Anne Lamott, author of novels like Joe Jones (1985, North Point Press) and more recently Blue Shoe (2002, Riverhead Books), is perhaps best known for her fiction. But her greatest contribution to the literary scene may be her 1994 work of nonfiction, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.
Hailed as “inspirational” and “timeless,” by San Francisco-based writer Robin Dutton-Cookston, and described as being “so much better than what I can describe” by Christine Zibas, a columnist for Associated Content, Bird by Bird is a hybrid of self-deprecation, humor, tough love, and flowery metaphors that all coalesce into colorful writing advice. You won’t find any straightforward exercises, prompts, or methodologies. What you will find is a shoulder to lean on in the darkest depths of writer’s block. Lamott deploys an army of anecdotes to illustrate just how hard writing is. She offers empathy without coddling the would-be writer and demands that you sit, think, and write.
Sound easy? Try it. And when your 10,000 page novel is eluding you? Grab Bird by Bird. In the words of her father, Anne Lamott will tell you: “‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”
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