Bird by Bird- Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
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Web ID: 168356204 reviews
Helpful and encouraging
This is one of those books I’ve heard about for years, and I finally took the time to read it. I’m glad I didn’t wait any longer; this ended up being exactly what I needed to hear right now! Lamott is very practical in her writing advice, which I appreciate. Much of what she has to say can be implemented right away, and although there’s a lot I could do yet, I’ve found what I have picked up from her to be useful. She’s also very encouraging—warning about things that often get writers down, but somehow managing to make sharing our words and stories feel worthwhile and needed. She makes writing feel approachable and doable—not something too difficult to even start. I did struggle with the language and occasional crude comment; those are things I could have done without. If you are an aspiring writer or generally of a creative mind, I’d recommend you read this book. There’s a lot of useful, practical stuff in here, and I’m hoping to reread it sometime in the future. I know there’s a lot in here that I didn’t pick up on the first time through, and anyway, we all need encouragement like this from time to time!
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Incredible writing on writing
It’s not your standard instruction manual in no small part due to the exquisite writing. An invaluable book to add to anyone’s shelf whether you’re interested in writing or not.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Encouragement or Deterrent? Both?
Funny yet somber. It felt honest even the discouraging “you’ll never make it…” part, but that made me want to prove her wrong. I do like to learn about how other writers compile their ideas, it’s just interesting. Don’t take it super seriously except for the continuing encouragement to write.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
God, straight talk, mentoring, and good writing
Anne Lamott is a brilliant mentor to writers and to creative people in general. She spins her yarn with a conversational, west-coast style. In this book, she writes about redeeming our experiences to produce literature. She has learned many lessons in her life, and she shares their fruit in vivid detail here. She is most brilliant, in my opinion, not in her quality novels but when she functions as a memoir-writer-turned-spiritual-advisor. What she says is foundational and important for every person who has to create a universe for her/his readers, users, or viewers. She shares lessons like: write bad first drafts, focus on your childhood when everything was new, involve partners in your writing, and work through short assignments. She encourages writers to write out of their own experiences, passions, and unconscious mind. Indeed, Bird by Bird seems like a cross between the spiritual disciplines of creating and self-help for writers. Lamott is not idealistic about the writer’s life. She contends that it consists of a lot of pain, hard work, devotion, and everything else that labor consists of. But she points out that in the end, writers put in a day’s hard work filled with stimulation and meaning, and even if their work never reaches wide audiences, those writers leave something behind. That touch of eternity is its own reward. I like Lamott because God plays a role in her life and work. I also like her because she is abhorrently honest and straight-talking. She brings things to light about human nature (indeed about myself) that I would never get were I just to read some B-rate writer. Her style is extraordinarily entertaining. Philosophically, she says very little that hasn’t been said before, but she parrots that knowledge in a new, seductive, and creative way. That’s why she’s won all sorts of awards for her writings, and that’s why I cherish the opportunity to sift through her writings today.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com