Loading...
3rd out of 238 books
—
249 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
by
Anne Lamott
"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 ...more
Paperback, 237 pages
Published
September 1st 1995
by Anchor
(first published May 5th 1994)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
24,562)
I recommend this book to everyone, writer or not. It is Anne's most classic, I think. You will laugh and maybe even cry.
I pull it off the shelf now and then and read whatever page I land on -- and always find my way back to my own writing.
I pull it off the shelf now and then and read whatever page I land on -- and always find my way back to my own writing.
view 2 comments
I'm getting to the point where I've read a handful of books on the writing life by authors and I found this one to be particularly resonant at this point in my writing career. I actually found myself underlining things that Anne Lamott wrote and thinking, "I need to reread this so that I can absorb its message better."
Perhaps the one thing that I'd like to pass along from her book that I wholeheartedly believe is her assertion that novels should have hope in them. I've spe...more
Perhaps the one thing that I'd like to pass along from her book that I wholeheartedly believe is her assertion that novels should have hope in them. I've spe...more
Very
rated it
Shelves:
own,
2010,
books-i-love,
style-points,
true-story,
wordy,
xx,
bought,
secret-lives-of-writers,
good-stuff
I love that she doesn’t shy away from the dark stuff, all the shitty feelings, angry rants, and suicidal episodes. I also love that she's funny. Not just amusing, but actually funny. I love that she curses. I love that she can be (and seems to enjoy being) spiteful and sarcastic. I love her and wish I could call her up when I'm feeling miserable. Luckily, I have this book.
Where I got the book: purchased from Amazon.
Perhaps I'm reading this, one of the writing community's most referred-to books, too late in life. Perhaps as a 20-year-old English major (which I never was) I would have loved this book. That could explain its popularity; it seems like the kind of writing-advice book that will be invariably set as a mandatory read in an MFA program. And that, in turn, could explain why a certain type of writer will, if asked to give writing advice, sound e...more
Perhaps I'm reading this, one of the writing community's most referred-to books, too late in life. Perhaps as a 20-year-old English major (which I never was) I would have loved this book. That could explain its popularity; it seems like the kind of writing-advice book that will be invariably set as a mandatory read in an MFA program. And that, in turn, could explain why a certain type of writer will, if asked to give writing advice, sound e...more
5/31/09:
This may be the single best book I have ever read in my entire life. It is helping me get my work done, on a daily basis; it helped me see where I do fit in life (my niche); and it helped me see how utterly not alone I am. It's a wonderful thing.
All of which I had inklings of prior to reading this book, but Lamott confirmed it. Validation is such a sweet quality.
If you want to understand me, read this book, and then you will. Seriously.
I usually w...more
This may be the single best book I have ever read in my entire life. It is helping me get my work done, on a daily basis; it helped me see where I do fit in life (my niche); and it helped me see how utterly not alone I am. It's a wonderful thing.
All of which I had inklings of prior to reading this book, but Lamott confirmed it. Validation is such a sweet quality.
If you want to understand me, read this book, and then you will. Seriously.
I usually w...more
This was fantastic, and I wrote a million notes. For example:
I love the description of throwing rats in a jar and watching them scratch. This was a tool for the mind to silence distractors in your life that block you from writing. Also having an acre of land with a fence, and if people come in and mess it up-you simply kick them off.
I like the idea of creating a book from characters, and letting the plot follow what the characters desire.
I liked the idea...more
I love the description of throwing rats in a jar and watching them scratch. This was a tool for the mind to silence distractors in your life that block you from writing. Also having an acre of land with a fence, and if people come in and mess it up-you simply kick them off.
I like the idea of creating a book from characters, and letting the plot follow what the characters desire.
I liked the idea...more
After so many books about how fun and easy writing can be, it's great to have a book that shows how painful and difficult it really is. Lamott puts a premium on discipline, the discipline of writing every day at a set time and trying hard to get the first draft out, no matter how bad it may be. This message may not be news to most, but along with the added info that neurosis and writing go hand in hand, Lamott is not here to inform, she's here to encourage. She's a real teacher, someone who isn'...more
Ugh. I used to write and then I took some time away from it, and someone suggested this book to me to inspire me. It did exactly the opposite. Lamott makes writing sound like passing a kidney stone, and it doesn't have to be that way.
when i finished my undergrad, i received 5 copies of this book.
I eventually sold them all for swill.
I eventually sold them all for swill.
This book got me motivated to try a career as a fiction writer, and look where I am now!
Lamott takes the title for her book from a piece of advice that her father, a writer, once gave her brother. It seems the brother, a school-child at the time, had to write a report for class about birds. He had waited until the last minute to do it and was despairing of being able to complete it on time. His father told him just to write "one bird at a time." It seems like pretty good advice for any writer.
