Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott is a writing teacher advises her students not to focus on getting their works published but to concentrate on the art of writing and tells her pupils to let the story flow rather than use a set structure. She teaches more about life than she does about her subject. She warns students against writing for the glory of publishing just as one should not live life simply to please others. As she tells them to let the story flow from itself and from its characters, so should each of us let our life stories come naturally and not force anything upon ourselves that will not bring us happiness or peace.

While reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, I felt like one of her students, listening to wise anecdotes and words of advice in a crowded classroom. She said something in particular that really stuck with me and will help me write in the future: let your story flow from your characters and never force the story upon the characters. When I was younger I would always try to write by thinking of a plot first and adding characters later, which produced unnatural, awkward stories. Her advice of letting work guide itself and going with the flow of the story changed my point of view and sparked my interest. Writing with this mindset would be interesting, watching characters interact and grow as an observer rather than forcing it upon them as an all-powerful god.

The author’s words have also impacted the way I expect to write school assignments or essays. I expect this book to affect my process by influencing me to try to let my paper flow more than force it together as I admit to having done many times in the past, whether I was sick of trying to make it better or I tried my best but it still came out awkward. As the author reinforces, writing is an art and one should always try their best to make every word count. Readers of some of my not-so-great papers are usually able to tell that my thoughts did not really connect. An example of how her advice can help me personally with my writing in the future, she writes that everyone writes “shitty first drafts” (21) and that we should let this happen and go back and fix it later. In her words, knowing what you don’t want gets you closer to the final product, therefore it is okay to rewrite drafts and revise parts you may have liked or thought were important before.

Another thing I really enjoyed about the book was the organization. Split into chapters labeled with what Lamott is addressing specifically, there are no tedious repeats in information or stories she keeps coming back to. Each chapter is just as informative as the last but stocked with completely new information taken from life experiences. Although the book mainly addresses the art of writing, many times while I was reading I drew conclusions about the author’s observations about life which make the book as meaningful and special as it is. It is not merely a book about writing; it is an experienced, wise woman’s life guide, which holds many noble and beautiful truths about life. Each chapter contains a few new, insightful ways to perceive each day. Informative not only on an educational level but on a spiritual level as well, Bird by Bird can be transcending to those open to new ideas and thoughts.

Although Bird by Bird is not the kind of book I would probably have chosen to read on my own, I enjoyed reading it much more than I thought I would and found myself learning lessons about both writing and life. I would recommend it to any friend who is interested in writing. In the words of Anne Lamott, “you can’t stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship” (237), meaning that no matter how much you toil and dwell on different aspects that need to be fixed about your life or the ending of a writing piece, it will still be chaos, so just enjoy it while it lasts, relax, and let it happen.

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New

York: Anchor Books, 1995. Print.