'Bird by Bird'

By Volodymyr L.

            Bird by Bird a novel written by Anne Lamott enters the topic of writing with its five different sections. Each sections talks about a different aspect of writing. While the book might not be that much education, it is quite inspirational and really delves into the struggles that a writer has to go through to keep their job and maybe even enjoy it.

            The books starts with a short story of Lamott’s childhood. She talks about how she grew up around writers and with her father being a writer. From her early years she enjoyed writing, though it was much different back then. After the introduction is done, she begins to tell the reader her little stories, drawing a picture of a writer’s everyday life. The first lesson that she wants the reader to learn is to be patient and consistent. All of the writer go through those panic attacks and paranoia and hopelessness. All of them feel as if they lost their ability to write a one point of their lives. She talks about a one inch frame concept, where you take just one paragraph worth of information and focus on that one paragraph. The main problem with writing is starting and clearing your head.

            The second part of the novel she talks about the distractions that occupy your mind and stop you from writing. She tells the reader who to get rid of those distractions. From third part and on she talks more how to collect ideas, clear your head, open up your creative flow and just write. She talks about character development, plot development, sets and dialogue and how to create each one of those. She often exclaims that first drafts are first drafts and that they don’t need to be good at all, they are there just to set the stage for a future masterpiece.

            The language that Lamott uses throughout her book is what keeps the reader reading, flipping those pages over for hours. She is funny, witty and really quotable. Her thoughts flow well and she often gives the reader breaks with her little side stories of her childhood or her students. She tries to be honest with the reader, not hiding anything from him, which draws the reader in. The reader feels as if he is actually reading to somebodies confessions and that is always intriguing.

            One of the major problems with Bird by Bird is that it doesn’t really teach much. It was never meant to be an education book but it often gives advice that is very subjective and only works for certain people. It does a great job at inspiring, but not teaching. More educational content would improve the book greatly and make it attractive to larger audiences. The humor in the book would make the lesson memorable and useful. It seems that Lamott is full of stories and advice, but not lessons.

            I would definitely recommend this if you are enthusiasm for writing is running low or if you are on the verge of writing. It inspires you to write more outlandish and at the same time reader friendly piece that break free from the standards.