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votesforwomen's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books on writing books I've ever read. I'm in love. I feel like I can actually finish a WIP now. My vision is refocused, my editing process has never felt clearer, and my writing has become for ME first and foremost. (DEF PG-13)
boxcar's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Good advice, and written with a very funny and truthful voice. Didn't feel preachy or anything, felt real. Like here's how I feel about writing and life, you can feel however the hell you want, but maybe my stuff will be helpful.
Easy read, helpful.
Easy read, helpful.
swamp_witch's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
jahuszar's review against another edition
5.0
A must read book for writers. Funny, a little neurotic, and inspiring. This book puts the whole writing process and experience into perspective. Definitely recommended.
tiggerser's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite writing book so far. It’s hilarious and irreverent (as expected from Anne). At the same time, it is brutally honest and encouraging. Having just watched Cool Runnings, I love that she dropped the tidbit in there about being enough even without recognition and accolades. Writing is so much about showing up even when you don’t feel like it. Thank you for this book!
drollgorg's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
So embarrassing to be reading books about writing and nodding along with recognition
But Anne Lamott is very good at writing in a way that makes me (metaphorically, given that I'm reading a book and not actually talking to anyone) nod along, and she really does capture so much of the experience of trying to put words down on a page in a way that also gives me a chance at learning something on the way. I have often bemoaned and muttered about how much writers are obsessed with writing as a noble struggle and it can come to become an overinflated part of the conflicts that they are able to portray. Even if if I was miserable enough to level that complaint at a memoir and book of advice about writing, Lamott is very well aware of all the idiosyncracies of writers, and she strikes a gentle balance between humorous self-awareness and real commitment to the importance of writing. Her sense of humor is great too. I wonder what she has to say about the Internet.
But Anne Lamott is very good at writing in a way that makes me (metaphorically, given that I'm reading a book and not actually talking to anyone) nod along, and she really does capture so much of the experience of trying to put words down on a page in a way that also gives me a chance at learning something on the way. I have often bemoaned and muttered about how much writers are obsessed with writing as a noble struggle and it can come to become an overinflated part of the conflicts that they are able to portray. Even if if I was miserable enough to level that complaint at a memoir and book of advice about writing, Lamott is very well aware of all the idiosyncracies of writers, and she strikes a gentle balance between humorous self-awareness and real commitment to the importance of writing. Her sense of humor is great too. I wonder what she has to say about the Internet.
libraryam's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a huge fan of Anne Lamott's esssays (a little less so her fiction). Reading her is like reconnecting with an old friend you haven't seen in years but immediately fall back in sync with. She makes it okay not only to write "shitty first drafts" but also to live them because her work-in-progress optimism is so infectious.
starfleeting's review against another edition
3.0
The advice given in this book is, for the most part, good, practical advice. Especially for people starting out or people that need a good push to keep going when they get discouraged. There are also some truly funny passages.
However, there are times when the book feels like a genuine slog to get through. Not just because of what feels like endless run-on sentences that can make a person feel breathless as they read it but the own writer's tendency to be a little too open with everything. Most writers - and artists in general - can have self-confidence issues or neuroses of their own to varying degrees (I say this as a writer myself) but Lamott seems to let hers bleed too much into the writing and examples to where one wonders if she actually enjoys writing. And while there are some parts of the book that come off encouraging, other parts seem to sound incredibly discouraging. Or even downright 'eh, you won't really be happy even if you do get published' which... leaves a lot to be desired to say the least.
I don't doubt Lamott has good intentions in everything she's written in this book. But there are times when emotional whiplash can occur and mixed signals keep popping up.
However, there are times when the book feels like a genuine slog to get through. Not just because of what feels like endless run-on sentences that can make a person feel breathless as they read it but the own writer's tendency to be a little too open with everything. Most writers - and artists in general - can have self-confidence issues or neuroses of their own to varying degrees (I say this as a writer myself) but Lamott seems to let hers bleed too much into the writing and examples to where one wonders if she actually enjoys writing. And while there are some parts of the book that come off encouraging, other parts seem to sound incredibly discouraging. Or even downright 'eh, you won't really be happy even if you do get published' which... leaves a lot to be desired to say the least.
I don't doubt Lamott has good intentions in everything she's written in this book. But there are times when emotional whiplash can occur and mixed signals keep popping up.
abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
Great book! I think I'll need to re-audio-read it to get more out of it, but it has definitely encouraged me to write, and given me ideas of how to even start.