The book is full of observations like that. Observations that m...more
The book is full of observations like that. Observations that m...more
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 and hang ups and setbacks. It's okay. Just take it word by word (bird by bird). I don't think I learned much from it, but just having someone say it's okay to me for two hundred and thirty-seven pages was good. There is some good advice in there about how to start writing a scene you don't know about, how to let your characters develop, h...more
Funny, relevant and extremely helpful to writers both aspiring and current, Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird is part memoir and part writing instruction. She uses advice from the courses she teaches and puts them in a way that's easy to understand and apply to one's own writing.
For instance:
"You have to believe in your position, or nothing will be driving your work. If you don't believe in what you are saying, there is no point in your saying it. You might as well call it ...more
For instance:
"You have to believe in your position, or nothing will be driving your work. If you don't believe in what you are saying, there is no point in your saying it. You might as well call it ...more
Four stars. I'm glad I finally got around to reading this book. It is in fact a good blend of writing advice and advice for living. She demysifies the process even best-selling authors go through and does so with great humor, which is often self-effacing. The sections on dealing with jealousy and writer's block are a hoot. I appreciate that she doesn't try to pretend she has never dealt with either of those situations nor does she dress up her very human responses in an attempt to excuse the...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A more accurate rating for this book is probably 3.5 stars--somewhere between "liking" and "really liking." This slim, easy-to-read volume offers inspiration and encouragement for aspiring writers, delivered in a soothing, humorous, sometimes touchy-feely voice. I found her advice to be helpful, but I grew tired of her joking attempts at reassuring novice writers that their feelings of inadequacy were normal. The book would have been many pages shorter had she cut out the ...more
This book purports itself to be a writing book, but it's actually a meditation on grace. Or Grace.
Basically, that you slog through, and that at some point--when you accept that you're going to have to put forth a lot of effort, when you've finished something and realize you have to fix it, when you fix it and you receive word it must be fixed again and you accept that you must fix it again, when you finish something and accept that you must move onto the next monumental task, when y...more
Basically, that you slog through, and that at some point--when you accept that you're going to have to put forth a lot of effort, when you've finished something and realize you have to fix it, when you fix it and you receive word it must be fixed again and you accept that you must fix it again, when you finish something and accept that you must move onto the next monumental task, when y...more
This book offered an interesting perspective on life and writing fiction. She was preaching to the converted, however; didn't really open my eyes to anything I wouldn't expect/already know. I happen to think jealousy is the ugliest human emotion. Kudos to her for shamelessly admitting to her shortcomings, but I honestly wanted to close the book during this chapter. I'm glad I toughed it out though because it was decent well-laid out writing advice, nonetheless. Can't hurt for beginners.
...more
...more
the book gets way better after a few chapters. in the beginning i found her metaphors and similes really dumb; like she was trying way too hard to be funny. but eh, i like her now...maybe i started reading the book with a bad attitude and she warmed me up. she is pretty cool and i like her advice, i still have about 50 pages to go.
favorite part: KFKD radio. great!
**Finished the book last night and it was great. The author really tries to beat it into you that you have to ...more
favorite part: KFKD radio. great!
**Finished the book last night and it was great. The author really tries to beat it into you that you have to ...more
There were some laugh-out-loud moments in this book for me. And I was laughing with her, not at her. I identified with most of the issues she discusses, especially the need to write lines/ideas down as they occur, and that sometimes one doesn't do it and forgets them, which can be excruciating. I also agree with her that when one doesn't feel inspired there's no reason to get all depressed about writer's block. There are plenty of other great things to do besides write in a writer's life. Don't ...more
lee lee
rated it
Recommends it for:
readers & writers
Recommended to lee lee by:
barnes and noble?
Shelves:
memoir,
on-writing
i haven't read this entire book in a long time. but, i remember lots of underlining and lots of laughing out loud. lamott has a simple way of saying very complex things.
i use the chapter called "The Moral Point of View" for week one of my memoir writing class. it usually prompts some discussion of whether or not morals are actually required for writing your memoir. i do agree with what lamott's saying--and, usually, students agree too. however, she waxes a little philo...more
i use the chapter called "The Moral Point of View" for week one of my memoir writing class. it usually prompts some discussion of whether or not morals are actually required for writing your memoir. i do agree with what lamott's saying--and, usually, students agree too. however, she waxes a little philo...more
This is a strange, but enjoyable little book. It doesn't give much practical advice or anything; it's just Lamott talking about how she feels about writing. Lamott is at turns hilarious and touching, and the way she outlines her failures in detail is reassuring.
