Some Instructions on Writing and Life01
Bird by Bird
Anne Lamott
Writer
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Writer · Teacher
Anne Lamott.
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
Anne Lamott (born 1954) is an American novelist and non-fiction writer. Her book Bird by Bird is a much-loved guide to writing and life.
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- San Francisco, California, USA
- Born
- 1954
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Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Bird by Bird
Anne Lamott
Creativity · 1994
Bird by Bird
Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Anne Lamott's warm, funny guide to writing is just as much about life. The title comes from her father's advice to her brother, who was overwhelmed by a school report on birds: “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
Three big ideas
- Take it bird by birdBig tasks become possible when you break them into small pieces and do one at a time.
- Short assignmentsFocus on just one small scene or paragraph, rather than the whole book.
- Allow bad first draftsEveryone writes poor first drafts. Getting something down lets you make it better later.
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Photos via Wikimedia Commons — Marcus Aurelius: Unknown author · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons · Seneca: Calidius · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Austin Kleon: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons