandbleed.-ErnestHemingwayOnewriterIknowtellsmethathesitsdowneverymorningandsaystohimselfnicely,“It’snotlikeyoudon’thaveachoice,becauseyoudo—youcaneithertypeorkillyourself.”-AnneLamottIhavenotalwaysfeltmuchlikewriting.Mywriter’sblock,ifthatiswhatitwas,andnotmerelythetardydevelopmentofsomecreativemuscles,occupiedalargeportionofmyyouth.Writingpapersforschoolwasnotmerelyachorebutahorror.IamnotsurewhenchipswerefirstbrokenfromthatlargemassbutIdorecallactuallyhavingsomefunasahighschoolsophomore,inotherwiseweakreportonMidsummerNight’sDream,describingtheplayas“ShakespeareanSlapstick.“Writingdidgeteasier,butwasneverlessthanchallenging.Ihavehadoccasiontowriteabitofthisandthatinmyworkinglife,butmyemployershaveallbeenconsistentinfindingnouseatallforwhatwritingabilityImaypossess.Thatimpulsefounditswayintoletters,and,fordisparateperiods,journaling.ImanagedtocrankoutanewsletterforthebaseballandsoftballteamsImanaged,butthosedaysarewellbackintherearview.Forthelastelevenyearsorso,IhavebeencrankingoutreviewshereonGoodreads,andseemtohavefoundarhythm.Thisisbynomeansautomatic.Everyoneofthesethings,well,withoneortwoexceptions,takesrealeffort.Butitispossible.Itisnothorrifying.IamcomfortableinknowingthatwhenIreadabookIcandefinitelyproduceareview,notalwaysagoodreview,butatleastonethatisnotcompletelyembarrassing.Attheveryleast,itisnotcadgedfromthekidsittinginfrontofme.Ihavedevelopedmyownsystem,anapproachtohowtogoaboutit.Icouldprobablykeepatthisuntilmyashesarestrewn,butthereisapieceofmethatwouldliketotakeonsomethinglarger,somethinglessreactive.Andsothehorrorreturns.Itisquiteclearthatjustbecauseapersoncanwritebookreviews,thatdoesnotmeanapersoncannecessarilywriteanactualbook.Myinnerchildbeginstowhine,“butIwanna,waaaaah.”Sohereweare.Noshortageofideas,butmassivesuppliesofanxiety,fear,ignorance,andself-doubt.What’sanaspiringwritertodo?Imaynotbeabletotampdowntheemotional/psychologicalimpediments,butIcantrytoaddresstheignorancepiece.Andonewaytobeginthisprocessistolookforsomeadvice.WhichbringsustoAnneLamott.MyChristmaslistfor2014includedStephenKing’sOnWritingandSantacamethrough,buthisassistant,myelfinbookgoddesstossedinanother,Lamott’sBirdbyBird(orasitmightbereferredtoinsomepartsofmyhomeborough,BoidbyBoid)aswell.IwillbegettingtoKing’sbookintime.IhadreadBbBmanyyearsago.Myambitionsweredifferentthen.Iexpecttherearetimeswhencertainbooksandcertainreadersconverge.Youcanreadagreatbookandnotappreciateitbecauseofwhereyoumightbeinyourlife,butconnectwithittotallyifyoucatchitattherighttime.Imayhaveincorporatedabitofthisbookwaybackwhenbutnowwasdefinitelyapropitioustimeforarefresher.AnnLamott-imagefromSalonOfcourse,youwillbeatdiversestagesinyourwritinginterests,ifyouindeedhavesuchurgesatall.Noteveryonedoes.Therearemanywaystotransporttheinnertotheouterandwritingmaynotoffertherightmeansformost.But,asyouarereadingthis,Iexpectthereisagoodchanceyouliketowrite,andmaybewanttokickitupanotch.Ifso,Lamott’sbookisawonderfulplacetofindahelpinghand.Infact,itisamasterpieceofthegenre,richwithwisdom,offeringahostofideasabouthowtogetfromnot-writingtowriting,inmanageable,smallpieces.Onethingaboutthisbookisthatitisveryfunny.Ilaughedoutloudalotwhilereadingit,whichcanbeawkwardoncrowdedsubwaycars.HopefullysomeofthetechniquesherewillprovidesomebandagesfortheHemingwayquoteatthetop.Sheoffersadviceonhowtogetmovingwhenyouarestuck,providescheerful,upliftingsupportfortryingtimes,andpermissiontoallowyourcreativeprocesstoworkthroughitsissues,uptoapoint.SheletsusallknowthatAlmostallgoodwritingbeginswithterriblefirstefforts,whichisvery,verygoodtoknow.Therearechaptersonplot,character,anddialogue.Someexplanationoftechnique.Lamottisechoinginprintthewritingclasssheteaches.Thebookiseminentlyquotable.Mypersonalfavorite,howeversecondhanditmightbe,is E.L.Doctorowoncesaidthat“writinganovelislikedrivingacaratnight.Youcanseeonlyasfarasyourheadlights,butyoucanmakethewholetripthatway.” Althoughthisdoesignoretheobvious,thatinmakingthattriponealreadyisawareofthedestination,andtheroute,still,itgivesmehope.Maybeaninabilitytoseetheentirepicturefromthebeginningdoesnotcondemnmyefforts,oryours,tofailure.OneconcernIhaveisthatwhateverIwrite,asseemstobethecaseforeveryideaIhaveeverhad,hasalreadybeendone,probablymultipletimes,andprobablybetter.Lamotthasaquoteforthis: MarkTwainsaidthatAdamwastheonlymanwho,whenhesaidagoodthing,knewthatnobodyhadsaiditbefore.Lifeislikearecyclingcenter,wherealltheconcernsanddramasofhumankindgetrecycledbackandforthacrosstheuniverse.Butwhatyouhavetoofferisyourownsensibility,maybeyourownsenseofhumororinsiderpathosormeaning.Allofuscansingthesamesong,andtherewillstillbefourbilliondifferentrenditions. Ifyouareconsideringwritingmoregenerically,asopposedtohavingaspecificprojectinmind,Lamottoffersawealthofassignmentsdesignedtogetthewheelsturning.Andforthosewhodabbleinanalyzingbooks,thereisplentyofintelonstructure,andthedynamicsofstory-telling,allofwhicharerelevanttoreviewersofbooks.Ifyouharbornoaspirationstowriting,BirdbyBirdoffersawarm,illuminatingandentertaininglookatsomeofthethingswritersgothrough,providessomeinsightintotheprocessofwriting,andsomeofthechallengeswritersconfront.If,however,youareawriter,aspiretobeawriter,orindulgeinanalysisofwriting,BirdbyBirdwillfeellikeakindlymentor,anolder,wisersiblingmaybe,whocantakeyoubythehandandofferagentlenudgeintherightdirection.Yourwritingmayormaynotsoar,butLamott’sexcellenttutorialwillcertainlyaddafewfeatherstoyourwings.Maybethosewillbeallyouneedtofinallytakethatstepawayfromthenestandletyourcreativitytakeflight.Reviewfirstposted–2/6/15Publicationdate–1994=============================EXTRASTUFFLinkstotheauthor’sTwitterandFBpages.Shedoesnotappeartohaveherownsite. ...more flag 346likes · Like  · seereview Viewall76comments Tria Willwrote:"Fortunately,badhairdoesnottakeawayfromthepowerofherbook.""Bad"hair?Thatwasn'twhatIwasthinking.Iwasthinkingmoreabo Willwrote:"Fortunately,badhairdoesnottakeawayfromthepowerofherbook.""Bad"hair?Thatwasn'twhatIwasthinking.Iwasthinkingmoreaboutthesightoflocsonablondewhitewoman,andhowpainfullyappropriativethatis.I'mavoidingherworksbeyondthis,anyway.Thisonewasagiftfromafriend,butanybodywhothinksit'sappropriatetoshamehertwelve-year-oldsonbywritingonline,inanarticlepublishedinSalonnoless,thathestillsleepswithateddy-bear,isnotmysortofperson. ...more updated Apr17,202209:42PM · flag WillByrnes Youmightcheckout,onAmericanIsraelitedotcom,thearticletitled"LovingAnneLamott,frizzyhairandall"formoreonthis.Wouldappreciateiti Youmightcheckout,onAmericanIsraelitedotcom,thearticletitled"LovingAnneLamott,frizzyhairandall"formoreonthis.WouldappreciateitifyoucouldpostalinktotheSalonTeddyBeararticle. ...more Apr17,202210:25PM · flag Jul14,2010 Jane ratedit itwasok Shelves: about-writing WhereIgotthebook:purchasedfromAmazon.PerhapsI'mreadingthis,oneofthewritingcommunity'smostreferred-tobooks,toolateinlife.Perhapsasa20-year-oldEnglishmajor(whichIneverwas)Iwouldhavelovedthisbook.Thatcouldexplainitspopularity;itseemslikethekindofwriting-advicebookthatwillbeinvariablysetasamandatoryreadinanMFAprogram.Andthat,inturn,couldexplainwhyacertaintypeofwriterwill,ifaskedtogivewritingadvice,soundexactlylike