Bird by Bird- Anne Lamott

Well, hi there! Long time no see!

I certainly wasn’t expecting to be back here so soon, but blogging was my favorite part of making this website, so maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. Anyway, this time I’m blogging for my English 425 class, and I’ll be reviewing some books (which is a favorite pastime of mine).

Up first is Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, and let me tell you, this book and I have quite a long history with each other. I first read Bird by Bird in 2015, just after I had completed NaNoWriMo for the first time. Needless to say, I couldn’t have read the book at a much better time. Then, I read it in a creative writing class at UWGB in 2017, and now in 2020.

I can say with certainty that each time I read Bird by Bird, it’s like a really good slap in the face. It’s a wake-up call; Lamott’s punchy language, sarcasm, and strong tone make it feel a bit like she’s scolding me. I certainly need that sometimes.

I will definitely say this: if you’re a writer, and if you’re in a rut, read this book. Although many of the things Lamott talks about in Bird by Bird seem like common sense (shitty first drafts, writing for yourself, creating dramatic climax scenes, etc.), your overthinking mind will benefit from going back to basics.

Because that’s really all it comes down to, right? Shut your mind up, sit down, and write. So, so easy.

One aspect of writing that I always need reminders on is characterization and creating complex, life-like characters. Lamott writes that you need to “listen to your characters carefully” because they are, after all, real people. This is always a good reminder for me because I often create one-dimensional characters who aren’t dichotomous or complex enough. I need to be reminded that I can make my characters do bad things or be bad people and that doesn’t have any reflection on me.

I also really love the chapter in this book about Polaroids and the idea that you aren’t supposed to see the final product or the finish line of your work until you get there. As an extreme planner who wants to know everything that’s going to happen before I write it, this is also a great reminder for me to be more spontaneous, to be okay chilling out in the unknown.

And now that I’ve said that, I apologize, but this gif is necessary:

Of course, this ties into perfectionism and jealousy and all those wonderful things, but I think the overall takeaway I continue to get from this book each time I read it is that I need to relax a little bit. The best I can do is write for myself, write something that I really love, and I can figure out the rest later.

However, I like how Lamott points out in the “Calling Around” chapter that writing doesn’t have to be a solitary thing. You can call people and ask questions that only they know the answers to. I mean, there are only so many Google searches I can make about murder before the FBI is knocking at my door. Instead, I should just go ask my lawyer brother who, yes, might judge me more than Google, but at least he won’t have to defend me when the FBI comes.

I really love this book, and I know I’ll keep coming back to it throughout my writing career to feel a bit better about myself, to be reminded that “very few writers know what they are doing until they’ve done it.”