Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Every writer knows the terror of the blank page, but few books tackle that fear with as much wit, warmth, and brutal honesty as this one. Anne Lamott, a New York Times bestselling author and Guggenheim Fellow, delivers a masterclass in the craft of writing that has inspired more than a million readers since its original 1994 publication.
The title comes from a story about Lamott's brother, who at age ten sat paralyzed before a school report on birds that was due the next day. Their father, also a writer, put his arm around the boy and said simply: take it bird by bird. This philosophy of breaking overwhelming tasks into small, manageable pieces forms the heart of Lamott's approach.
Inside these pages, you'll find permission to write terrible first drafts. You'll learn to silence your inner critic. You'll confront the jealousy, self-doubt, and perfectionism that plague every writer.
But this is more than a writing manual. Lamott weaves personal stories throughout, from her father's influence on her career to the hard truths about publication and the writing life. She covers everything from character development and dialogue to finding your voice and building a writing community.
The Christian Science Monitor called it "one of the funniest books on writing ever published." Whether you're a seasoned author or someone who has always dreamed of putting words on paper, this beloved classic will make you laugh, think, and most importantly, write.
Interesting Facts
A Brother's Bird Report Inspired The Book: The title comes from a childhood memory when Anne's ten-year-old brother was overwhelmed by a bird report due the next day. Their father, also a writer, sat beside him and offered calming advice: take it bird by bird, buddy. This became the book's central metaphor for tackling any overwhelming task.
One Million Readers and Counting: The book has sold more than a million copies worldwide since its 1994 publication. It has remained continuously in print for over 30 years.
Her Father's Death Sparked Her Career: When Anne's father fell ill with brain cancer, she wrote about her family's struggles. Her father's literary agent accepted the manuscript, which became her first published novel. She has worked as a writer ever since.
The Shitty First Drafts Philosophy: Lamott coined the now-famous term "shitty first drafts" in this book. She insists that all good writers produce terrible first attempts. The key is giving yourself permission to write imperfectly so you can get words on the page.
A One-Inch Picture Frame Sits on Her Desk: Lamott keeps a tiny one-inch picture frame on her desk as a reminder. It tells her to focus only on what she can see through that small frame. This technique helps writers avoid feeling paralyzed by the enormity of their projects.
Index Cards Are Her Secret Weapon: Lamott carries index cards everywhere, folding them lengthwise into her back pocket when she leaves the house. She uses them to capture fleeting ideas, observations, and bits of dialogue that might otherwise be lost forever.
Inspired a Documentary: Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock created a documentary about Lamott. The film was titled "Bird by Bird with Annie" and portrayed her life story of addiction and redemption. It interweaves her advice on the writing process.
A Polaroid Metaphor: Lamott compares writing a first draft to watching a Polaroid develop. You're not supposed to know exactly what the picture will look like until it has finished developing
Writing as a Gift to the Dying: Lamott wrote her first novel, Hard Laughter, for her father while he was battling brain cancer. She has described it as "a present to someone I loved who was going to die." Years later, she wrote about her friend Pammy during her final illness too. For Lamott, writing became both a way to process grief and to offer solace to readers walking similar paths.
The Book Combines Three Genres: Bird by Bird is simultaneously a memoir, a self-help book, and a writing manual. It offers practical craft advice while sharing deeply personal stories from Lamott's life. Her spirituality permeates throughout the pages.
Praised as Hilariously Honest: The Christian Science Monitor called it "one of the funniest books on writing ever published." Lamott writes openly about jealousy, self-doubt, and the urge to raid the refrigerator instead of facing the blank page. Her willingness to expose her own neuroses makes readers feel less alone in theirs.
Quotes
"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table, close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'" - Anne Lamott
"Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives, to wake up and grow and belong." - Anne Lamott
"Try looking at your mind as a wayward puppy that you are trying to paper train. You don’t drop-kick a puppy into the neighbor’s yard every time it piddles on the floor. You just keep bringing it back to the newspaper." - Anne Lamott
"Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived." - Anne Lamott
"Writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself, getting some work done, then unhypnotizing yourself and going over the material coldly." - Anne Lamott
"You cannot write out of someone else’s big dark place; you can only write out of your own." - Anne Lamott
"A person’s faults are largely what make him or her likable." - Anne Lamott
"You have to believe in your position, or nothing will be driving your work. If you don’t believe in what you are saying, there is no point in your saying it." - Anne Lamott
"Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something - anything - down on paper. A friend of mine says that the first draft is the down draft - you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft- you fix it up." - Anne Lamott
"You are going to have to give and give and give, or there’s no reason for you to be writing. You have to give from the deepest part of yourself, and you are going to have to go on giving, and the giving is going to have to be its own reward." - Anne Lamott
"Writing is about learning to pay attention and to communicate what is going on." - Anne Lamott
"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life... Besides, perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness and playfulness and life force (these are words we are allowed to use in California)." - Anne Lamott
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up." - Anne Lamott
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