The subjects she touched on reassured me that I'm not in this for the wrong reasons. (I'm not concerned with success or publication so much as writing itself.) I think any prospective writer would find this book interest...more
The subjects she touched on reassured me that I'm not in this for the wrong reasons. (I'm not concerned with success or publication so much as writing itself.) I think any prospective writer would find this book interest...more
Anne Lamont is probably the most honest relatable writer I've come across in a long time. She basically makes you feel like you aren't a freak because we all pull the same psychological sh3$t on ourselves, especially when we're trying to create something of value. She makes it funny and human. In this book's case, she explores everything she knows/thinks/feels about being a writer and the process of writing. No matter what you're interest level is in getting things down on paper - this book i...more
Anne Lamott has a way with a phrase, and she’s used those talents to her advantage in Bird. “People used to tell me I dressed like John Goodman” (page 170). Although this reference may go over the heads of some contemporary teenagers, the material is remarkably fresh despite an initial publication date of fifteen years ago. She instructs on the gracious handling of jealousy, managing expectations on publication dates, escaping libel, and writer’s block, which she refers to in the form ...more
Rachel
rated it
Recommends it for:
Any student or writer that feel they could use a little extra confidence in there writing.
Recommended to Rachel by:
I found this book through a search engine on the internet.
I read this book for a school project and I was honestly expecting it to be hard to read since it is a book about writting. But I was pleasantly surprised when I found this book to be quite enjoyable. Anne Lamott did a great job of encorperating relavent and interesting examples through out the entire book. She showed that even the best of writters get stuck and make mistakes, but working through this is what makes great writing. The book is also presented in a very organized way, making it ...more
Oddly enough, it's the "and life" part that sticks with me over occasional rereadings of this manual. In a sense, this is a book about plugging away even though life hurts - and yet the funny-sad, self-deprecating stories almost camouflage the hurt, just enough to remind us that carrying on is better than (merely) grousing. Much of the advice here is broadly applicable to life: shitty first drafts (don't expect your first attempt to rock; give yourself permission to fail); one-inch pic...more
I began this book ages ago to help write my novel and inspire me to get some short assignments done, but it was a difficult book to read while I was actually writing because it made me constantly return to my writing and ask myself, "Am I doing what she says?" or "Hey, that makes sense, let me check if I did that here..." which just slowed down my progress. So I set the book aside for awhile, finished the first draft of my novel, and then returned to it afterwards. I was nerv...more
Sarah
rated it
Recommended to Sarah by:
Caroline
Shelves:
i-quit-that-job-and-read-this-book,
writing
This is probably one of five books that ever made me laugh out loud a lot (others are Bossypants and The Code of the Woosters). Some illustrative bits: "Luckily I was still drinking at the time." "But be careful: if your intuition says that your story sucks, make sure it really is your intuition and not your mother." "I worry that Jesus drinks himself to sleep when he hears me talk like this." The best part is on how to make sure you don't get sued for libel, b...more
One of Lamott's main goals in this book is to de-romanticize the life of a writer, a harsh but valuable service to aspiring writers. Although the autobiographical parts of the book were a little too self-pitying and/or new-agey for my taste (for example, she brought up Christianity fairly often, as though spirituality were required for knowing how to write well), the sections of the book where she stuck to her knowledge and experiences with the writing process and her practical advice for wringi...more
“Family and fellowship trump man’s inhumanity to man.”
So might the tweet have gone about The Grapes of Wrath if Twitter had been around in 1939. John Steinbeck might have added photos of the Joads to his Facebook page, and the blog would have revealed some of the thinking behind his Pulitzer Prize winner. “If you’re in trouble, or hurt or need,” he once said, “go to the poor people. They’re the only ones that’ll help – the only ones.”
But all that “social media” mea...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Can anyone find page number of a quote in this book? | 13 | 54 | Jul 01, 2011 07:14am | |
| Почему мы не интересны сами себе... | 1 | 6 | Oct 29, 2009 11:29am | |
| Стероидные курсы,Вопросы и ответы.Мышечная масса в короткие сроки | 1 | 4 | Oct 20, 2009 02:22pm | |
| Модная одежда | 1 | 21 | Oct 19, 2009 09:23am | |
| КРЕАТИВНАЯ КОНЦЕПЦИЯ БРЕНДА | 1 | 27 | Oct 13, 2009 09:31am | |
| Есть свой сайт - заработаеш много денежек. | 1 | 10 | Aug 05, 2009 08:56am | |
| begin to write | 2 | 26 | Apr 09, 2008 04:46pm |
Readers Also Enjoyed
Anne Lamott is an author of several novels and works of non-fiction. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, her non-fiction works are largely autobiographical, with strong doses of self-deprecating humor and covering such subjects as alcoholism, single motherhood, and Christianity. She appeals to her fans because of her sense of humor, her deeply felt insights, and her outspoken views on topics such...more
More about Anne Lamott...
![Grace [Eventually]: Thoughts on Faith](http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166504427m/12542.jpg "Grace [Eventually]: Thoughts on Faith")
Share This Book
3 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.”
—
600 people liked it
“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.”
—
239 people liked it
More quotes…