WhereIgotthebook:purchasedfromAmazon.PerhapsI'mreadingthis,oneofthewritingcommunity'smostreferred-tobooks,toolateinlife.Perhapsasa20-year-oldEnglishmajor(whichIneverwas)Iwouldhavelovedthisbook.Thatcouldexplainitspopularity;itseemslikethekindofwriting-advicebookthatwillbeinvariablysetasamandatoryreadinanMFAprogram.Andthat,inturn,couldexplainwhyacertaintypeofwriterwill,ifaskedtogivewritingadvice,soundexactlylikeAnneLamott.Maybethat'stheproblem:familiarity.I'veheardsomuchofthisbeforethatitfelt,well,stale.Writeeveryday.Writefromtheheart.Findyourownvoice.Ormaybeit'sbecauseI'ma52-year-oldrecoveringcynicandI'malittlelessEMOTIONALaboutthewholewritingprocess.Thenotionofgoingona3-dayalcohol(orlater,eating)bingebecauseyoureditordidn'tlikeyourbookseemsabitexcessive.Payingatherapisttohelpyougetthroughyourjealousyofyoursuccessfulwriterfriends?Mmmmmkay.AndLamott'soverwroughtprosestylemademethinkofAnneRice,forsomereason.Perhapsit'sjustbecausethey'rebothcalledAnne.ThereweremomentswhenIwasmovedandmadetothinkaboutwriting,somaybeonedayI'llreadBirdbyBirdagainandseeifIcanrevisethisfirstimpression.Itcouldbethatthegemscontainedwithintheneurotictwaddlearewhatmakethebookshineinthememoriesofsomanywriters.ButIendedupfeelingthatI'dlearnedalotmoreaboutAnneLamottthanI'dlearnedaboutwriting. ...more flag 290likes · Like  · seereview Viewall55comments Oct07,2007 LeAnn ratedit reallylikedit Recommendsitfor: Writersandseriousreaders I'mgettingtothepointwhereI'vereadahandfulofbooksonthewritinglifebyauthorsandIfoundthisonetobeparticularlyresonantatthispointinmywritingcareer.IactuallyfoundmyselfunderliningthingsthatAnneLamottwroteandthinking,"IneedtorereadthissothatIcanabsorbitsmessagebetter."PerhapstheonethingthatI'dliketopassalongfromherbookthatIwholeheartedlybelieveisherassertionthatnovelsshouldhavehopeinthem.I'vespentseveralyearsthinki I'mgettingtothepointwhereI'vereadahandfulofbooksonthewritinglifebyauthorsandIfoundthisonetobeparticularlyresonantatthispointinmywritingcareer.IactuallyfoundmyselfunderliningthingsthatAnneLamottwroteandthinking,"IneedtorereadthissothatIcanabsorbitsmessagebetter."PerhapstheonethingthatI'dliketopassalongfromherbookthatIwholeheartedlybelieveisherassertionthatnovelsshouldhavehopeinthem.I'vespentseveralyearsthinkingaboutwhatturnsmeoffinmuchofthe"literary"fictionthatIpickupandit'sthatmostofitisbleakandhopeless,albeitwrittenwithexquisitefeeling.Asanadultandasawriter,I'mpasttheneedforescapismthatdrovemetoreadasachildandyoungadultbutI'mnotpasttheneedforhope.Ireallydon'thaveanymoretimetowasteonstoriesthatmakemefeeldepressedanddarkattheend.Ms.LamottalsotalksaboutwritingasaspiritualactivityandthatIalsobelievein.Ifnotdoneasaformof"candymaking"(herphrase,notmine),thenwritingsatisfiesthesoullikenothingelseandthatthisiswhatmattersmost,notsomeillusory,nighimpossible,successintermsofpublishing,fame,andfortune. ...more flag 105likes · Like  · seereview View2comments Apr09,2007 G ratedit itwasok Shelves: not-my-thing Ugh.IusedtowriteandthenItooksometimeawayfromit,andsomeonesuggestedthisbooktometoinspireme.Itdidexactlytheopposite.Lamottmakeswritingsoundlikepassingakidneystone,anditdoesn'thavetobethatway. Ugh.IusedtowriteandthenItooksometimeawayfromit,andsomeonesuggestedthisbooktometoinspireme.Itdidexactlytheopposite.Lamottmakeswritingsoundlikepassingakidneystone,anditdoesn'thavetobethatway. ...more flag 94likes · Like  · seereview Viewall5comments Jun27,2019 J.L.Sutton ratedit likedit AnnLamott'sBirdbyBird:SomeInstructionsonWritingandLifereadslikeacollectionofanecdotesonwriting.Thebookiseasytoreadandsomeofthesuggestionsareworthwhile,especiallytheadvicethatinspiredthebook'stitle.IdidgetalittletiredofLamottcomplainingaboutallherstudentswantingtogetpublished,butIunderstandherpoints.Moredisturbingtome,however,washeradvicetostudentswhowantedtowriteaboutpeoplefromtheirownlife.Todissuadethisrealper AnnLamott'sBirdbyBird:SomeInstructionsonWritingandLifereadslikeacollectionofanecdotesonwriting.Thebookiseasytoreadandsomeofthesuggestionsareworthwhile,especiallytheadvicethatinspiredthebook'stitle.IdidgetalittletiredofLamottcomplainingaboutallherstudentswantingtogetpublished,butIunderstandherpoints.Moredisturbingtome,however,washeradvicetostudentswhowantedtowriteaboutpeoplefromtheirownlife.Todissuadethisrealpersonfromcomingforwardandclaimingtobesaidcharacter,Lamotttellsstudentstomakethecharacterdistasteful:'throwinatinypenis'and'makehimanatheist.'Theadviceiswrittenasifitshouldbeamusing.IknowLamottoftenwritesonherfaith,butthisdoesn'tseemliketherightplacetoslamthosewhodon'tshareherbeliefs.Maybeit'sjustme,butitfeelsjarring.ThesekindofinterjectionsarelargelyabsentfromthefirsttwothirdsofthebooksoIstilldidfindpartsofBirdbyBirduseful. ...more flag 87likes · Like  · seereview Viewall8comments May06,2019 ☘Misericordia☘⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁❇️❤❣ ratedit itwasamazing Recommendsitfor: Aspiringwriters.Procrastinators. Shelves: favorites, motivation-incarnate Q:...thirtyyearsagomyolderbrother,whowastenyearsoldatthetime,wastryingtogetareportonbirdswrittenthathe’dhadthreemonthstowrite,whichwasduethenextday.WewereoutatourfamilycabininBolinas,andhewasatthekitchentableclosetotears,surroundedbybinderpaperandpencilsandunopenedbooksonbirds,immobilizedbythehugenessofthetaskahead.Thenmyfathersatdownbesidehim,puthisarmaroundmybrother’sshoulder,andsaid,"Birdbybird,buddy Q:...thirtyyearsagomyolderbrother,whowastenyearsoldatthetime,wastryingtogetareportonbirdswrittenthathe’dhadthreemonthstowrite,whichwasduethenextday.WewereoutatourfamilycabininBolinas,andhewasatthekitchentableclosetotears,surroundedbybinderpaperandpencilsandunopenedbooksonbirds,immobilizedbythehugenessofthetaskahead.Thenmyfathersatdownbesidehim,puthisarmaroundmybrother’sshoulder,andsaid,"Birdbybird,buddy.Justtakeitbirdbybird."(c)Perfectionistsswearbyit.Amustreadforeverysuffererofthismalady.Amanifestoforhealthylifeoutofthehamster'swheelofself-deprecation,self-sabotageanddeadline-butchery."Birdbybird".Q:Myfatherwroteanarticleforamagazine,called"ALousyPlacetoRaiseKids,"anditwasaboutMarinCountyandspecificallythecommunitywherewelived,whichisasbeautifulaplaceasonecanimagine...Hecouldtakemajoreventsorsmallepisodesfromdailylifeandshadeorexaggeratethingsinsuchawayastocapturetheirshapeandsubstance,capturewhatlifefeltlikeinthesocietyinwhichheandhisfriendslivedandworkedandbred.Peoplelookedtohimtoputintowordswhatwasgoingon.(c)Actually,I'msurethat'swheretheproblemwiththemediareliabilityis.Forfictionthisisperfect.Butwhenonetakesreallifeandtwistsitoutofshape,that'swherethecrazyelections(TrumpvsClinton)happen.Imaginationshouldn'thijackrealityanditsproportions.Q:Ilovedthem,buteverysooftenoneofthemwouldpassoutatthedinnertable.Iwasananxiouschildtobeginwith,andIfoundthisunnerving.(c)Q:Everymorning,nomatterhowlatehehadbeenup,myfatherroseat5:30,wenttohisstudy,wroteforacoupleofhours,madeusallbreakfast,readthepaperwithmymother,andthenwentbacktoworkfortherestofthemorning.ManyyearspassedbeforeIrealizedthathedidthisbychoice,foraliving,andthathewasnotunemployedormentallyill.(c)Q:Hecouldgoanyplacehewantedwithasenseofpurpose.Oneofthegiftsofbeingawriteristhatitgivesyouanexcusetodothings,togoplacesandexplore.Anotheristhatwritingmotivatesyoutolookcloselyatlife,atlifeasitlurchesbyandtrampsaround.(c)Q:Ilookedathimquizzically."Iamso,sosorry,"hesaid."Butitstilldoesn’twork."Hedidn’tunderstandwhycertainthingshappenedthewaytheydid,orwhysomethingshappenedtobeginwith,andmostimportantly,whysolittlehappenedatall.(c)Q:"Listen.Iwantyoutowritethatbookyoujustdescribedtome.Youhaven’tdoneithere.Gooffsomewhereandwritemeatreatment,aplottreatment.Tellmechapterbychapterwhatyoujusttoldmeinthelasthalfhour,andIwillgetyouthelastoftheadvance."(c)Q:ButIwasfunny.Sothepopularkidsletmehangoutwiththem,gototheirparties,andwatchthemneckwitheachother.This,asyoumightimagine,didnothelpmyself-esteemagreatdeal.IthoughtIwasatotalloser.ButonedayItookanotebookandapen...itendedupbeingincludedinarealtextbook.Thisdeeplyimpressedmyteachersandparentsandafewkids,evensomeofthepopularkids,whoinvitedmetomorepartiessoIcouldwatchthemallmakeoutevenmorefrequently.(c)Q:Thisiswonderful,Ithought,throwingbackmyheadtolaughjovially;myfatherwritespornography.