Bird by Bird (SparkNotes Literature Guide)

By SparkNotes

Bird by Bird (SparkNotes Literature Guide) by Ann Lamott
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• Language: English
• Publisher: SparkNotes
• Release date: Aug 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9781411474147

Book preview

Context

Anne Lamott was born in 1954 in San Francisco and raised in the wealthy suburbs of Marin County. Her father was a noted novelist, and Lamott and her brothers grew up in relative comfort. In 1972, she matriculated at Goucher College, but she dropped out in 1973 to pursue a career as a writer. She endured a series of failed relationships, as well as troubles with drugs, alcohol, and bulimia. She struggled with these issues for many years before finally conquering them.

Lamott says she has written since early childhood, but her career as a professional writer began only when her father was stricken with brain cancer in 1975. During this time, Lamott began work on a novel about a woman dealing with her father’s brain cancer and her dysfunctional family. The somewhat autobiographical book was entitled Hard Laughter. It was published in 1980 to largely positive reviews.

After the release of Hard Laughter, Lamott’s career as a writer blossomed. She now writes both fiction and nonfiction. In addition to Bird by Bird (1994), her best-known work, she is the author of Rosie (1983), Joe Jones (1985), All the New People (1989), Operating Instructions: The Journal of My Son’s First Year (1993), Crooked Little Heart (1997), Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith (1999) and Blue Shoe (2002). She was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1985. She has also done considerable magazine work, including stints as book reviewer for Mademoiselle and restaurant critic for California Magazine. Currently she is a commentator for NPR and writes columns for Salon.com. She has also taught creative writing at writing conferences and several universities, including the University of California at Davis.

Lamott writes almost exclusively about personal issues, such as her battle with drugs and substance abuse. She has been sober since the late 1980s. The effects of her alcoholism on family and friends is a recurring theme in many of her novels, including Rosie and Crooked Little Heart.

In her writing, Lamott makes frequent references to her devout Christianity. She can’t remember exactly when she became a practicing Christian, but she estimates that it was in the late 1970s, when she was struggling to beat her addiction to drugs and alcohol. She reveals her religious beliefs in Operating Instructions, and Blue Shoe features her first Christian protagonist. These days, Lamott rarely gives a speech without mentioning God or Jesus. However, Lamott does not fit the stereotypical profile of a white religious fundamentalist. She attends a largely African-American church, and she is politically liberal. She is pro-choice and advocates gay rights. Her beliefs have endeared her to many nontraditional Christians while enraging more conservative ones. (She received hate mail for her scathing critique of Pat Robertson’s fiction.) Her religious beliefs show up in most of her work, but they are tempered with an easygoing and liberal spirit.

Lamott’s writing runs the gamut from freethinking spirituality to darker commentaries on death and illness. Her novels are filled with messy, unfinished people who act impulsively and create chaos in their lives. A similar recklessness also pervades her nonfiction. Bird by Bird, a commentary on Lamott’s beliefs about writing as well as a biographical account of her own career, has been Lamott’s most popular work. While some critics find her use of profanity off-putting, and others accuse her of being self-absorbed and emotionally unpredictable, readers respond to her humorous yet emotional account of the trials and tribulations of a writer’s life.

In Bird by Bird, Lamott draws on her own personal relationships and often quotes friends and fellow writers at length. Lamott’s books suggest that writing is a cathartic way of dealing with life’s troubles and problems. Fans of Bird by Bird are both aspiring writers and nonwriters moved by Lamott’s uniquely conversational style and unsparing wit.

Currently, Lamott and her thirteen-year-old son Sam (who is frequently mentioned in Bird by Bird) live in Fairfax, California. Lamott continues to teach and to write magazine articles and books.

Plot Overview

Lamott begins Bird by Bird with an introduction describing her lifelong love of books and her father’s influence on her life and writing. Although she often wished that her father had a regular job like other fathers, she gradually began to realize that being a writer was the best job for him. She eventually followed in his footsteps. At an early age, Lamott realized that she possessed an uncanny ability to write engaging and often funny stories. But even with this ability, she was not an instant success as a writer. When her father fell ill with brain cancer, she was inspired to write about her family’s struggles. Her father’s agent accepted her manuscript, which was eventually published, and Lamott has worked as a writer ever since. She wrote Bird by Bird in order to share with the reader everything she knows about writing.

