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Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
by Anne Lamott
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780385480017 |
Only 1 left in stock at $9.95!
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
"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.'"
With this basic instruction always in mind, Anne Lamott returns to offer us a new gift: a step-by-step guide on how to write and on how to manage the writer's life. From "Getting Started," with "Short Assignments," through "Shitty First Drafts," "Character," "Plot," "Dialogue," all the way from "False Starts" to "How Do You Know When You're Done?" Lamott encourages, instructs, and inspires. She discusses "Writer's Block," "Writing Groups," and "Publication." Bracingly honest, she is also one of the funniest people alive.
If you have ever wondered what it takes to be a writer, what it means to be a writer, what the contents of your school lunches said about what your parents were really like, this book's for you. From faith, love, and grace to pain, jealousy, and fear, Lamott insists that you keep your eyes open, and then shows you how to survive. And always, from the life of the artist she turns to the art of life.
Review:
"Lamott's miscellany of guidance and reflection should appeal to writers struggling with demons large and slight....Lamott's suggestion on the craft of fiction is down-to-earth: worry about the characters, not the plot." Publishers Weekly
Review:
"Paragraph by paragraph, this humorous, insightful, no-nonsense approach will remind novices why they are writing: to tell the truth, to live from the heart, and to share their gift with others. A writer's guide that is bound to teach and inspire by example." Kirkus Reviews
Review:
"An honest appraisal of what it takes to be a writer and why it matters so much." Library Journal
About the Author
Anne Lamott lives with her son, Sam, in northern California. She is the author of several books, including the novels Hard Laughter, Rosie, Joe Jones, and All New People, as well as the nonfiction Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year.
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating based on 5 comments:
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azmilligan, May 13, 2008 (view all comments by azmilligan)
I read this book while in college for a writing class. I have gone back and reread this book time and time again when I have needed the inspiration and motivation to keep writing, even when I just don't feel like it. I enjoy Anne Lamott's writing style a great deal. I recommend this book to anyone that asks for a book on writing.
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gingersnap157, November 6, 2007 (view all comments by gingersnap157)
Anne Lamott is insightful and down-to-earth in Bird by Bird. Her unconventional teaching methods are inspirational. It's like she's in the room with you having conversation as you read. Lamott gets down to the nitty-gritty, your deepest insecurities in this book. She uses personal anecdotes with a touch of self-depreciating humor to subside beginner's fears and remind seasoned writers it's good to write really bad first drafts.
Get Bird by Bird. Lamott will inspire you to write, read and write some more.
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S.Elliott, May 5, 2007 (view all comments by S.Elliott)
Any writer must read this book. It is a must. Buy it, read it, highlight it, love it, keep it again: read it in the tub, on a plane, while driving your car. Buy two copies and put one by your computer and one on your nightstand. That way you can use the one by your computer to guide you and the one by your bed to inspire you.
This book inspired me to write again and her tone and voice and humor makes this incredible. She is funny and real -- like a next door neighbor who sits with you on a patio on a summer night and drinks margaritas while helping you discover your talent.
It is not pretentious at all -- which you find often in other writing books. It's amazing. Incredible. She is so accessible to all.
View all 5 comments
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780385480017
- Subtitle:
- Some Instructions on Writing and Life
- Author:
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Anchor Books
- Location:
- New York :
- Subject:
- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
- Subject:
- Writing Skills
- Subject:
- Authorship
- Subject:
- Composition & Creative Writing
- Subject:
- Authorship -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
- Subject:
- Composition & Creative Writing - General
- Copyright:
- 1995
- Edition Number:
- Reprint ed.
- Edition Description:
- 1st Anchor Books ed.
- Publication Date:
- September 1995
- Binding:
- Paperback
- Language:
- English
- Pages:
- 272
- Dimensions:
- 8.04x5.20x.58 in. .43 lbs.