(c)Q:LaterthatsummerIcametoknowhowtheyfelt,whenIreadCatcherintheRyeforthefirsttimeandknewwhatitwasliketohavesomeonespeakforme,tocloseabookwithasenseofbothtriumphandrelief,onelonelyisolatedsocialanimalfinallymakingcontact.(c)Q:...Icouldmakethestoryhappen.Icouldmakeitvividandfunny,andevenexaggeratesomeofitsothattheeventbecamealmostmythical,andthepeopleinvolvedseemedlarger,andtherewasasenseoflargersignificance,ofmeaning.(c)Q:ThroughoutmychildhoodIbelievedthatwhatIthoughtaboutwasdifferentfromwhatotherkidsthoughtabout.Itwasnotnecessarilymoreprofound,buttherewasastrugglegoingoninsidemetofindsomesortofcreativeorspiritualoraestheticwayofseeingtheworldandorganizingitinmyhead.Ireadmorethanotherkids;Iluxuriatedinbooks.(c)Q:Somepeoplewantedtogetrichorfamous,butmyfriendsandIwantedtogetreal.Wewantedtogetdeep.(Also,Isuppose,wewantedtogetlaid.)Idevouredbookslikeapersontakingvitamins,afraidthatotherwiseIwouldremainthisgelatinousnarcissist,withnopossibilityofeverbecomingthoughtful,ofeverbeingtakenseriously.Ibecameasocialist,forfiveweeks.Thenthebusridetomysocialistmeetingsworemeout.Iwasdrawntooddballs,ethnicpeople,theaterpeople,poets,radicals,gaysandlesbians—andsomehowtheyallhelpedmebecomesomeofthosethingsIwantedsodesperatelytobecome:political,intellectual,artistic.(c)Q:SoIdroppedoutatnineteentobecomeafamouswriter.ImovedbacktoSanFranciscoandbecameafamousKellyGirlinstead.Iwasfamousformyincompetenceandweepiness.Iweptwithboredomanddisbelief.ThenIlandedajobasaclerk-typistatahugeengineeringandconstructionfirminthecity,inthenuclearquality-assurancedepartment,whereIlaboredunderatsunamiwaveoftriplicateformsandmemos.Itwasveryupsetting.Itwasalsosoboringthatitmademyeyesfeelringedwithdarkcircles,likeLurch.Ifinallyfiguredoutthatmostofthispaperworkcouldbetossedwithouttherebeinganyreal...well...fallout,andthisfreedmeuptowriteshortstoriesinstead.(c)Q:Saytoyourselfinthekindestpossibleway,Look,honey,allwe’regoingtodofornowistowriteadescriptionoftheriveratsunrise,ortheyoungchildswimminginthepoolattheclub,orthefirsttimethemanseesthewomanhewillmarry.Thatisallwearegoingtodofornow.Wearejustgoingtotakethisbirdbybird.Butwearegoingtofinishthisoneshortassignment.(c)Q:Now,practicallyevenbetternewsthanthatofshortassignmentsistheideaofshittyfirstdrafts.Allgoodwriterswritethem.Thisishowtheyendupwithgoodseconddraftsandterrificthirddrafts.Peopletendtolookatsuccessfulwriters,writerswhoaregettingtheirbookspublishedandmaybeevendoingwellfinancially,andthinkthattheysitdownattheirdeskseverymorningfeelinglikeamilliondollars,feelinggreataboutwhotheyareandhowmuchtalenttheyhaveandwhatagreatstorytheyhavetotell;thattheytakeinafewdeepbreaths,pushbacktheirsleeves,rolltheirnecksafewtimestogetallthecricksout,anddivein,typingfullyformedpassagesasfastasacourtreporter.Butthisisjustthefantasyoftheuninitiated.Iknowsomeverygreatwriters,writersyoulovewhowritebeautifullyandhavemadeagreatdealofmoney,andnotoneofthemsitsdownroutinelyfeelingwildlyenthusiasticandconfident.Notoneofthemwriteselegantfirstdrafts.(c)Q: ...more flag 72likes · Like  · seereview View2comments Nov19,2010 Nikki ratedit reallylikedit Shelves: ww, write-now Ilovethatshedoesn’tshyawayfromthedarkstuff,alltheshittyfeelings,angryrants,andsuicidalepisodes.Ialsolovethatshe'sfunny.Notjustamusing,butactuallyfunny.Ilovethatshecurses.Ilovethatshecanbe(andseemstoenjoybeing)spitefulandsarcastic.IloveherandwishIcouldcallherupwhenI'mfeelingmiserable.Luckily,Ihavethisbook. Ilovethatshedoesn’tshyawayfromthedarkstuff,alltheshittyfeelings,angryrants,andsuicidalepisodes.Ialsolovethatshe'sfunny.Notjustamusing,butactuallyfunny.Ilovethatshecurses.Ilovethatshecanbe(andseemstoenjoybeing)spitefulandsarcastic.IloveherandwishIcouldcallherupwhenI'mfeelingmiserable.Luckily,Ihavethisbook. ...more flag 58likes · Like  · seereview Viewall3comments Feb07,2019 Diane ratedit itwasamazing Shelves: writers-on-writing, audiobooks Thisisafantasticwritingguide!"BirdbyBird"isoneofthosebooksIhavebeenmeaningtoreadforyears,andIfinallygotaroundtoitthankstotheaudiobook,whichwasmarvelouslyperformedbySusanBennett.IthinkthisisthefirstAnneLamottworkI'veread,soIwaspleasantlysurprisedbyhowfunnyitwas.Ilaughedoutloudseveraltimesbyherstoriesofwriting,teachingandfamilylife.IespeciallyappreciatedhowkindAnneis,andhowshetrulytriedtomakeaninspiringwriti Thisisafantasticwritingguide!"BirdbyBird"isoneofthosebooksIhavebeenmeaningtoreadforyears,andIfinallygotaroundtoitthankstotheaudiobook,whichwasmarvelouslyperformedbySusanBennett.IthinkthisisthefirstAnneLamottworkI'veread,soIwaspleasantlysurprisedbyhowfunnyitwas.Ilaughedoutloudseveraltimesbyherstoriesofwriting,teachingandfamilylife.IespeciallyappreciatedhowkindAnneis,andhowshetrulytriedtomakeaninspiringwritingguide.Sheanswerscommonquestionsshegetsaskedfromwriters,shegivesdetailsonwhatstrategiesworkforher,andshegentlynudgesthereadertokeepwriting,keepwriting,keepwriting.FivemagnificentstarstoAnneLamott.MeaningfulPassageTheveryfirstthingItellmynewstudentsonthefirstdayofaworkshopisthatgoodwritingisabouttellingthetruth.Weareaspeciesthatneedsandwantstounderstandwhoweare.Sheeplicedonotseemtosharethislonging,whichisonereasontheywritesoverylittle.Butwedo.Wehavesomuchwewanttosayandfigureout.Yearafteryearmystudentsareburstingwithstoriestotell,andtheystartwritingprojectswithexcitementandmaybeevenjoy—finallytheirvoiceswillbeheard,andtheyaregoingtogettodevotethemselvestothisonethingthey'velongedtodosincechildhood.Butafterafewdaysatthedesk,tellingthetruthinaninterestingwayturnsouttobeaseasyandpleasurableasbathingacat.Somelosefaith.Theirsenseofselfandstoryshattersandcrumblestotheground.Historicallytheyshowupforthefirstdayoftheworkshoplookinglikebrightgoofyducklingswhowillfollowmeanywhere,butbythetimethesecondclassrollsaround,theylookatmeasiftheengagementisdefinitelyoff."Idon'tevenknowwheretostart,"onewillwail.Startwithyourchildhood,Itellthem.Plugyournoseandjumpin,andwritedownallyourmemoriesastruthfullyasyoucan.FlanneryO'Connorsaidthatanyonewhosurvivedchildhoodhasenoughmaterialtowritefortherestofhisorherlife.Maybeyourchildhoodwasgrimandhorrible,butgrimandhorribleisOkayifitiswelldone.Don'tworryaboutdoingitwellyet,thought.Juststartgettingitdown. ...more flag 50likes · Like  · seereview View2comments Aug20,2009 JasonKoivu ratedit reallylikedit Shelves: writing Notnew-agey,hippie-esqueornearlyasself-helpguide-likeasIfeareditwouldbewhenIstartedlisteningtotheaudiobookversionasreadbyitsauthor.AnneLamott'smonotonevoicesetoffthe"OHNO!SHE'STRYINGTOHYPNOTIZEME!"alarmsinmyhead,whileheroccasionalallusionstofaithhadmereadywithmyownformofholywater(urine)todashuponanyself-righteouspulpits.However,Lamottismoregroundedthanthat,andherdrydeliveryprovidestheperfectvehicleforherTinaFey Notnew-agey,hippie-esqueornearlyasself-helpguide-likeasIfeareditwouldbewhenIstartedlisteningtotheaudiobookversionasreadbyitsauthor.AnneLamott'smonotonevoicesetoffthe"OHNO!SHE'STRYINGTOHYPNOTIZEME!"alarmsinmyhead,whileheroccasionalallusionstofaithhadmereadywithmyownformofholywater(urine)todashuponanyself-righteouspulpits.However,Lamottismoregroundedthanthat,andherdrydeliveryprovidestheperfectvehicleforherTinaFey-styled,kookysenseofhumor.ThemeatandpotatoesofBirdbyBirddoesn'treallysaymuchthathasn'talreadybeensaidaboutwritingandhowtogetitdone,butheradviceissolidandsheaddsanicetouchwithsomehighlypersonalstories.SoIratethisastrongMuchbetterthanexpected.5! ...more flag 49likes · Like  · seereview Viewall5comments Aug07,2008 J ratedit itwasamazing Recommendsitfor: Anywriter RecommendedtoJby: JanetEvanovich Shelves: philosophy, self-help-how-to-s, books-on-writing, favorites Thiswasfantastic,andIwroteamillionnotes.Forexample:Ilovethedescriptionofthrowingratsinajarandwatchingthemscratch.Thiswasatoolforthemindtosilencedistractorsinyourlifethatblockyoufromwriting.Alsohavinganacreoflandwithafence,andifpeoplecomeinandmessitup-yousimplykickthemoff.Iliketheideaofcreatingabookfromcharacters,andlettingtheplotfollowwhatthecharactersdesire.Ilikedtheideaofmovingforwardbirdbybird,(readin