In Part One, Lamott addresses the daunting task of beginning to write. She

Reviews for Bird by Bird (SparkNotes Literature Guide)

[thegalaxygirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Funny, engaging anecdotes about writing and living. I'm a writer, and sometimes she nails it, and sometimes not. Lamott comes off as being quite neurotic, and sometimes I was just shaking my head about her emotional reactions to things. Perhaps she exaggerated a lot. IDK. Or perhaps she really does live inside a Woody Allen movie. There's definitely an east coast culture and sensibility which permeate the narrative, which bored me after awhile. Still a worthwhile read.

[fiddleback_ · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Writer looking for permission? Go!

[tgraettinger_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good and sometimes hilarious musings on writing and life. Even a non-writer like me can enjoy it.

[judygibson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Several reviews of this book said it was as much about life as about writing. They were wrong: it's about writing. I'm not a writer, so I didn't enjoy it as much as a writer probably would. However, I AM a reader, and this will give me some insight into how writers create what they do and help me understand what's gone wrong when they fall short. Interesting from that point of view.

[thewestwing-864351 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed this book and it’s full of wise advice and great insight. If you are struggling with being a writer, this book should help rekindle your love for writing.

[et.carole · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lamott's Bird by Bird reads like advice from a mother who knows what it feels like to write, and also curses and is a bit funny. As good as I hoped it would be when it was recommended to me.

[breton07 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read his book about twenty years ago as an inspiration, and as a guide to living well. The book is a guide for those people who want to have a kinder approach to themselves. Lamott addresses the voices we keep in our heads, telling us negative verbiage about our own short comings and mistakes in life. The book is truly appropriate in getting anyone back to, as Elton John would say,"still standing." Bird by Bird makes us each stronger, learning to believe in ourselves even if the outside world tends to let us down.This year, I re-read the book as an author. It is f the most astute and thorough book about the craft of writing I have read. The questions it answers are related to the everyday commitment of writing, steadily attending to the craft of writing. The book is a must read for anyone, frustrated or not by rejection letters or self-criticism. I recommend it highly!-Breton W Kaiser Taylor

[akblanchard_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Anne Lamott brings on the inspiration and encouragement in this well-known writing guide. There’s useful advice here, but there is also a lot of Lamott herself in the text, so how you feel about the book will depend on how much you enjoy spending time with the author.

[tmph_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For Kate: long story, but I joined an email group over ten years ago loosely based on the writings, and her writings on writing, of Anne Lamott.

[dmturner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just finished re-reading. Honest, funny, encouraging, discouraging, and accurate advice about being a writer.

[scottjpearson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Anne Lamott is a brilliant mentor to writers and to creative people in general. She spins her yarn with a conversational, west-coast style. In this book, she writes about redeeming our experiences to produce literature. She has learned many lessons in her life, and she shares their fruit in vivid detail here. She is most brilliant, in my opinion, not in her quality novels but when she functions as a memoir-writer-turned-spiritual-advisor.What she says is foundational and important for every person who has to create a universe for her/his readers, users, or viewers. She shares lessons like: write “shitty first drafts,” focus on your childhood when everything was new, involve partners in your writing, and work through short assignments. She encourages writers to write out of their own experiences, passions, and unconscious mind. Indeed, Bird by Bird seems like a cross between the spiritual disciplines of creating and self-help for writers.Lamott is not idealistic about the writer’s life. She contends that it consists of a lot of pain, hard work, devotion, and everything else that labor consists of. But she points out that in the end, writers put in a day’s hard work filled with stimulation and meaning, and even if their work never reaches wide audiences, those writers leave something behind. That touch of eternity is its own reward.I like Lamott because God plays a role in her life and work. I also like her because she is abhorrently honest and straight-talking. She brings things to light about human nature (indeed about myself) that I would never get were I just to read some B-rate writer. Her style is extraordinarily entertaining. Philosophically, she says very little that hasn’t been said before, but she parrots that knowledge in a new, seductive, and creative way. That’s why she’s won all sorts of awards for her writings, and that’s why I cherish the opportunity to sift through her writings today.

[danielstj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an incredible, enthusiastic piece of work on the nature of writing and life itself. Lamott manages to carve out pieces of her own journey, alongside her soul, to illustrate what it means to be a writer- to exist in that delicate space where no one can destroy you. The writing is fluid and the prose is sharp. There is not a word wasted here, and never one too many. I was thoroughly impressed.Full marks: 5 stars.

