Learning From Literature

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Cover of Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Life, like writing, becomes much simpler when we embrace the wisdom passed down in a moment of childhood crisis – what her dad told her brother during an elementary school meltdown over a project on birds: “Just bird by bird.”

Good writing is about telling the truth in a way that captivates. Often, that means stepping aside and letting something bigger move through you. Your job is to stay open, show up, and let the story reveal itself. Becoming a writer is really about waking up—tuning into what lives inside you. There’s something real there, and if you’re honest about it, chances are others will find it meaningful, maybe even universal.

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Enjoy!

Table of Contents

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Getting Started

Short Assignments 

  • Don’t worry about the whole story – just look through a “one-inch picture frame”
    • Write only a moment, an experience, a feeling
  • You don’t need to know where the story is going – you’ll figure out as you walk it
    • Bird by Bird

Shitty First Drafts

  • First draft: the “down draft”
  • Second draft: the “up draft”
  • Third draft: the “dental draft”— examine every piece for flaws or hidden strengths

Perfectionism

School Lunches

  • If you’re stuck, write about anything – school lunches, carrot sticks
  • You may have to write 5 pages of fluff to get to 1 great paragraph

Polaroids 

  • Writing is like watching a Polaroid develop: unclear, then slowly revealed
  • Pay attention to your characters – you begin to understand what they value

Character

  • Every person gets an “emotional acre” – so does every character
    • What do they plant? Neglect? What grows there?
  • Know your characters deeply – inside and out
    • What would they write in their journal?
  • Likable narrators are key – but not perfect

Plot

  • Plot should grow naturally from character – not a pre-built plot
  • The story is a vivid, continuous dream you invite the reader into
  • Basic structure: ABDCE
    • Action – something to begin the story
    • Background – who are these people? what led them here?
    • Development – character growth, tension builds
    • Climax – turning point (a death, a rescue, a transformation)
    • Ending

Dialogue

  • Dialogue should feel real – but sharper, cleaner, more meaningful than actual speech
    • Good dialogue lets readers feel like they’re eavesdropping
    • Avoid monologues of thought or over-explaining
  • Read dialogue aloud – it should flow

Set Design

  • The setting reflects your character’s soul and history
    • Rooms, clothes, objects are extensions of identity
  • Visualize it like a film set – what memory/feel does the space hold?
  • If you’re not an expert, ask around – people love sharing what they know

False Starts

  • Don’t make your characters do something convenient for your plot – it won’t feel true
  • Strip away surface traits to see who they really are
  • Let go of illusions of control

Plot Treatment

  • If lost, write a “plot treatment”
    • Chapter by chapter, describe what’s going on
    • Who are the characters? What are they doing and why?
    • This becomes your recipe

The Writing Frame of Mind

  • Looking Around
    • Writing is about paying close attention to life
    • Be present like a child – curious, observant, full of wonder
    • Know yourself compassionately
  • The Moral Point of View
    • If you can’t finish your story, it may lack a moral center
    • You must care deeply about something at the core of your writing
    • A moral stance is passion & human meaning, not a message
  • Broccoli
    • “Listen to your broccoli, and your broccoli will tell you how to eat it”
    • Your intuition knows what to do – trust it
    • Stop the rational chatter. Get quiet. Let the small voice speak
  • Radio Station KFKD
    • Self-importance (“You’re amazing”)
    • Self-doubt (“You’re a fraud”)
    • Neither voice is helpful. Learn to notice and turn them down
    • Find a ritual or practice that brings quiet and focus
  • Jealousy
    • Unavoidable – others will succeed, others won’t like your work

Help Along The Way

  • Index Cards – to write things down, everything becomes potential material
  • Calling Around – to explain what they are experts on, people love sharing experiences
  • Someone to Read Your Drafts – honest feedback will give you a clearer sense of what works or doesn’t
  • Letters – write a letter to someone as a way to tell your story
    • Informality lowers the pressure and opens your heart
  • Writer’s Block – you’re empty, not broken
    • Accept that you’re not in a creative period and use this time to refill

Reasons to Write

  • As A Present
  • To Find Your Voice
  • Giving
  • Publication
    • Publication will not solve your problems or change your life
    • You might get a few reviews but not likely and even then, it’ll prob be bad

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