Not just another how-to textbook; a must for the writer wanna-be

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	• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life Anne Lamott Pantheon, 1994 - 237 pages average customer review:based on 303 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

fantastic

Besides being a thorough exploration of writing, it's a memoir with insight into both writing and life.

Not just another how-to textbook; a must for the writer wanna-be

A cursory look at the index might have one thinking this is just another step-by-step guide to a successful, publishable writing career...with chapters neatly organized by "character, plot, dialogue..." Ever so subtley, with unexpected laughs around every turn, the first chapter pulled me in as if I was a kid listening to a good friend tell me a crazy story propped on an easy lawnchair in my own backyard.
I adore Lamott's down and dirty frankness about the odds of publishing, and hysterically saw myself (a hopeful wanna-be writer) as one of her eager if not naive students. What an incredibly refreshing way she has of 'teaching' "us" through the most satiric, sometimes moronic, always satisfying stories and examples.
I read much of the book on an airplane and caught myself laughing out loud at times. During the poignant and carefully observed and recorded nursing home scene, I had to hide my watery eyes, only to go back and re-read the author's uniquely touching phraseology over and over again.
I think Lamott is a genius author, a wise and witty spirit, a superb mentor who knows how to grab her reader and then, sereptitiously teach her invaluable lessons on writing and life that will stick because of the intelligent and humorous context in which she reveals them.
The read is fast, but the lessons therein will last a lifetime and interestingly, the book has given me the boost and confidence I needed to write, write, write.

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Pep in your step!

This is a put a pep-in-your-step writing book. It's really a book with instructions on having a WRITING life. I'm still in the thick of it but I've never laughed so hard or felt so motivated by a book to write.

The greatest book on writing and creativity

As I tell my friends: this is likely the most under-rated book of all time. From organizing your thoughts, to finding your creativity, to getting it all onto a piece of paper, this book serves as a guide for every person that wants to improve their ability to communicate. Anne Lamott is a talented writer, but an even more talented teacher. Get this book if you'd like to improve every facet of your writing.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

"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 "Writers 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 books for you. From faith, love, and grace to pain, jealousy, and fear, Lamott insists that you keep your eves open, and then shows you how to survive. And always, from the life of the artist she turns to the art of life.

"An inspiring book about writing as a way of finding the truth

-- San Francisco Chronicle

"Surpasses all the other books on writing already out there -- even the wonderful stuff by Natalie Goldberg, John Gardner, and Annie Dillard."

-- Seattle Times

"Well-written, funny, and useful." -- Denver Post

"I ended up reading it twice and expect to dip into it again in times of need. I recommend this book to other writers without reservation....This woman is uncanny."

-- Marie Winn, Wall Street Journal

"A quirky, personal, mordant, down-to-earth guide to fiction writing by a wonderful novelist essayist. Lamott makes writing seem like something you could actually enjoy."

-- The Nation

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