[oacevedo-792047 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I hate this book, but have the unfortunate luck of having to read it three times.

[brenzi_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do---the actual act of writing---turns out to be the best part. It’s like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward.”Anne Lamott has written a few novels and a lot of non-fiction, some of it much too spiritual for my taste. But in this book she shares her ideas about the writing process that are all part of the syllabus that she uses in her writing classes at UC Davis. Some struck me as invaluable, some seemed pretty obvious and many were downright hilarious and that’s why I liked this book. She said a lot of things that could apply to almost any career path you were contemplating and would hold you in good stead. With humor and sympathy for those struggling with the writing process she explained why so many writers fail miserably before they finally succeed. By so explaining I had to wonder why any books have ever gotten written. It sounds like a horrible slog. She stresses that you should write about your childhood and quotes Flannery O’Connor who said that anyone who survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of his or her life. And my mind immediately goes to The Glass Castle, Liar’s Club, Angela’s Ashes and other books that found great success because the author survived a truly awful childhood and I think O’Connor may have hit on something here. At any rate, Lamott is pointing out that within ourselves we have many stories that need telling and some of them may even be interesting to other people so it’s a good place to start. I think she’s probably right. Recommended.

[madepercy-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The title of this book comes from a story of the author's brother who procrastinates all through the holidays on a project about various birds. The day before it is due, the lad sits at the table in despair - how is he to finish the project in time? His father, an author, sits down and says:Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.As I sit here writing this, I am killing bird #12 on my to-do list and it is sound advice. Anne Lamott tells her story of the writing life in this beautiful book on love, death, birth, tragedy, drugs, and learning to love oneself while agonising over writing. Just ask anyone who has completed a PhD and they can tell you all about it. A friend once described the process as if you were rowing a boat. While you left the shore, others were around and you could call out for guidance, but soon, you were on the wide expanse of ocean and there was only you and your inner world to guide you. It seems like years, and often it is, until you reach the other shore, at times not knowing where you are going or where you will land. But one day, you reach the other shore. Or you don't and you are bitter and dejected forever. But that is a different story. This work reminded me of parts of the 2015 movie The End of the Tour, the story of David Lipsky's (of Rolling Stone magazine) 5-day interview with American author, David Foster Wallace, except Lamott mentions some of her "I am not so famous" stories. But the sentiment is there. The agony of writing, the endless work, the endless self-doubt and self-loathing. Lamott tells her story in a way that is helpful, rather than whiney. I often think of Charlotte Bronte and Mary Shelley and how their important works seemed not quite right, whereas Lamott hits the nail on the head with a somewhat gendered perspective that is simultaneously relevant to all. Elements of drugs, religion, friendship, and working with editors will be familiar to many. Yet Lamott's story is beautiful in the Stoic sense of beauty being related to human excellence. Even if the only thing the reader takes away from this work that one can achieve great things "bird by bird", it is a worthy lesson.

[melissalenhardt · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Some genuinely good advice once you wade through the neuroses. But wildly overrated as a writing book IMO.

[nodosaurus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is mostly a supportive book written in a self-help style, and almost a spiritual style. It has a lot of anecdotes detailing her experiences dealing with all the roadblocks that we encounter or put up in our own path. She has a neurotic sense of humor that makes the book entertaining at the same time. In this book, she writes a lot about the publishing process, adding a hearty dose of reality to want-to-be writers. This book came recommended to me, although I can't remember the source. I felt the book got off to a slow start. The first few chapters leaned more toward the spiritual style which didn't appeal to me, but later chapters had more useful information. Overall, I found the book an enjoyable read, even if it didn't give me all I was expecting.

[neferemi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received a new copy of this for Christmas 2009, and have been rereading and re-enjoying it. This book is the best book I could recommend for any writer at any stage in their career. I also recommend this book to friends and relatives of writers because Lamott is so superb at exposing the inner-mind of a writer, complete with anxieties particular to those who write. Anne Lamott is, for lack of a better term, a "writer's writer," a rare writer who not only writes for the joy of writing, but writes beautifully and honestly.

[sandyamcpherson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An encouraging and philosophical book on the creative practice of writing; similar to Anne Dillard's "The Writing Life".

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent read about writing and written with gentle humour and self-depreciation. Now to repair the problem that exists between keyboard and seat.

