#bird by bird

[hungryfictions]

anne lamott, bird by bird

#anne lamott #bird by bird #my quotes #hope

[theclassicsreader]

I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.

– Anne Lamott, Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

#anne lamott #bird by bird #quote #quotes #lit #bird by bird: some instructions on writing and life

[iamdexter123]

Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. 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. You try to say what you have to say more accurately. And the third draft is the dental draft, where you check every tooth, to see if it’s loose or cramped or decayed, or even, God help us, healthy.

- Anne Lamott, Bird By Bird

#quotes #anne lamott #bird by bird #writeblr #writing tips #writing resources #writing advice #dexterreads

[everythingaboutbiotech]

We all struggle with writing, especially in academic contexts. This particular method proved immensely beneficial in my journey of crafting my MPhil thesis, offering invaluable assistance. It provided the essential support needed to overcome the challenges inherent in academic writing.

Shitty First Draft Concept: The concept of the “shitty first draft,” a writing technique coined by Anne Lamott in her book “Bird by Bird” (1994). It emphasizes the importance of writing a rough first draft without worrying about quality.

Writing Process: The technique involves letting ideas flow freely onto paper, knowing it can be shaped later. This approach helps writers overcome the fear of starting and the pressure of creating a perfect first draft.

Benefits: By writing a “shitty first draft,” writers can get their thoughts out and familiarize themselves with the scope of their work. This makes subsequent editing steps easier and more effective.

#Writing Process #Overcoming Perfectionism #Drafting Techniques #Creative Writing #Anne Lamott #Bird by Bird #Academic Writing #Writing Efficiency #Editing and Revising

[emiliosandozsequence]

on hope in sorrow

the sparrow, mary doria russell / bird by bird, anne lemott / serenade by kamelot

#the sparrow #the sparrow 1996 #mary doria russell #comparative #comparatives #anne lemott #kamelot #bird by bird #web weaving #web weavings #tsww #mine #mww

[jay-avian]

Finding True Inspiration

So I read this book for one of my creative writing classes called Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (I highly recommend for anyone wanting advice on writing) and I came across a chapter that was really helpful in terms of truly being inspired to write your pieces. The chapter starts out by saying:

"If you find that you start a number of stories or pieces that you don't ever bother finishing, that you lose interest or faith in them along the way, it may be that there is nothing at their center about which you care passionately."

I firstly felt very called out by this fact. But then I kept reading, and I understood. In this essay, I will try and explain what it means to write morally without being preachy.

Essentially what Lamott is saying is that everyone has some truth they must share, some core concepts in which you believe passionately and whole-heartedly. It is these concepts that drive a story. She's not of course saying to have some overall moral or message to your story. But characters in a book are in fact human, or at least have humanoid consciouses. Because of this, they are beautifully and wonderfully complex, just as humanity is.

You may want to write your stories because you got a cool worldbuilding idea or you want to use a cool character concept. You may want to include some really cool quotes you thought of in the shower or at 3am in bed. But as you write, "...what seems to happen almost organically is that you end up wanting your characters to act out the drama of humankind. Much of this drama does not involve witticisms and shimmer. Yet this drama is best couched in moral terms; the purpose of most great writing seems to be to reveal in an ethical light who we are." We inevitably make our characters into ourselves and those around us. As unrealistic as the world we throw them in may be, good characters should always provide a sense of grounding for the reader and a good foundation for the writer.

Why do we like the books that we do? What makes us drawn to certain characters? A good story is driven by good characters, this is a lesson I'm sure we've all been taught at some point in class or on the internet. But why is this? It is, in fact, because those characters are driven by much of the same things we are, "...they internalize some decency in the world... They let us see that there is in fact some sort of moral compass still at work here, and that we, too, could travel by this compass if we so choose." The plot only leads our characters together. And though they may find themselves lost, their compass still knows the way, unfaltering.

In my classes, we are taught the difference between "literary" works vs genre works. Literary works have some sort of lesson of life within them, while genre is very plot heavy and typically is predictable. I began resenting this esteemed view of literary and nonfiction is much better than genre, it means so much more. But of course, there are quite a number of genre works that can be considered literary: Lord of the Rings, Frankenstein, The Narnia Chronicles, Beowulf, to name a few notable ones. Some of the "classics" as they're called do have the intention of teaching some moral lesson. But this moral message doesn't have to always be a lesson; it's something you must care about passionately. We know that we live in a world of greedy dragons, we don't need reminders of this. Instead, tell us how we should live, how we should care. "A moral position is not a slogan, or wishful thinking. It doesn't come from outside or above. It begins inside the heart of a character and grows from there." Don't just write about the truth, write about your truth. Only then can you be truly attached to your writing. Only then can your readers be as in love with your story as you are.

(p.s. - I wrote this instead of actually writing an essay for school)

#writing advice #creative writing #writing tips #writing resources #writing motivation #writing community #writers of tumblr #anne lamott #bird by bird #tumblr essay

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

(Art: Photograph by Léo Pierre)

* * * *

Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. 

~Anne Lamott

(Book: Bird by Bird)

[Philo Thoughts]

#quotes #Anne Lamott #Leo Pierre #Bird by Bird #Philo thoughts #books #words and writing

[litandlifequotes]

Perfection is shallow, unreal, and fatally uninteresting.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

#anne lamott #bird by bird #writer #non fiction #book #book quote #quote #words #reading

[old-school-neophyte]

Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts.

#bird by bird #anne lamott #writing #quotes

[kermit-coded]

"And there are also the dogs: let’s not forget the dogs, the dogs in their pen who will surely hurtle and snarl their way out if you ever stop writing, because writing is, for some of us, the latch that keeps the door of the pen closed, keeps those crazy ravenous dogs contained." ~Anne Lamott~

#anne lamott #quotes #bird by bird #soda speaks #writers on tumblr #writers on writing #this quote lives in my head rent free #it jumped me in a back alley and i have yet to recover

[dailyquotes6563]

You own everything that has happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.

Anne Lamont, Bird by Bird

#Anne Lamont #Bird by Bird #Quote #quote of the day #quotes #life quotes #life #life advice

[hungryfictions]

anne lamott, bird by bird

#anne lamott #bird by bird #on writing #quotes

[forestghosting]

"You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better."

- Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

#bird by bird #anne lamott #writing quotes #quotes #dark academia #studyblr #booklr #writeblr

[iamdexter123]

To be a good writer, you not only have to write a great deal but you have to care. You do not have to have a complicated moral philosophy. But a writer always tries, I think, to be a part of the solution, to understand a little about life and to pass this on.

- Anne Lamott, Bird By Bird

#quote #anne lamott #bird by bird #writeblr #writing advice #writing tips #writing resources #dexterreads

[dk-thrive]

clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again

Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again.

—  Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anchor; December 18, 2007) (via Wait - What?)

#write #writer #writing #anne lamott #bird by bird

[purplehairedwonder]

"You are lucky to be one of those people who wishes to build sand castles with words, who is willing to create a place where your imagination can wander. We build this place with the sand of memories; these castles are our memories and inventiveness made tangible. So part of us believes that when the tide starts coming in, we won’t really have lost anything, because actually only a symbol of it was there in the sand. Another part of us thinks we’ll figure out a way to divert the ocean. This is what separates us from ordinary people: the belief, deep in our hearts, that if we build our castles well enough, somehow the ocean won’t wash them away. I think this is a wonderful kind of person to be."

— Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

#To my writer friends #I love this quote #and thought you would like it too #Writing #Anne Lamott #Bird by Bird