Thiswasfantastic,andIwroteamillionnotes.Forexample:Ilovethedescriptionofthrowingratsinajarandwatchingthemscratch.Thiswasatoolforthemindtosilencedistractorsinyourlifethatblockyoufromwriting.Alsohavinganacreoflandwithafence,andifpeoplecomeinandmessitup-yousimplykickthemoff.Iliketheideaofcreatingabookfromcharacters,andlettingtheplotfollowwhatthecharactersdesire.Ilikedtheideaofmovingforwardbirdbybird,(readingthebookwillexplainwhatthismeans),andtheinformalprose.Othergreatadviceisnotjustresearchingsubjectsyouknownothingabout,likegardeningforexample,butcallinglocalnurseriesandspendingtimewithgardeners.Askingquestions,like:"whatwouldthefruitbedoing?Wouldtherebeleaves?"Callingfriendswithantiquefurniture,andlettingthemdescribealamptoyou,takingyourarticulatefriendswithyoutoarestaurant,andwritingdownthefunnythingstheysayanddescriptionstheygive.Alsousingmoviesforsettings-tryingtodescribethescene,city,landscapewithasmuchdetailaspossible.AdviceforCharacters:whenyouroutintheworldlistentopeopletalking,playwithwhatyouhear,edititinyourmindseyeandseehowitwouldlookonapage.Also-youshouldbeabletoidentifyacharacterbywhatheorshesays.It'sagiventhateachshouldsounddifferent,lookdifferent,andhavedifferentbackgroundsandmannerisms-butthissimpleadvicehithomeb/cIthought,"ifIdidn'twrite-hesaid/shesaid-afterthisquote,wouldtheyknowitwasfromthischaracter?"Also,ABDCE,forAction,Background,Development,Climax,andEnding.Youbeginwithactionthatiscompellingenoughtodrawusin,backgroundtoknowwhothesepeopleare,whathappenedbeforethestorybegan,thenyoudevelopthesepeoplesoyouknowwhattheycaremostabout.Theplot-drama,actions,tension-comeoutofthat.Movethemalong-tilitcomestogetherinaclimax,afterwhichthingsaredifferentforthecharactersinsomerealway,andthentheending-whatisoursenseofwhothesepeoplearenow.Whataretheyleftwithandwhatdoesthatmean?Ilovedthedescriptionofrewritingandtuckingtheoctopusinbed.Thelegsthatkeeppoppingoutfromthebedsheets,andjustwhenyouthinkyouhavethemtuckedin,anotherpopsout.I'malsointerestedinreadingE.M.ForsterandJohnGardner'sadviceonplotwhichLamottmentionsasgreatreadsandthinkingaboutjoiningawritinggroup.And...ok-(Ilovesomanythingsaboutthisbook!)-theadviceonhavingsomeonereadyourfirstdraftswasreallygood-ithelpstoknowifyou'reontherightpath.AndIlikedtheadviceonhowtofindpeopleforwritinggroupsandtohelpyouedit.Howtoapproachthem,andhowtolaughattherejectionyoumightencountermeetingtheminawritingclassandtheyperhaps,notwantingtohelpyou:)OneofthelifelessontipsIlovedwasonpage170,aboutnotwastingyourtimeonpeoplewhodoesn'trespondtoyouwithkindnessandrespect,orwastingyourtimewithpeoplewhomakeyouholdyoubreath."Youcan'tfillupwhenyourholdingyourbreath,andwritingisaboutfillingup,whenyou'reempty.Lettingimages,andideas,andsmellsrunlikewater."I'mlaughedatthebeginningwriterthings-thewritingaboutyourself,andmakingyourselfthemaincharacterandtryingtothrowEVERYTHINGinyourfirstbook,shortstory,whatever.Yup-I'mdoingallofthat,andatleastI'mlearningI'mnotalone:)Lettersisanamazingideaaswell-writingapartofyourhistory-apartofacharactershistory-intheformofaletter-thattheinformalitymightjustfreeyoufromthetyrannyofperfectionism,andevenaddressittosomeone.IlovedthisideaandIcanseehowseveralofmyfavoritearticlesoressayscouldhavebeenwrittenusingthismethod-atleastasafirstdraftortobrainstorm.Ok-justaddingtothisagain,Iliketheideaofcarryinganindexcardandpeninyourbackpocketwhenyouwalkyourdogs,andthattheideaofwritersblockisreally-beingempty-andthatyouneedtowrite300wordsonanythingforhowevermanydaysuntilitpasses.Thatbeingoutwithnature-livinglifelikeitwasyourlastdayandre-fillingyourimaginationcanfillbackup."Anyofthethingsyoulovetodowillfillyouwithobservations,flavors,visions,ideas,andmemories."Also-thinkingofwhatyouwanttosayandifanythingelsehasbeenwrittenonthesubject.Buttellyourstory-orsomeoneelse's-freesomeonefrombondage,orriskfreeingyourself.IlovedthequotebyToniMorrisononp.193thatLamottuses,"Thefunctionoffreedomistofreesomeoneelse."Onp.198Lamottsays,"Wewritetheunexposed.Ifthereisadoorinacastleyou'vebeentoldnottogothroughyoumust."Shesaysthatyouneedtodiscoveryourtruevoice,andyoucan'tdothatifyouthinkyourparentsarereadingoveryourshoulder.Thinkaboutwhoyourwritingfor-dedicateittoyourfavoriteauthorasagifttogivebacktothemforinfluencingyou.I'malsowrotedownthenameofabookLamotttalksaboutcalledIntimationsofMortalitythatIthinkIneedtoread,andremembertosuggesttoanyonedealingwithcancer-itsoundswonderful.And...Ilovetheideaofwritingapresentforsomeone.ThelastnoteI'mgoingtoaddthatreallyimpactedmewasLamottmessagenottoworryaboutwhatpeoplethinkofyou,buttoworryaboutnotfinishingyourwriting.Goodadvice. ...more flag 48likes · Like  · seereview Viewall4comments Aug14,2008 Bonnie ratedit itwasamazing Shelves: recommended, on-writing, reviewed-books Irecommendthisbooktoeveryone,writerornot.ItisAnne'smostclassic,Ithink.Youwilllaughandmaybeevencry.IpullitofftheshelfnowandthenandreadwhateverpageIlandon--andalwaysfindmywaybacktomyownwriting. Irecommendthisbooktoeveryone,writerornot.ItisAnne'smostclassic,Ithink.Youwilllaughandmaybeevencry.IpullitofftheshelfnowandthenandreadwhateverpageIlandon--andalwaysfindmywaybacktomyownwriting. ...more flag 44likes · Like  · seereview View2comments Aug24,2013 Thomas ratedit itwasamazing RecommendedtoThomasby: April Shelves: 2nd-favorites, nonfiction, about-writing, five-stars, biography-or-memoir, own-physical BirdbyBirdismynewbible.Notjustforwriting,butforlife-itismyfavoriteworkofnonfictionsofar.StephenKing'sOnWritingimpressedme,butAnneLamott'sbookhadmetearingupandlaughingatthesametime.Herself-deprecatingsenseofhumorandherharshyetrealisticapproachtowritingwonmeover.IfIcould,IwouldthrowthisbookateverystudentatmycollegestudyingEnglishorCreativeWriting.Lamotttacklestopicsrangingfromtheneuroticmentalityofwritingtoth BirdbyBirdismynewbible.Notjustforwriting,butforlife-itismyfavoriteworkofnonfictionsofar.StephenKing'sOnWritingimpressedme,butAnneLamott'sbookhadmetearingupandlaughingatthesametime.Herself-deprecatingsenseofhumorandherharshyetrealisticapproachtowritingwonmeover.IfIcould,IwouldthrowthisbookateverystudentatmycollegestudyingEnglishorCreativeWriting.Lamotttacklestopicsrangingfromtheneuroticmentalityofwritingtothewoesandjoysofpublishing;IwouldrecommendBirdbyBirdtoliterallyeveryone,especiallytothosewhopossessevenaremoteinterestinthewritinglife.Hereareacoupleofpassagesthatportrayhervoiceandwisdom,thefirstpertainingtobooksandthesecondconcerningperfectionism:"Becauseforsomeofus,booksareasimportantasalmostanythingelseonearth.Whatamiracleitisthatoutofthesesmall,flat,rigidsquaresofpaperunfoldsworldafterworldafterworld,worldsthatsingtoyou,comfortandquietorexciteyou.Bookshelpusunderstandwhoweareandhowwearetobehave.Theyshowuswhatcommunityandfriendshipmean;theyshowushowtoliveanddie.""Perfectionismisthevoiceoftheoppressor,theenemyofthepeople.Itwillkeepyoucrampedandinsaneyourwholelife,anditisthemainobstaclebetweenyouandashittyfirstdraft.Ithinkperfectionismisbasedontheobsessivebeliefthatifyouruncarefullyenough,hittingeachstepping-stonejustright,youwon'thavetodie.Thetruthisthatyouwilldieanywayandthatalotofpeoplewhoaren'tevenlookingattheirfeetaregoingtodoawholelotbetterthanyou,andhavealotmorefunwhilethey'redoingit."Readthisbook.Youwillnotregretit.