Book #37: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

I've been using a chapter from Bird by Bird for my writing classes for years now, but for some reason, it had never occurred to me that I could/should check out the whole book until a few months ago. I loved the chapter I've used in the past (titled "Shitty First Drafts," don't get mad at me, Mom) because it helps my first-year students break down their fear of writing and their worries about perfectionism; she writes in very approachable and easy language about how hard it is to write in drafts and how important it is to get rid of our goals of writing perfectly the first time. My students over seven or eight semesters have almost universally loved this essay and many of them have said it really helped them appreciate the importance of draft writing, especially knowing that such a capable and professional writer (although they don't know who she is) has to do this too. In that essay, Lamott writes very hilariously about how hard writing is and how much work it takes to get anything worthwhile out on the page, and she gives very concrete and manageable tips for new writers to try and improve their writing. And that is basically all the entire book is: lots of mini-essays dedicated to what Lamott thinks are the most important elements of learning how to write. Lamott is mostly a fiction writer--she's written five or six novels (and I don't know if I've actually read any of them) but she honed her craft writing magazine articles and you can really tell by her skill at writing here in these essays. I totally enjoyed reading this book, and if I ever get interested in writing anything seriously, this will be one of those books I will revisit to help me do that.