[jewel.barnett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing to read over and over.

[jpsnow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Writing down one of these brief reviews feels like a bigger task than usual when the book in question is about writing and by a celebrated author. This work made my reading list following multiple references in Sunday sermons and then most recently following a final prompt via Tools of Titans. Lamott is very open about the angst that dominates much of an aspiring author's life. She's also open about her own life experiences, especially the loss of two important people and how those experiences intertwine with her writing. The book is enjoyable to read and offers plenty of practical advice. Getting published is a right of passage but not a certain path to fame and fortune. Writing brings other benefits including personal expression and the realization of our own life's lessons. Would be writers should stop being "would be" and instead get started. Find a time and place. Write what you know. Be honest. Get feedback in ways that are constructive. Figure out your story as an author as you go.

[rosswhippo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you've ever wanted to write, but found that all the biggest obstacles were within yourself, this book is for you.

[harrietbrown_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book about the art of writing and getting it done.

[datrappert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Picked this up at a book fair although I have never read any of Lamott's other work. It is a very down to earth realistic book about writing for people who want to write about down to earth realistic stuff. I doubt she gets many potential horror or science fiction writers in her workshops. The book succeeds because it is so honest about how little chance you have to get published or even if you do get published to make any money. The author uses self-deprecating humor throughout to talk about her own trials and tribulations as a writer. There's a lot of autobiography here as well, some of it very moving. Lamott is an odd mix of a spiritual person who seems to attend church a lot and talk to a lot of priests, but uses some very earthly language in her writing. All in all it is a quick interesting read that will give you a few tips and some honest encouragement that, even if you don't become a famous writer, the act of writing itself is good for you. For example, think of the stories of your own childhood you can leave to your children and grandchildren. Just stop listening to KFKD, sit down, and write.

[knotbox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Glad I finally picked this book up off my shelf! The first part on writing tasks, or assignments, or just getting the words onto paper at last, wasn’t terribly mind-blowing. In fact the reason I finally read this, because of the reference that Marlo Skyhorse made to her plot structure, she attributes to another writer!But the second part, on the writing life, really struck a chord with me, and I’ve dog-eared the passage on morals, and another on the purpose of it all, that I can see myself rereading in the years to come.This book is very readable, conversational, and quickly moves from philosophical attempts at explaining what it is that is so great about writing, and jokes that made me want to share the book with all my writer friends. I should note that while I understand that Lamott’s humor is off-brand there was only one (as far as I could tell) joke that should have been left out. I think we understand more about each other now than we did even as little twenty years ago when this was published.

[fireflys_locket · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ah, Bird by Bird. After many years of owning this book, I finally read through it, and I have very mixed feelings. Part of this may be heightened because, for longest time, I’ve heard Bird by Bird basically referred to as a Writer’s Bible. It was not this for me.There were certainly moments of brilliance where I felt like Anne was bringing to light exactly what it feels like to be a writer, all the complicated feelings of magical intuition and crippling self-doubt. Talk of trusting in your characters to know themselves instead of forcing the plot onto them. Solid encouragement for facing writer’s block. But these moments were usually hidden in between Anne’s “instructions on writing”, which I rarely felt connected to.I should take the time here to mention that I’m more Plotter than Pantser, and Bird by Bird is written about and for Pantsers. She tells you to just write with knowledge that you could throw out 90% of your first draft. This is not how I write in the slightest, so it was hard to relate to. But for a Plotter, I’m also more of an intuition/inspiration based writer. So, talk of reorganizing an entire book and other technical approaches to writing also didn’t work for me. Unfortunately, as I often have to deal with when reading writer’s tips, Bird by Bird emphasizes the force writing out every day even if you aren’t feeling it. This has never worked for me. It just leaves me with anxiety and a mess to edit later. None of these things are really the book’s fault. Anne’s approach to writing just doesn’t resonate with me. And that’s okay.Bird by Bird often takes a humorous look at the writing journey. This can be enjoyable, but some of Anne’s jokes rub me the wrong way. The funny thing was that, in the first section of the book, I had trouble with the focus of the lessons but enjoyed the witty commentary around them. Then, in the second section of the book, I liked the idea of the lessons more, but she presented them in a very condescending way. For instance, she talks about natural approaches to clearing your mind and trusting your intuition, then apologizes saying, “Believe me, I hate natural solutions.” She’s putting down her own lessons just because they feel too out there and not “sharper, slicker” technical solutions. Several times in the book, she states her technical approach to a writing issue and “jokes” that if you don’t have to do it her way, then you aren’t a good person. Silly, but irritating. I find that Anne sometimes comes off as being a bit of an elitist when it comes to writing. But admittedly, those thoughts have been coloured partly by her online presence and not just the book, itself.The opening and closing chapters of the book are the strongest, in my opinion. They are where Anne mostly sets aside the technical lessons and instead talks about how writing can enrich your life. Why it’s worth the effort whether you are ever published or recognized as an author or not. She talks about her writing journey. And that’s what resonates with me. I don’t need lessons on how to write; I’ve been writing for seventeen years. I need reminders that writing is meaningful and worth all the pain of cutting yourself open and letting your emotions spill out into words.All in all, I still feel like Bird by Bird is a worthwhile read for most writers, especially those just starting out. Even if you discover more about what doesn’t work for you than what does. (Plotters, I’m talking to you.) At the very least, getting this book from your library and skimming through it should help you discover a few lines that make you think, “Hey, someone actually gets my goofy writer’s brain!” Some of those moments are truly magical. I just wish there were more of those moments for me.