*reviewcross-postedonmyblog,thequietvoice. ...more flag 43likes · Like  · seereview Viewall5comments Oct26,2009 JohnWoodington ratedit didnotlikeit Shelves: books-on-writing Ididn'tenjoythisbook,simplybecauseitdidn'tinspiremetowrite.IgotthestrongimpressionthatMs.Lamotthashorribleself-esteemissues,andheroverusageofself-deprecatinghumorreallyworeonmeafterthefirstchapterortwo.Shedidn'tgivethereadertheinspirationtogooutandachievethegreatestthingpossibleintheirwritinglives,butinsteadsaidbasically"it'sokaytosuck,andyoushouldn'tworryaboutnevergettingbetter."Maybethat'samessagesomepeopleneed Ididn'tenjoythisbook,simplybecauseitdidn'tinspiremetowrite.IgotthestrongimpressionthatMs.Lamotthashorribleself-esteemissues,andheroverusageofself-deprecatinghumorreallyworeonmeafterthefirstchapterortwo.Shedidn'tgivethereadertheinspirationtogooutandachievethegreatestthingpossibleintheirwritinglives,butinsteadsaidbasically"it'sokaytosuck,andyoushouldn'tworryaboutnevergettingbetter."Maybethat'samessagesomepeopleneedtohear,butforme,itdidn'tdoit.Heractualwritingadvicecenteredaroundoneuniquely-statedidea,heracceptanceof"sh*ttyfirstdrafts."Thesefirstdraftsareveryimportant,andIoftenseethemasgettingtheclaydownonthecounterinordertobegintherealmoldingofthestory.Ifshehadsaidthatonlyherfirstdraftswere"sh*tty"thenImaybecould'veoverlookedherself-hatred,butwhenshesaidthatdraftupondraftupondraftwasterrible,andthatshespentnumerousdaysconsolingherselflikeasensitivepersonafteradisagreeablebreakup,wellatthatpointthebookbecametoomuchofasobstoryformetogiveitanyrespect. ...more flag 41likes · Like  · seereview Viewall5comments Dec06,2007 Nick ratedit itwasamazing Recommendsitfor: Writersandothercrazypeople Aftersomanybooksabouthowfunandeasywritingcanbe,it'sgreattohaveabookthatshowshowpainfulanddifficultitreallyis.Lamottputsapremiumondiscipline,thedisciplineofwritingeverydayatasettimeandtryinghardtogetthefirstdraftout,nomatterhowbaditmaybe.Thismessagemaynotbenewstomost,butalongwiththeaddedinfothatneurosisandwritinggohandinhand,Lamottisnotheretoinform,she'sheretoencourage.She'sarealteacher,someonewhoisn' Aftersomanybooksabouthowfunandeasywritingcanbe,it'sgreattohaveabookthatshowshowpainfulanddifficultitreallyis.Lamottputsapremiumondiscipline,thedisciplineofwritingeverydayatasettimeandtryinghardtogetthefirstdraftout,nomatterhowbaditmaybe.Thismessagemaynotbenewstomost,butalongwiththeaddedinfothatneurosisandwritinggohandinhand,Lamottisnotheretoinform,she'sheretoencourage.She'sarealteacher,someonewhoisn'tjusttryingtoshowyouhowtogettowhereyou'regoing,butalsotohelpyourestartifyou'vemissedastep.She'salsoveryfunnyandagoodwritertobootsothebookwasanabsolutepleasuretoread.Pickitupwhenyou'refeelingdown(aboutwriting.) ...more flag 41likes · Like  · seereview Viewall4comments Feb26,2014 Douglas ratedit itwasamazing Ireadthistotrytounderstandandlearnthecraftofwriting.Withgreatapprehension,I’mtryingtofigureoutifthisissomethingIwanttodo.I’vebeenamusicianandsongwriterformanyyears,soit’snotlikeit’sastretch.IthinkI’mmostlyintimidatedbythesheervolumeofworkbysomanygreatwritersbeforeme,writersthathavegiventheirentirelivestothecraftandsomesacrificingevenmore.WhatdoIhavetoadd?WhoamItoswaggerintotheSistineChapelreadiedwithpa Ireadthistotrytounderstandandlearnthecraftofwriting.Withgreatapprehension,I’mtryingtofigureoutifthisissomethingIwanttodo.I’vebeenamusicianandsongwriterformanyyears,soit’snotlikeit’sastretch.IthinkI’mmostlyintimidatedbythesheervolumeofworkbysomanygreatwritersbeforeme,writersthathavegiventheirentirelivestothecraftandsomesacrificingevenmore.WhatdoIhavetoadd?WhoamItoswaggerintotheSistineChapelreadiedwithpaint?AnneLamott’sbookisanecessarybookforsomeonelikeme.Shetellsyoutodoit.Despiteyourassumptionsortheassurancesyoumayexpect,noneofitwillmatterintheend.Inordertowrite,youhavetowriteandpracticewriting.It’sthatsimple.Here’safewotherthingsIlearned,whichI’msureI’llhavetogobacktoagainandagain:• Writeeveryday.Ok,thatseemseasyenough.I’malreadydoingthat,anyhow.• Observelifeandwriteitdown.Thisalsoseemseasy,butnotsomethingI’vebeeninthehabitofdoing.That’llbemyfirstandforemostchallenge.• Don’texpecttogetpublishedorearnfame,becauseyouprobablywon’t.Thisisactuallyreassuringtome.Idon’twantthatthoughthoveringovermeorpreventingthetruthfromemerging.Fortheseideasalone,thisbookhasbeenveryhelpfulandencouragedmetotaketheleap.Towardstheend,IwaswonderinghowIcouldsummarizethemainthemeofthisalmostemancipatingguidebook,butthenLamottdoesitformeinthelastchapter:“Becomingawriterisaboutbecomingconscious.Whenyou’reconsciousandwritingfromaplaceofinsightandsimplicityandrealcaringaboutthetruth,youhavetheabilitytothrowthelightsonforthereader.Heorshewillrecognizehisorherlifeandtruthinwhatyousay,inthepicturesyouhavepainted,andthisdecreasestheterriblesenseofisolationthatwehaveallhadtoomuchof.Trytowriteinadirectlyemotionalway,insteadofbeingtoosubtleoroblique.Don’tbeafraidofyourmaterialoryourpast.Beafraidofwastinganymoretimeobsessingabouthowyoulookandhowpeopleseeyou.Beafraidofnotgettingyourwritingdone.Ifsomethinginsideyouisreal,wewillprobablyfinditinteresting,anditwillprobablybeuniversal.Soyoumustriskplacingrealemotionatthecenterofyourwork.Writestraightintotheemotionalcenterofthings.Writetowardyourvulnerability.Don’tworryaboutappearingsentimental.Worryaboutbeingunavailable;worryaboutbeingabsentorfraudulent.Riskbeingunliked.Tellthetruthasyouunderstandit.Ifyou’reawriter,youhaveamoralobligationtodothis.Anditisarevolutionaryact–truthisalwayssubversive.”Ilovewhentheactoftellingthetruthisforemost,becausethatissomethingwecanalldo,right? ...more flag 39likes · Like  · seereview Viewall8comments Feb15,2014 Kogiopsis ratedit itwasok Shelves: nonfiction, reviewed I'moftwomindsaboutthisbook.Asanautobiography,it'sactuallyquitegood,especiallythelatterhalf.Lamottisgoodattalkingaboutherownlifeinawaythatfeelsgenuineandtouching,andwhensherecountsanecdotessheis,forthemostpart,reallyengaging.Theproblemisthatthis...isn'tanautobiography.It'snoteveninthatweirdin-betweenplacethatalotofsciencewritingoftenis,wherestoriesofdiscoveryareintertwinedinextricablywithstoriesoflife.Thisisfirsta I'moftwomindsaboutthisbook.Asanautobiography,it'sactuallyquitegood,especiallythelatterhalf.Lamottisgoodattalkingaboutherownlifeinawaythatfeelsgenuineandtouching,andwhensherecountsanecdotessheis,forthemostpart,reallyengaging.Theproblemisthatthis...isn'tanautobiography.It'snoteveninthatweirdin-betweenplacethatalotofsciencewritingoftenis,wherestoriesofdiscoveryareintertwinedinextricablywithstoriesoflife.Thisisfirstandforemostabookaboutwritingandthereforeit'sunfortunatethatthat'swhereitfails.Ishouldaddacaveathere:I'msurethisisafunctionalwritingbookifyou'remorelikeLamott.If,forinstance,you'reinterestedinwritingsemi-autobiographicalfiction(ortrueautobiography),or'literaryfiction'-whichI'mnot;andassomeonewhoprefers'genre'fictionI'mperpetuallyfrustratedatwritingbookswhichclaimtobeuniversalonlybecausetheyassumetheirsubjectisallthat'simportant.Itprobablyalsohelpsif,likeLamott,you'reprivilegedandcomfortablewithit:comfortableenoughtousephraseslike'ethnicpeople',or'likeahugeautisticchild',oryouthinkgeneralizedinsecuritiesqualifyas'mentalillness'(andrefertothemassuchoverandoverandover),ortossoutjokesaboutlobotomies,ordescribepeoplewithalistofwaysthey'redifferentfromyoufirstandforemost.I'msureit'sliberatingtobeabletodescribeSouthAmericanwritersas'likeprimitiveart'andnothaveanysecondthoughts,ortoknowsolittleaboutautismthatyouusethewordtorefertoanemotionalstate.WhatI'msayinghereisthatLamott,asawriteraddressingmeasanaudience,mademefeelprofoundlyalienated.Asapersonwithactualdiagnosedmentalillness-astheonlynon-autisticpersoninmyapartment-asaqueerperson-asawhitepersonwhomakesaconsciousefforttobeawareofraceinsocietyandinmylife,there'ssomethinginthecasualwayshetreadsalloverthesethingsthatwasincrediblyuncomfortabletoread.That'smadeworsebythefactthatonceyougetpastallthecasualableismandracismandheterosexism,thewritingadvicereallyisn'tthatgood.Thefirst95pagesofthisbookareprettymuchalljust'keepwritingnomatterwhat'indifferentphrasings,substantiatedbyanecdotes.VerylittleofwhatLamottsayswillbenewinformationtoanyonewho'sbeenwritingforawhile,especiallyifthey'vereadotherbooksonwriting.Someofherinformationis(bydintofthebookbeing20yearsold)irrelevantbydintofbeingoutofdate.Mostofitisjustbanal.