REVIEW: "Bird by Bird" - notes on writing and life in general

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Bird by Bird is Anne Lamotte's book about her life, her career as a writer, and tips to help you avoid mistakes on the path to recognition for your work.

The bunches of grapes are so beautiful and so glowing. Probably, Mother Nature wants the animals to be imbued with their beauty, ate grapes and then pooped with seeds everywhere, so that there were even more grapes.

When this book came to me, according to an old ritual, I opened it to a random page and sniffed it. I always sniff books and am not afraid to talk about it. Actually, I'm a little afraid, but I think I'll find like-minded people. After the ritual sniffing, I glanced at the page and read the lines about grape seeds. It was then that I realized that this book was special.

So, do you consider yourself a writer? And you still don’t understand why you are still not published, and fans in bookstores don’t hang around your neck? Or do you feel like you are missing something? Or are you in a creative crisis? Ann Lamotte went through all the stages. In fact, every writer goes through them. Not everyone writes about their experiences and shares useful advice on how important it is not to give up and move on. Bird by Bird is one of those rare books that contains a lot of useful information and almost no rubbish. More precisely, it exists, but it is so funny and entertaining that it is just as pleasant to read it.

Writing spirit

It's easy to write! You look around, notice something and just put it on paper. A writer needs to keep an eye on the world around him. Be an observer and at the same time stand a little to the side in order to illuminate life from an unusual angle. From such an angle from which no one looks at her.

It's very simple, but only in words. Lamotte says that the main mission of a writer is to help the reader experience a sense of amazement and novelty. And there is some truth in her words. Remember those moments when the book captures you so much that you forget about everything that is happening around. Those moments when you seem to become the main character of the book and make decisions with him. And surprisingly, your decisions are the same! These are the kind of books that are fun to read, and your job as a writer is to create them.

Ripples in the water -

the trail of a deep silver fish -

other than ripples from the wind. Gary Schneider

13 words that cause a storm of thoughts in the head. Write about what is interesting and important to you. Feelings, life, death, faith in God are of interest to many. What is really there. Such topics are of interest to everyone. If you can add something new to these well-worn but still relevant topics, you will be read.

Ideas

A writer is someone from whom nothing escapes. Henry James

Ideas are the main stumbling block of every creative person. Where to get inspiration from, what to write about, where to get thoughts - we often come across such questions. Here's what the author recommends:

1. Do not leave home without a notebook and pen.
2. Get cards on which you can write down spontaneous ideas, overheard dialogues and phrases.
3. Write down everything, even the most lame thoughts.
4. Describe ordinary events.

Let's take a closer look at the last point. If you don't have a single idea of what to write, the cards don't help, and the overheard dialogues look like a conversation between two idiots, then use the last tip. It is extremely simple.

Remember some ordinary event in your life. Take school breakfast, for example. And describe it. Write about whether you took your breakfast from home or bought something at the school cafeteria. What was your favorite dish, did you come across flies, and what they looked like. Write about what breakfasts your classmates had, who had the coolest, and who had the worst breakfast. Remember what you talked about when you ate at school, and what you thought about.

Do you remember? If you are not flooded with thoughts and nostalgia from childhood, it doesn’t matter. School breakfasts are just an example. You can choose any other event. The main thing is to learn how to describe them to the last detail and understand that even seemingly in the smallest memories you can unearth a wonderful idea.

Creative crisis

For a writer, there can be nothing worse than these two words. The problem is that it cannot be avoided and every writer encounters it. He will certainly come. You will begin to re-read your last lines, ideas, stories and you will understand that this is complete crap. To make matters worse, your writer friend will be at peak productivity during this time, and he will spit out lyrics at the speed of a dope rabbit.

The best way to fight is to force-write. Create a ritual to write 300 words every day. Let it be a stream of thoughts, a memory, a letter to a loved one, or an angry tirade (just not about politics).

The real creative process takes place in the subconscious. Our inner writer sits there, and when he is ready to entrust you with the next chapter or plot move, he will do it. Until he does, write your 300 words and enjoy life.

Finding a voice

If you want to write like Bukowski, there will always be someone who does it better. For example, Bukowski.

It's very difficult to find your own voice. It is much easier to find your favorite author and copy it. It happened to me with music. I absolutely love John Frusciante (former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist), and instead of looking for my own style, I thoughtlessly imitated him for a while.

Here's what Lamotte says about this:

Don't be afraid to describe your own monster. I don't know if this will be news to you, but there is a monster in each of us, and they are all surprisingly similar to each other. We differ only in impressions. And we sin about the same thing.

Final lesson and conclusions

The last chapter of the book contains a lot of practical advice. I will list some of them:

• Write about childhood. About those times when the world was fresh and interesting, when you noticed so much.
• Write honestly and speak the truth.
• Show the reader the characters in full detail.
• Write boldly and don't be afraid of criticism.
• Share your artwork with friends and value their opinion.

And, in the end, write in order to pull out of yourself the stream of thoughts, which takes up so much space inside that it does not remain for anything else. Don't write for awards, five-figure royalties, and popularity. As the coach from the movie "Steep turns" said:

If you miss something without a medal, then you will miss something with a medal.

In Bird by Bird, you can find many useful tips and life situations that the writer encounters. No embellishments and lies. Most importantly, this book will help you finally decide whether you want to become a writer or not. And it depends on whether you are afraid of difficulties or not.