Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott offers an honest, humorous take on the writing process, from overcoming self-doubt to embracing imperfection. She blends advice with personal anecdotes to show that writing is as much about perseverance and honesty as technique. The book encourages writers to approach their work one bird at a time, finding creativity in the process.

Getting Started

• Short Assignments
  • Focus on a “one-inch picture frame” – one moment/feeling
  • Don’t worry about the whole story
  • Discover the story as you move through it
• Shitty First Drafts
  • 1st = down draft (get it down)
  • 2nd = up draft (touch it up)
  • 3rd = dental draft (inspect every detail)
• Perfectionism
  • Kills creativity
  • Writing needs air and revision
  • Embrace the mess – treasures hide there
• If Stuck
  • Write anything (school lunches, carrot sticks)
  • 5 pages of fluff may lead to 1 great paragraph
• Writing = Polaroid
  • Starts unclear, develops over time
  • Pay attention to what characters value
• Plot Treatment
  • Write a chapter-by-chapter outline
  • Who, what, why
  • Becomes your recipe

The Writing Frame of Mind

• Writing = paying close attention to life
  • Be present like a child – curious, observant, full of wonder
  • Know yourself compassionately
• If you can’t finish a story, it may lack a moral center
  • You must care deeply about it at its core
  • Moral stance = passion + human meaning (not a message)
• “Listen to your broccoli, and your broccoli will tell you how to eat it”
  • Trust your intuition
  • Quiet the rational chatter
  • Let the small inner voice speak
• Radio Station KFKD
  • Self-importance: “You’re amazing”
  • Self-doubt: “You’re a fraud”
  • Neither is helpful – notice and turn them down
  • Find a ritual/practice that brings quiet and focus
• Jealousy
  • Unavoidable
  • Others will succeed
  • Some won’t like your work

Story Elements

• Character
  • Everyone has an “emotional acre”
  • What do they plant/neglect? What grows?
  • Know them inside and out – what would they journal?
  • Likable, not perfect
• Plot
  • Must grow from character
  • Feels like a continuous, vivid dream
  • ABDCE → action, background, development, climax, ending
• Dialogue
  • Real, but cleaner and sharper than real speech
  • Feels like eavesdropping
  • Avoid over-explaining
  • Read it aloud for flow
• Setting
  • Reflects character’s soul and history
  • Objects = identity
  • Imagine it as a film set

Help Along The Way

• Index Cards – to write things down, everything is potential material
• Calling Around – people love sharing about what they are experts on
• Proofreader – honest feedback gives you a sense of what works
• Letters – write a letter as a way to tell your story, low pressure
• Writer’s Block – you’re empty, not broken
  • Accept that you’re not in a creative period and take time to refill