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Product Description
"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'"
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First Sentence
The very first thing I tell my new students on the first day of a workshop is that good writing is about telling the truth. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
The very first thing I tell my new students on the first day of a workshop is that good writing is about telling the truth. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
103 of 114 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this because I was writing a novel in a month with Nanowrimo, and so many people on the forums recommended it. People who write novels in a month ought to know an inspirational book when they see it, I thought. Wrong, wrong, wrong...
The subtitle, "Some Instructions on Writing and Life", ought to have been a warning. But I was overwhelmed by delight in the title itself: Lamott's young brother had, in a single evening, to complete a school project on birds which he should have been writing over the previous three months. "Just take it bird by bird, buddy," was the sensible advice offered by their father.
Lamott herself, however, takes a different line: "just do it my way, buddy". She (presumably; like so many people who write books about how to write novels, I've never even seen one of her novels in a book shop) writes character-driven novels. Therefore, so should we all: don't worry about plot, or settings or anything else, just let your characters do their thing. This is doubtless very good advice for those who also write character-driven fiction, but if you're like me, and begin with a plot and then wonder what sort of people would get into such a ridiculous situation, Ms Lamott is not going to help you much.
I could have dealt with the book and found some useful insights in it were it not for the second problem: "... and Life". Lamott believes in God. Very much. There is far too much stuff here about what God wants for each of us and what each of us wants from God, for this to work for me, or anyone else who doesn't not share or wish to share Lamott's faith. If I wanted a book about fluffy Christianity, I would not have bought a writing book.
The subtitle, "Some Instructions on Writing and Life", ought to have been a warning. But I was overwhelmed by delight in the title itself: Lamott's young brother had, in a single evening, to complete a school project on birds which he should have been writing over the previous three months. "Just take it bird by bird, buddy," was the sensible advice offered by their father.
Lamott herself, however, takes a different line: "just do it my way, buddy". She (presumably; like so many people who write books about how to write novels, I've never even seen one of her novels in a book shop) writes character-driven novels. Therefore, so should we all: don't worry about plot, or settings or anything else, just let your characters do their thing. This is doubtless very good advice for those who also write character-driven fiction, but if you're like me, and begin with a plot and then wonder what sort of people would get into such a ridiculous situation, Ms Lamott is not going to help you much.
I could have dealt with the book and found some useful insights in it were it not for the second problem: "... and Life". Lamott believes in God. Very much. There is far too much stuff here about what God wants for each of us and what each of us wants from God, for this to work for me, or anyone else who doesn't not share or wish to share Lamott's faith. If I wanted a book about fluffy Christianity, I would not have bought a writing book.
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Reading Anne Lamott is like sitting down with a close friend who
shares all of your idiosyncracies and insanities, as well as your
warped sense of humor. Bird by Bird gives Lamott's view of the
writing life and confronts all of the little details and major crises
faced by anyone who's ever wanted to write. Filled with warm and
witty anecdotes from her own writing career and from the classes
she teaches, Lamott takes you gently by the hand and then
proceeds to push, pull, or drag you to the pencil or the keyboard
because you suddenly feel that you have to write something, right
now! This is a book to keep next to the bed or the computer, or
wherever else you're likely to be when you need a nudge to keep
going and a major dose of inspiration. Read this book with a
highlighter grasped tightly in your sweaty palm, because you're going
to want to come back to certain lines over and over again. Highly
recommended.
shares all of your idiosyncracies and insanities, as well as your
warped sense of humor. Bird by Bird gives Lamott's view of the
writing life and confronts all of the little details and major crises
faced by anyone who's ever wanted to write. Filled with warm and
witty anecdotes from her own writing career and from the classes
she teaches, Lamott takes you gently by the hand and then
proceeds to push, pull, or drag you to the pencil or the keyboard
because you suddenly feel that you have to write something, right
now! This is a book to keep next to the bed or the computer, or
wherever else you're likely to be when you need a nudge to keep
going and a major dose of inspiration. Read this book with a
highlighter grasped tightly in your sweaty palm, because you're going
to want to come back to certain lines over and over again. Highly
recommended.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When writing my first book, I hit an all too familiar wall which was a lifetime of writer's block that had paralyzed me many times before. A friend recommended I read Bird By Bird. I did, and through reading Ann's words, with all her wisdom and practical advice, a door to my inner voice opened up and the book flowed. Not only did I complete the book (on deadline!) and get it published, but people tell me the book reads like a novel, with the sound of my voice warm, clear and engaging throughout. This is the greatest reward ---a non-fiction book that came from my soul and that people can connect with. (ORGANIZING FROM THE INSIDE OUT, 1998) Thank you, Ann LaMott, and thank you Bird by Bird. I highly recommend this book to anyone who struggles with writing.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bird by Bird
An excellent book. Just what I needed. Encouraging without the sanctimony. Funny, but covered every topic I needed to read. Read more
Published on 20 April 2009 by Christine
Addressing a couple of points...
Lamott is absolutely damn right that if all you care about is getting yourself published you will never get published! Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2007 by Alice M. Hand
really great and funny book
This is a lovely book written by someone who obviously 'gets' and adores writing.
I too am always at switch off point when God is mentioned but he is here in a 'and my Mum... Read more
I too am always at switch off point when God is mentioned but he is here in a 'and my Mum... Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2007 by Mrs. S. King
The unbearable truth
This book is a very true portrait of what your inner life is like if you are a writer, how the writer's mind really works and what it is really like to try and live this way. Read more
Published on 23 Jan 2007 by Mathilda
Best in show.
Whenever I want to write I get myself psyched by reading books about writing. This book was just brilliant - so inspiring. Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2004 by Mrs. J. A. Collins
You Are Crazy - Now Write That Book!
Anne Lamott isn't afraid to expose her fears, joys or idiosyncrasies. This book is a combination of a guide towards writing and a self-parodying autobiography. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2004 by Martin A Hogan
The best writing advice EVER!
This book spoke directly to the writer in me who didn't know where to start...This book turned the key to let all the information and ideas and characters stored in my mind to... Read more
Published on 26 Sep 2000
Good grief...
I was relieved to see that there were at least a couple of negative reviews here, so I wasn't alone. Read more
Published on 29 Aug 1999
Helpful, entertaining and evocative.
A total surprise as I picked it up after "Operating Instructions." It is not only a useful book for all writers; it is a partial autobiography and, in its way, a... Read more
Published on 28 Aug 1999
oxygen
BIRD BY BIRD is oxygen for writers going down for the third time. I refer to it again and again, like a compass as I fumble through the Blair Witch project that is my life. Read more
Published on 27 Aug 1999
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