[judycroome_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Warm, wonderful and witty advice on writing. There were times when the humour was too obviously contrived, but as Lamott explains, humour was her defence mechanism in childhood. On the whole a book every writer should read for its honest look at the writing profession. Even as an experienced author, the emptiness of the blank page had almost overwhelmed me - after reading Bird by Bird I'm fired up with enthusiam again.

[shulera1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you're looking for a book on writing, go for this one. Lamott is sympathetic and brutally honest, and knows how to bring the truth to light without crushing your dreams. Beautifully written and laugh-out-loud funny.

[samsattler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In Bird by Bird, her 1994 writing guide, Anne Lamott approaches the craft with a near perfect blend of seriousness and humor, never speaking down to her readers, while at the same time reminding them that a healthy sense of humor about themselves is one of the most useful tools in a writer's kit. Lamott may not be able to turn you into the writer you want to be, but she will motivate you to keep plugging away until something happens – even if that “something” turns out to be a lifetime of writing for your own expressive pleasure.Lamott characterizes herself as a shy, strange-looking child who learned to use humor to deflect the taunts about her looks that boys made as they rode by on their bicycles. As she puts it, "So first I got funny and then I started to write...” And it paid off, because in high school the desire of her classmates to see themselves reflected in her stories gained her the kind of popularity she otherwise would never have enjoyed. Anne Lamott's defines her life and who she is by her writing, and she knows that there are countless others out there who feel the same way. Bird by Bird is her gift to those others.Bird by Bird is divided into five parts, each section geared to take the want-to-be writer another step or two toward that goal. Part One, "Writing," focuses on structure and on techniques designed to keep you coming back to the keyboard. She begins with the "short assignment" concept by which a writer focuses on one tiny part of the story he wants to tell rather than allowing the bigger picture to overwhelm him. From there, Lamott covers everything from plots, to the dangers of perfectionism (which she calls "the oppressor, the enemy of the people"), to the merits of using flawed and failing characters, to plot, and finally, to a section about recognizing "when you're done." Parts Two and Three focus more on keeping yourself in "the writing frame of mind" and knowing where to look for "help along the way." Lamott describes the writer as someone who stands alone but decides to take a few notes in the meantime. She points out that a writer is always writing, that no matter what is happening around him, his job is to "see people as they really are," including himself. Lamott promises that simply giving yourself "permission" to begin writing will start you thinking like a writer, someone who sees material everywhere he turns.The fourth part of the book addresses writer's voice, reasons to continue writing (to expose the unexposed), publication (if you are one of the very lucky ones), and the new fears that come with finally being published (such as the terror that you now have to prove that you can do it all again). Lamott calls the last part of Bird by Bird "The Last Class," and here she repeats much of what she tells her writing students in the classroom. Not all of them will become published writers, she tells them, but they should not let that stop them because being a writer will change their lives. Writing will "nourish the spirit," is "Intellectually quickening," and has "the potential to be as rich and enlivening as the priesthood." Above all else, she says, "Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul."If you want to be part of the "noble tradition" of writing, published or not, Bird by Bird may just be the book to get you there.