(Averysmallportionisplainbad,asinthis:"Mondaysarenotgoodwritingdays.Onehashadallthatfreedomovertheweekend,allthatauthenticity,allthosedreamydreams,andthenyourangrymuteSlavicUncleMondayarrives,anditistimetositdownatyourdesk.SoIwouldsimplyrecommendtothepeopleinmyworkshopsthattheyneverstartalargewritingprojectinanyMondayinDecember."IwasalsostruckbyhowderisiveLamottistowardsherownformerworkshopstudents.Thephrasethatstoodouttomemostisthis:"Sometimeswhenastudentcallsandismewlingandpukingaboutthehopelessnessoftryingtoputwordsdownonpaper..."That'sthemostegregiousexampleofageneraltrendthroughoutthebook:sheseemstolookdownonherstudentsandespeciallyontheirattitudestowardswriting,treatingthemasifthey'repathetic,ignorant,andcareonlyaboutpublication.Itwasuncomfortabletoread,andIcanonlyimaginehowitwouldfeeltobeoneofherformerstudentsandseeonesselfcategorizedinsuchacallous,dismissiveway.Attheendoftheday,whatgoodtherewasinthisbookisfaroutweighedbytheamountofitwhichisuseless.You'llgetaboutasmuchoutofthefull200+pagesasyoudofromreadingtheanecdoteontheback,whichprettyperfectlyencapsulateswhatLamottgoesonaboutadnauseum.Ifyou'relookingforsomethingwithactualwritingadvice,lookelsewhere.Isuggestthispodcast,whichcoverseverythingfromgettingoverblocktospecificsubgenrestogettingpublished,andisfunniertoboot. ...more flag 34likes · Like  · seereview View2comments Aug28,2011 Hanna ratedit didnotlikeit IdeeplydislikeAnneLammottandallheridioticstatementsonwriting.ThisbookwastorturetoreadandIcannotfigureouthowmyEnglishteachercouldhavepossiblyassignedit.Thiswoman,withallherlengthywords,doesnotseemtohaveanysortofunderstandingaboutwritingatall.I'llevenuseaquotefromherownbooktoexplainexactlywhythisbookwassoawful:"OnethingIhaven'ttoldyouaboutmyfamousshortstory'Arnold'isthatbesidessendingitoffeveryfewmonthstomyf IdeeplydislikeAnneLammottandallheridioticstatementsonwriting.ThisbookwastorturetoreadandIcannotfigureouthowmyEnglishteachercouldhavepossiblyassignedit.Thiswoman,withallherlengthywords,doesnotseemtohaveanysortofunderstandingaboutwritingatall.I'llevenuseaquotefromherownbooktoexplainexactlywhythisbookwassoawful:"OnethingIhaven'ttoldyouaboutmyfamousshortstory'Arnold'isthatbesidessendingitoffeveryfewmonthstomyfather'sagent,Ialsosenditofftoanimportantmagazineeditor.Hesentitbackwiththefollowingnote:'Youhavemadethemistakeofthinkingthateverythingthathashappenedtoyouisinteresting.'"Ithinksotoo,Lammott-youhavemadethemistakeofthinkingthateverythingfeelingoffrustrationthatyougetfromyourwritingexperience,isabsolutelyenlightening,surrealandmakesyouobviously,amuchmoreauthenticwriterthaneveryoneelse-causingyoutowritethisbookandexpectingtunnelsofpraiseforit.I'msohappyshegotfamousbecauseotherwise,shewouldprobablybeendeadatleasttenyearsfromallthose'writer'activitiesthatshesoeagerlypartookin(i.e,drinking,self-deprecation,drugs,depression,selfloathing,vanity,jealousyetcetc).Drinkingandselfdeprecationcannotmakeyouawriter.Itdoeshowever,makeyoulooklikeasillyandverydevotedposer.BLAH. ...more flag 33likes · Like  · seereview Viewall5comments Dec04,2009 Anne(Onsemi-hiatus) ratedit reallylikedit Shelves: reread, audible, bio-memoir, 2020 VeryinspirationalrereadofabookIrememberlovingmanyyearsago.ThistimeIlistenedtoitinaudio.SusanBennettdidsuchagoodjobIbelievedIwaslisteningtoAnneLamott.IloveLamott'sauthenticity,herpersonalanecdotes,herhumorandheradvise.Isimplylikeher.LamottputssomuchofherselfintothisbookthatIfeellikesheisafriendwhomIcouldmeetforcoffeeandstartgabbingwith.Iimaginethatshehasthiseffectonmanyofherreaders.I'mnotawriterbutitwa VeryinspirationalrereadofabookIrememberlovingmanyyearsago.ThistimeIlistenedtoitinaudio.SusanBennettdidsuchagoodjobIbelievedIwaslisteningtoAnneLamott.IloveLamott'sauthenticity,herpersonalanecdotes,herhumorandheradvise.Isimplylikeher.LamottputssomuchofherselfintothisbookthatIfeellikesheisafriendwhomIcouldmeetforcoffeeandstartgabbingwith.Iimaginethatshehasthiseffectonmanyofherreaders.I'mnotawriterbutitwasinterestingtohearwhatshehadtosaytowriters.Heradviceandphilosophycanbeappliedtoanythinginlife.Ireadthisbookforthefirsttimewhileoverwhelmedworkingonmydoctoraldissertation.Lamott'sfather'sadvicetohisoverwhelmedgrandsontoworkonhisprojectonebirdatatime,or,"birdbybird,"wasverycalmingandusefuladviceformeatthattime.I'veneverforgottenthatanecdoteortheadvice.Myonlysomewhatnegativethoughtwhichisn'tareflectiononthebook,isthatsomeoftheadvicefeltold.I'molderbyabout25-30yearssomy"maturity"mayaccountforthat.:)) ...more flag 32likes · Like  · seereview Viewall28comments Jul02,2012 ElyseWalters ratedit itwasamazing "Wonderfulbook".IreaditawhilebackwhenItookaclass.(Istillownit--andlookthroughoften)--IwasinspiredwhenIsawmyGoodreadsfriendherereadingit!NOTE:Istillneverwantto'write'(asinserious)---butIfeel'free'toexpressmyself.AnneLamott'bookisfilledwithwisdom. "Wonderfulbook".IreaditawhilebackwhenItookaclass.(Istillownit--andlookthroughoften)--IwasinspiredwhenIsawmyGoodreadsfriendherereadingit!NOTE:Istillneverwantto'write'(asinserious)---butIfeel'free'toexpressmyself.AnneLamott'bookisfilledwithwisdom. ...more flag 30likes · Like  · seereview Viewall11comments Apr05,2012 Perry ratedit itwasamazing Shelves: scrittura, tools-of-trade SwellSongsSungSoWellThislittlebooksingssosweetly.You'veprobablyreadinotherbookssomeversionoftheoptimism,pointersandwarningsthatarecoveredhere.Yet,you'veprobablynotreadoneaspracticaloraswell-writtenasthis.AnneLamott'sbookisavirtuosic"Bestof"LP,forwritersandothercreativeartists,fromwhichonemaychooseamongmanytracksofanecdotes,experienceandhope.It'ssomethingyoucanpulloutfromtimetotimetoputyouontherighttrack,getyou SwellSongsSungSoWellThislittlebooksingssosweetly.You'veprobablyreadinotherbookssomeversionoftheoptimism,pointersandwarningsthatarecoveredhere.Yet,you'veprobablynotreadoneaspracticaloraswell-writtenasthis.AnneLamott'sbookisavirtuosic"Bestof"LP,forwritersandothercreativeartists,fromwhichonemaychooseamongmanytracksofanecdotes,experienceandhope.It'ssomethingyoucanpulloutfromtimetotimetoputyouontherighttrack,getyouunstuckand,inallcases,ontoconjuringmagicfromyourimaginationontotheblankscreenorsheetofpapersittinginfrontofyou.Ihighlyrecommendthisbook. ...more flag 30likes · Like  · seereview View1comment Jul25,2011 Rebecca ratedit reallylikedit Shelves: writers-and-writing, memoirs Idon’tnecessarilyaspiretowritefiction,butIlovedthisbookallthesame.Alongwithstep-by-stepadviceondialogue,plot,characterization,etc.,ithasLamott’strademarkwryobservationsaboutlivinglifesomewherebetweenfaithandfailure.Ifyoufeelcompelledtowrite,write,Lamotturges;“Idon’tthinkyouhavetimetowastenotwritingbecauseyouareafraidyouwon’tbegoodenoughatit.”Acceptthatyou’llproduce“reallyshittyfirstdrafts,”andmoveonfromthere.Atitsw Idon’tnecessarilyaspiretowritefiction,butIlovedthisbookallthesame.Alongwithstep-by-stepadviceondialogue,plot,characterization,etc.,ithasLamott’strademarkwryobservationsaboutlivinglifesomewherebetweenfaithandfailure.Ifyoufeelcompelledtowrite,write,Lamotturges;“Idon’tthinkyouhavetimetowastenotwritingbecauseyouareafraidyouwon’tbegoodenoughatit.”Acceptthatyou’llproduce“reallyshittyfirstdrafts,”andmoveonfromthere.Atitsworst,writingisconfidence-crushingtorment.Atitsbest,writingislikeasacreddutytoconveyamessageofhopeandcontributetoabetterworld.She’snotadvocatingpolemicoragenda-drivenfiction,butvoicesagainstnihilism:There’snopointinwritinghopelessnovels.Weallknowwe’regoingtodie;what’simportantisthekindofmenandwomenweareinthefaceofthis....Tobeagoodwriter,younotonlyhavetowriteagreatdealbutyouhavetocare.Youdonothavetohaveacomplicatedmoralphilosophy.Butawriteralwaystries,Ithink,tobeapartofthesolution,tounderstandalittleaboutlifeandpassthison.Shecharacterizeswritingasaformofmeditation:ameansofbothunderstandingtheselfandtranscendingit.