A review by prachidayal
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

funny informative relaxing slow-paced

3.0

  • Medium read (6 - 8 hours)
  • This book was the complete opposite of concise. Lamott discussed omitting excess parts of your writing and building a strong foundation but evidently did not follow her own advice. Many of the anecdotes were irrelevant, drawn out, and random. The advice about discovering your characters was so flowery and generic which was very disappointing. 
  • I liked some of the metaphors to explain writing tips. As I mentioned, the advice regarding characters was frustrating, but some of her other tips were explained beautifully. The best advice she offered was about how to rewrite your manuscript to make it more cohesive by laying out all the pages. Also, I think the mention of her writers' group was a very good decision. Finally, I could appreciate some of the humor and vulnerability in the book. I appreciated Lamott sharing her experiences with jealousy, sadness, anger, etc.
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