Book Review — Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Kristen King

www.inkthinkerblog.com — Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
by Anne Lamott
Anchor
239 pages, 1995

reviewed by Karen L. Alaniz

After spending years in front of the classroom teaching aspiring writers, Anne Lamott decided to gather her teaching notes and write a book. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life is the result. Her advice is a stew of sometimes simple, sometimes quirky, but always real ingredients, with a serving of humor ladled onto every page.

Lamott meets writers where they are, regardless of success or status. From the enthusiastic beginner to the struggling veteran, her advice is applicable to all. With chapter titles like, “Getting Started” and “Short Assignments” she gives practical advice that can be applied immediately. Most of her students (and now readers) begin with a huge goal in mind; to write their life story, or to write a book that chronicles the history of say, women. But Lamott observes that when it comes to actually sitting down to write, they are paralyzed by the enormity of the task. So Lamott offers some practical guidance.

“Write what will fit in a one-inch picture frame,” she says. Lamott has a one-inch picture frame that sits on her writing desk. When she is overwhelmed by the task at hand she reminds herself to simply write down as much as she can see in that tiny frame. That might mean writing a paragraph that describes the setting of her novel, or focusing on the very first time you meet the main character.

Every chapter offers Lamott’s humorous brand of advice and a monologue that will have you laughing out loud, as you wonder how she got into your head and stole your thoughts. One such paragraph describes the process a writer goes through when they finally make the decision to let a friend read, and critique their work. No matter how many times Lamott has gone through the process, each time she expects her friend to fall all over herself with admiration. If this friend has any suggestions at all, she thinks- they will be minor. But this is virtually never the case. And now she must reevaluate.

“My first response if they have a lot of suggestions,” Lamott explains, “is never profound relief that I have someone in my life who will be honest with me and help me do the very best work of which I am capable. No my first thought is, ‘Well, I’m sorry, but I can’t be friends with you anymore, because you have too many problems. And you have a bad personality. And a bad character.'”

But eventually, in her round-about and comical way, Lamott works through her disappointment and accepts the advice offered. And it’s the honesty with which she has written this book that makes it so appealing. She’s your favorite teacher in high school, the one who truly understands you; the one who remembers what it was like to be a teen. She’s the teacher who gets where you’re coming from-mood swings and all, and who likes you anyway. She wants to see you succeed, you can feel it. So she teaches you everything she knows. And when she has imparted all her knowledge, she smiles and sets you free. She believes in you and you in turn, believe in yourself.

Bird by Bird is one of those books that stays with you long after the last page is read. When the teacher in Ms. Lamott meets the student in you, you won’t soon forget the lessons learned.

****

Karen L. Alaniz writes for both national and regional magazines. In December, 2007 her story, “A Dose of Compassion” was published in Chicken Soup for the Nurses Soul II. You can learn more about Karen by visiting her blog, Write Now.