“Tobeengrossedbysomethingoutsideourselvesisapowerfulantidotefortherationalmind,themindthatsofrequentlyhasitsheadupitsownass—seeingthingsinsuchanarrowanddarklynarcissisticwaythatitpresentsacolo-rectaltheology,offeringhopetonoone.”• “writingmotivatesyoutolookcloselyatlife,atlifeasitlurchesbyandtrampsaround.”• “hopeisarevolutionarypatience;letmeaddthatsoisbeingawriter.Hopebeginsinthedark,thestubbornhopethatifyoujustshowupandtrytodotherightthing,thedawnwillcome.Youwaitandwatchandwork;youdon’tgiveup.”• “JohnGardnerwrotethatthewriteriscreatingadreamintowhichheorsheinvitesthereader,andthatthedreammustbevividandcontinuous.”Lamott’sstrongestwarningisagainstthesirencallofpublishing:“Itellyou,ifwhatyouhaveinmindisfameandfortune,publicationisgoingtodriveyoucrazy.”Writingmustbeitsownreward,sofulfillingthatitdoesn’tmatterwhatkindofreviewsoradvancesyouget.“Nomatterwhathappensintermsoffameandfortune,dedicationtowritingisamarching-stepforwardfromwhereyouwerebefore,whenyoudidn’tcareaboutreachingouttotheworld,whenyouweren’thopingtocontribute,whenyouwerejuststandingtheredoingsomejobintowhichyouhadfallen....Evenifyouneverpublishaword,youhavesomethingimportanttopouryourselfinto.”Myapologiesforallthelongexcerpts,butthisisaveryquotablebook.I’llfinishwithhersummationofthewritinglifeandtheliterarycommunity:Therearealotofus,somepublished,somenot,whothinktheliterarylifeistheloveliestonepossible,thislifeofreadingandwritingandcorresponding.Wethinkthislifeisnearlyideal.Itisspirituallyinvigorating...Itisintellectuallyquickening.Onecanfindinwritingaperfectfocusforlife.Itofferschallengeanddelightandagonyandcommitment.Weseeourworkasavocation,withthepotentialtobeasrichandenliveningasthepriesthood.Asawriter,onewillhaveovertheyearsmanyexperiencesthatstimulateandnourishthespirit.Thesewillbequietanddeepinside,however,unaccompaniedbythunderortremulousangels.Essentialreadingforanywriter. ...more flag 28likes · Like  · seereview Viewall7comments Nov11,2008 Nicky ratedit reallylikedit Shelves: non-fiction, about-writing BirdByBirdislessabookaboutwritingtechniquesandmoreawriterspeakingtootherwritersandtellingthemthatit'sokay.Allofit.Alltheirneurosesandhangupsandsetbacks.It'sokay.Justtakeitwordbyword(birdbybird).Idon'tthinkIlearnedmuchfromit,butjusthavingsomeonesayit'sokaytomefortwohundredandthirty-sevenpageswasgood.Thereissomegoodadviceinthereabouthowtostartwritingasceneyoudon'tknowabout,howtoletyourcharactersdevelop,h BirdByBirdislessabookaboutwritingtechniquesandmoreawriterspeakingtootherwritersandtellingthemthatit'sokay.Allofit.Alltheirneurosesandhangupsandsetbacks.It'sokay.Justtakeitwordbyword(birdbybird).Idon'tthinkIlearnedmuchfromit,butjusthavingsomeonesayit'sokaytomefortwohundredandthirty-sevenpageswasgood.Thereissomegoodadviceinthereabouthowtostartwritingasceneyoudon'tknowabout,howtoletyourcharactersdevelop,howtodealwithcriticism,howtopullideasoutofthemeltingpotthatismemory.There'sapieceofadvicethatIjustloveandmighthavetotrysomeday:writeabookforyourfavouriteauthor.Idon'tknowwhatI'llwriteforSusanCooperorUrsulaLeGuinorGuyGavrielKay,butIknowIwanttotrywritingforthem.AnneLamottwritesunderstandingly,inawaythatwillmakeyousmilewrylyand--inplaces--probablymakeyouwanttocry.Itmaynotteachyouanythingbeyondit'sokay,andyoumightfindthateventhatyouknow,butherwritingislovelyandworthreadinganyway.I'veneverreadanyofhernovels,butIdefinitelyrecommendreadingthis. ...more flag 27likes · Like  · seereview May20,2007 Leah ratedit itwasok Thisbookofferedaninterestingperspectiveonlifeandwritingfiction.Shewaspreachingtotheconverted,however;didn'treallyopenmyeyestoanythingIwouldn'texpect/alreadyknow.Ihappentothinkjealousyistheugliesthumanemotion.Kudostoherforshamelesslyadmittingtohershortcomings,butIhonestlywantedtoclosethebookduringthischapter.I'mgladItougheditoutthoughbecauseitwasdecentwell-laidoutwritingadvice,nonetheless.Can'thurtforbeginners.Lamottc Thisbookofferedaninterestingperspectiveonlifeandwritingfiction.Shewaspreachingtotheconverted,however;didn'treallyopenmyeyestoanythingIwouldn'texpect/alreadyknow.Ihappentothinkjealousyistheugliesthumanemotion.Kudostoherforshamelesslyadmittingtohershortcomings,butIhonestlywantedtoclosethebookduringthischapter.I'mgladItougheditoutthoughbecauseitwasdecentwell-laidoutwritingadvice,nonetheless.Can'thurtforbeginners.LamottcomesoffasthekindofgirlthattalksaLOT,almosttoomuch.Sheseemsquitesmugwithherwritingandtriestopassitoffashumble.Idon'tfallforit,sorry.I'malmostinclinedtosayitwasamistaketorevealallhersecrets.I'mnottoofondofherself-proclaimedsenseofhumor...ButIadmireherballsinessinteachingwhatsheknowsbest. ...more flag 26likes · Like  · seereview View2comments Jun11,2009 Amanda ratedit reallylikedit Shelves: blog Asurprisinglyhystericalbookaboutwritingand,asthetitleimplies,life.ThehypesurroundingLamott'sbookisdefinitelywell-earnedandIcan'twaittoreadmoreofherwork.Muchofheradviceonwritingispracticalandno-nonsenseassheaddressesthedifficultiesofwritingandgettingpublished.IfIhadonecomplaintitwouldbethatIwasn'tasinspiredtowritebytheendofthebookasIwastobeAnne's(see?I'malreadycallingherbyherfirstnameasifIknowher)friend.I Asurprisinglyhystericalbookaboutwritingand,asthetitleimplies,life.ThehypesurroundingLamott'sbookisdefinitelywell-earnedandIcan'twaittoreadmoreofherwork.Muchofheradviceonwritingispracticalandno-nonsenseassheaddressesthedifficultiesofwritingandgettingpublished.IfIhadonecomplaintitwouldbethatIwasn'tasinspiredtowritebytheendofthebookasIwastobeAnne's(see?I'malreadycallingherbyherfirstnameasifIknowher)friend.Idefinitelyappreciatedhertwistedandunusualsenseofhumor.Ioftenlaughedoutloud,notsomethingIwasexpectingduringchaptersaboutlibel,editing,publishing,andtheothermundanepartsofthewriter'sworld.CrosspostedatThisInsignificantCinder. ...more flag 26likes · Like  · seereview Viewall3comments May12,2007 LisaVegan ratedit itwasamazing  ·  reviewofanotheredition Recommendsitfor: writersandreaders Shelves: books-about-books, humor, favorites, essays, zz-5star, goodreads-author, 1-also-at-librarything, 6-star-books, readbooks-female-author-or-illust, reviewed Thisisanenjoyablereadandalovelybook.AnneLamottisaveryengagingwriterandsheisveryfunny,honest,andheartfelt.AlthoughIdon’tdesiretobeawriter,likemostreadersI’vewantedtobeawriterattimesinmylife.Itooktoheartheradvicethatatsomepointonehastodecidewhethertobeareaderorawriter,achoiceI’dmadebutitsolidifiedmydecisionforme.The“birdbybird”philosophyespousedinthisbookcanapplytoallendeavors,notjusttheoneofwriting. flag 26likes · Like  · seereview Viewall23comments May13,2018 Jeanne ratedit itwasok Shelves: did-not-finish I'msuretheadviceinthisbookwillbeusefulforsome,butIcouldn'tgetpasttheuseofacasualjokestrivializingthegenocideofNativeAmericansandmockingautisticchildren.I'mnotinterestedinlearningwritingfromanauthorwhohasn'tprogresspassedhumorandmetaphorsfoundedonignoranceandbigotry. I'msuretheadviceinthisbookwillbeusefulforsome,butIcouldn'tgetpasttheuseofacasualjokestrivializingthegenocideofNativeAmericansandmockingautisticchildren.I'mnotinterestedinlearningwritingfromanauthorwhohasn'tprogresspassedhumorandmetaphorsfoundedonignoranceandbigotry. ...more flag 24likes · Like  · seereview View1comment Dec15,2007 BrianFoley ratedit didnotlikeit whenifinishedmyundergrad,ireceived5copiesofthisbook.Ieventuallysoldthemallforswill. flag 24likes · Like  · seereview