Bird by bird

some instructions on writing and life

1st ed.
  • 4.0 (11 ratings) ·
  • 162 Want to read
  • 8 Currently reading
  • 18 Have read

My Reading Lists:

Create a new list

Check-In

×Close
Add an optional check-in date. Check-in dates are used to track yearly reading goals.
Today

  • 4.0 (11 ratings) ·
  • 162 Want to read
  • 8 Currently reading
  • 18 Have read

Buy this book

Last edited by MARC Bot
July 15, 2024 | History

Bird by bird

some instructions on writing and life

1st ed.
  • 4.0 (11 ratings) ·
  • 162 Want to read
  • 8 Currently reading
  • 18 Have read

"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.

Publish Date
Publisher
Pantheon Books
Language
English
Pages
239

Buy this book

Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Bird by bird
Bird by bird: some instructions on writing and life
1995, Anchor Books
in English - 1st Anchor Books ed.
Cover of: Bird by bird
Bird by bird: some instructions on writing and life
1994, Pantheon Books
in English - 1st ed.

Add another edition?

Book Details


Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references (p. 239).

Published in
New York

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
808/.02
Library of Congress
PN147 .L315 1994

The Physical Object

Pagination
xxxi, 239 p. ;
Number of pages
239

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL1081877M
Internet Archive
birdbybirdsomein00lamo
ISBN 10
0679435204
LCCN
94005448
OCLC/WorldCat
29791864
Library Thing
2183
Goodreads
855708

Work Description

Anne Lamott gives her perspective on the art and work of writing. The title comes from a family story when her brother had to complete a report on birds. He put it off until the last minute and was overwhelmed. Her father counseled him saying they would take it, "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird."

Community Reviews (0)

Feedback?
No community reviews have been submitted for this work.

History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
July 15, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 19, 2023 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
March 7, 2023 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
November 18, 2020 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
April 1, 2008 Created by an anonymous user Imported from Scriblio MARC record