Fantastic insights and advice on the writing life. Lamott has a breezy voice, filled with humor and a healthy dose of sarcasm. She doesn't sugarcoat the tougher aspects of embarking upon a writing career, and she makes it clear from the beginning that the goal of publication is not the fabulous end-all-and-be-all so many people make it out to be. Writing is its own reward even when it's painful, frustrating and just damned hard. Lamott never lets us forget that. (A) ( )

This is a great little book to set on the shelf beside [b:On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft|10569|On Writing A Memoir of the Craft|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436735207s/10569.jpg|150292] or [b:Zen in the Art of Writing|103761|Zen in the Art of Writing|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436734917s/103761.jpg|2183601]. It's not so much a book about how to write as about how to be a writer. Why do you write? Why should you write? Who are you writing for (or to)? These are all questions that need to be answered. Anne Lamont doesn't try to answer them for you. But she gives you a little bit of insight into her answers and why the questions may be more important than the answers.

If it's too cold and stormy to get out and have coffee with your writing buddy and you can't get them on the phone, read a chapter or two in Bird by Bird. It may be just what you need to get writing again. ( )

The only reason I didn't give it five stars -- my conscious was troubled. After such kind, helpful, funny and honest advice about writing there is no excuse for me. I know. Sigh. ( )

Rereading this book was amazing self-care. Thank you, Anne Lamott. 🙏 ( )

I borrowed this book from the local library. Honestly, I mostly ended up skimming the book just for the tips after reading the Introduction. The writing tips were good, but I wasn’t a fan of the way they were presented, as the tips were interspersed through tons of other content that I wasn’t as interested in, being that I thought I was reading a book on writing rather than a writer’s journey. I have a feeling this other content will prevent me from remembering many of her tips.

I’ve never read Lamott’s writing before though, and from the book’s title I was honestly expecting something different. I also wasn’t a fan of all the curse words and mentions of sexual content. I’m of the opinion that as a writer, you should be able to come up with better options than cuss words to express yourself. ( )