View1comment Feb28,2008 Steve ratedit reallylikedit Icanseewhythisisapopularbook.Lamottisfunny,self-deprecating,andencouragingeveninthefaceofcold,hardrealities.Shemeanswhatshesaysinthetitle,too.Itreallydoessetouttobeinstructionsonwritingandlife.Thereareundoubtedlybetterbookscoveringparticularsofthecraft,butthismaybeoneofthebestatconstruingawriter’sperspective.Ilikedheradviceaboutmakingincrementalprogress(themeaningof“birdbybird”),aboutgettingsomething/anythingdown Icanseewhythisisapopularbook.Lamottisfunny,self-deprecating,andencouragingeveninthefaceofcold,hardrealities.Shemeanswhatshesaysinthetitle,too.Itreallydoessetouttobeinstructionsonwritingandlife.Thereareundoubtedlybetterbookscoveringparticularsofthecraft,butthismaybeoneofthebestatconstruingawriter’sperspective.Ilikedheradviceaboutmakingincrementalprogress(themeaningof“birdbybird”),aboutgettingsomething/anythingdownthatcanthenberefinedinlaterdrafts,andaboutfindingcharacters,plot,voice,andtruthfromdistinctpartsofyourself.Shealsomadeclearhowwritingcanmakeyouamoreappreciativereader.AnotherbitofadviceLamottofferedrangtrue:readerswanttolikethestoryteller.Iwouldsaysheachievedmostofthatgoalherselfasshelaidoutthestoryofherownliterarylife.Everyonceinawhileitseemedlikeshehadfavoriteanecdotessheshoehornedintothenarrativethatdidn’tquitefit,butthat’sasmallquibble.Aslightlybiggergripefrommyownpointofviewwasthatthereweretimeswhereitfeltlikeshewasleadingatouchy-feelyseminaronself-actualization.Havingneverbeentoone,I’monlyguessinghere,butitseemedlikeapeculiaritywemightexpectfromcertainkindsofCalifornians.Ididn’tallowthistodetractfromtheexperience,though.Norshouldyouifyou’relookingforwriting/lifeinstructionofasemi-practical,semi-inspirationalsort. ...more flag 21likes · Like  · seereview Viewall14comments Nov08,2016 DanniiElle ratedit reallylikedit Shelves: authorial-advice, non-fiction-nuances, adult-books-read AnneLamotthasmademefinallyfeellikeitisallgoingtobeokay!Thisislessofaninstructionalguidetothecraftofwritingandmoreofanextendedpep-talkaboutlivinglifecreatively.Thisbookwillnotnecessarilyguideyouinhowtocreatestellarcharactersorhowtomergeyoursub-plotwithyourmainplot-line,butitwillaidyouingoingintoyourwritingendeavorswithamoresoundmindandabetterexpectationofwhatthecreativeprocessholds.Itisprofound,anecdotalandf AnneLamotthasmademefinallyfeellikeitisallgoingtobeokay!Thisislessofaninstructionalguidetothecraftofwritingandmoreofanextendedpep-talkaboutlivinglifecreatively.Thisbookwillnotnecessarilyguideyouinhowtocreatestellarcharactersorhowtomergeyoursub-plotwithyourmainplot-line,butitwillaidyouingoingintoyourwritingendeavorswithamoresoundmindandabetterexpectationofwhatthecreativeprocessholds.Itisprofound,anecdotalandfullofwryobservationsaboutlifebeingsomewherebetweenfaithandfailure.Perfectionismisseenastherootofallevilandkudosispaidto"theshittyfirstdraft".Herconversational,wittyandengagingtonehasallowedmetobelieveinmyselfwhilstduallygivingthehardfactsaboutlifeasawriter.Shedoesn'tsugar-coatandshedoesn'tdressanythingup,butshedoesgivehopeandshedoesurgeeverywriter-to-betoowntheirownvoiceandtostriveforthestorieswithinthemselves.Thisisamust-readforbothamateurandprofessionalwriters,aswellasallthosewithaninterestincreativeliving. ...more flag 23likes · Like  · seereview Viewall4comments Nov22,2018 My_Strange_Reading ratedit itwasamazing Shelves: audiobook, non-fiction, christian #mystrangereadingbirdbybirdbyAnneLamott⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"Perfectionismisthevoiceoftheoppressor,theenemyofthepeople.Itwillkeepyoucrampedandinsaneyourwholelife,andoristhemainobstaclebetweenyouandyourshittyfirstdraft""Oneofthethingsthathappenswhenyougiveyourselfpermissiontostartwritingisthatyoustartthinkinglikeawriter"I'msothankfulthatmyAuntRobinrecommendedthisbookyesterday!HowhaveImissedit?It'ssuchagreatencouragementforso #mystrangereadingbirdbybirdbyAnneLamott⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"Perfectionismisthevoiceoftheoppressor,theenemyofthepeople.Itwillkeepyoucrampedandinsaneyourwholelife,andoristhemainobstaclebetweenyouandyourshittyfirstdraft""Oneofthethingsthathappenswhenyougiveyourselfpermissiontostartwritingisthatyoustartthinkinglikeawriter"I'msothankfulthatmyAuntRobinrecommendedthisbookyesterday!HowhaveImissedit?It'ssuchagreatencouragementforsomeonewhohasstartedplayingwithwritingrecently.Ilovetheshortchapters,thepracticaladviceandtherealisticexpectationsthatshesets.It'swonderfulandIrecommendforanyonewhoistakingonsomethingnewthattheyhaven'ttriedbefore.Itdoesn'tjustapplytowriting! ...more flag 20likes · Like  · seereview View2comments «previous123456789…next» newtopicDiscussThisBook topics  posts  views  lastactivity    GoodreadsLibrari...: IncorrectpagecountandmissingISBN 5 27 Sep17,202109:08PM   PlayBookTag: BirdbyBird/Lamott-4stars 5 28 Feb12,201902:20AM   WriterlyReads: SeptemberBookDiscussion 15 74 Sep24,201711:06PM   SnippetsThatIns...: GlimpsesAsScene? 1 3 May21,201603:57PM   MansfieldPublic...: The"BirdbyBird"reviewbySuzanneDowling 1 27 Aug14,201403:00AM   Cananyonefindpagenumberofaquoteinthisbook? 17 344 Apr25,201411:09PM   Moretopics... Share RecommendIt  |  Stats  |  RecentStatusUpdates Readersalsoenjoyed Seesimilarbooks… Genres Language> Writing 4,611users Nonfiction 3,102users Autobiography> Memoir 639users SelfHelp 271users Writing> Essays 219users Reference 189users Biography 128users Audiobook 114users Art> Crafts 110users Humor 104users Seetopshelves… AboutAnneLamott AnneLamott 8,138 followers AnneLamottisanauthorofseveralnovelsandworksofnon-fiction.BasedintheSanFranciscoBayArea,hernon-fictionworksarelargelyautobiographical,withstrongdosesofself-deprecatinghumorandcoveringsuchsubjectsasalcoholism,singlemotherhood,andChristianity.Sheappealstoherfansbecauseofhersenseofhumor,herdeeplyfeltinsights,andheroutspokenviewsontopicssuch AnneLamottisanauthorofseveralnovelsandworksofnon-fiction.BasedintheSanFranciscoBayArea,hernon-fictionworksarelargelyautobiographical,withstrongdosesofself-deprecatinghumorandcoveringsuchsubjectsasalcoholism,singlemotherhood,andChristianity.Sheappealstoherfansbecauseofhersenseofhumor,herdeeplyfeltinsights,andheroutspokenviewsontopicssuchasherleft-of-centerpoliticsandherunconventionalChristianfaith.SheisagraduateofDrewCollegePreparatorySchoolinSanFrancisco,California.Herfather,KennethLamott,wasalsoawriterandwasthebasisofherfirstnovelHardLaughter.Lamott'slifeisdocumentedinFreidaLeeMock's1999documentaryBirdbyBird:AFilmPortraitofWriterAnneLamott. ...more BooksbyAnneLamott More… ArticlesfeaturingthisbookAuthorsOfferTheirBestSummerReadingRecommendations Ifyouwantagreatbookrecommendation(orthree),hereatGoodreadswehaveatipforyou:Askanauthor!Notonlyareauthorsvery...Readmore...115likes·11comments TriviaAboutBirdbyBird:Som... 4triviaquestions Morequizzes&trivia... QuotesfromBirdbyBird:Som... “Forsomeofus,booksareasimportantasalmostanythingelseonearth.Whatamiracleitisthatoutofthesesmall,flat,rigidsquaresofpaperunfoldsworldafterworldafterworld,worldsthatsingtoyou,comfortandquietorexciteyou.Bookshelpusunderstandwhoweareandhowwearetobehave.Theyshowuswhatcommunityandfriendshipmean;theyshowushowtoliveanddie.” — 2131likes “Perfectionismisthevoiceoftheoppressor,theenemyofthepeople.Itwillkeepyoucrampedandinsaneyourwholelife,anditisthemainobstaclebetweenyouandashittyfirstdraft.Ithinkperfectionismisbasedontheobsessivebeliefthatifyouruncarefullyenough,hittingeachstepping-stonejustright,youwon'thavetodie.Thetruthisthatyouwilldieanywayandthatalotofpeoplewhoaren'tevenlookingattheirfeetaregoingtodoawholelotbetterthanyou,andhavealotmorefunwhilethey'redoingit.” — 1263likes Morequotes… Welcomeback.JustamomentwhilewesignyouintoyourGoodreadsaccount.