Bird by Bird
Some Instructions on Writing and Life
by Anne Lamott, Susan Bennett · first published 1994
84% recommend16% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Funny, encouraging writing advice from a teacher's view, urging daily writing and honest about the struggle to publish. Its lessons on perfectionism and motivation carry over to life, software and startups.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Anne Lamott gives her perspective on the art and work of writing. The title comes from a family story when her brother had to complete a report on birds. He put it off until the last minute and was overwhelmed. Her father counseled him saying they would take it, "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird."
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…write better, instead of patting you on the back and allowing you to tut-tut at those plebians who write things that are "outright barbarous". Pinker's The Sense of Style is one of those; Ann Lamott's Bird by Bird is another. There also exist much better (and more accurate and scientific) resources about how language actually affects the way we think about things. Benjamin Bergen's Louder than Words is an excellent…
on “George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language” (1946)” ↗…http://www.byliner.com ) 2. Read about writing. Some worthy books on this: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King (really!) The Practice of Writing, by David Lodge The Writing Life, by Annie Dillard Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction, by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd To Show and to Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction, by Phillip Lopate 3.…
on “Why I Left Medium” ↗…out of the woodwork to attack it. * Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace, Joseph Bizup * The Chicago Manual of Style (depending on what kind of writer you are, a different guide may suit you better) * Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott * On Writing, Stephen King
on “There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer” ↗I'm a recovering perfectionist who has read their fair share of Brene Brown, Steven Pressfield, Seth Godin, Tony Robbins, Anne Lamott, and many more. The best metaphors I've read is in Bird by Bird. The author describes two different scenarios. The first is that perfection & progress is much like driving late at night with headlights. You will only be able to see as far as your headlights allow.…
on “Unlearning perfectionism” ↗For working up the motivation to write I recommend "Bird by Bird" by Ann Lamont. http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp...
on “Joss Whedon's Top Writing Tips” ↗Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott is an amazing book about writing. It's funny, very helpful, inspiring, etc... http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp...
on “The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned” ↗Fantastic article. Love the Ann Lamott reference; read her book "Bird by Bird," from which the quote came; it really is great. Reading more into this article than "start with something and go from there" is reading too much.
on “The McDonald's Theory of Bad Ideas” ↗Often recommended, but Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and Stephen King's On Writing are both autobiographies wrapped in textbook sheepskin. Writing advice that may seem obvious or trite is then backed up with beautiful vignettes. Good writing is not necessarily…
on “Lessons Learned from “On Writing Well”” ↗_Bird by Bird_ by Anne Lamott http://amzn.com/0385480016 Good, interesting, book on writing from a writing teacher's POV. Useful if you want to read the truth about the struggle to get published. Also good for improving…
on “Ask HN: Good books for English writing?” ↗As for books on a similar topic I found Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird" both inspiring and enjoyable. Link: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Bird-by-Bird/Anne-Lamott/e/...
on “Jerry Seinfeld's Productivity Secret” ↗…OP) makes me happy to read, they're hilarious and glowingly warm books. Here are some recommendations from me in a similar vein, (non-fiction) books that positively influenced my outlook: - Lamott's Bird by Bird, it's reflections on how to be a writer, but the advice works on "living" and "working" in general - Werner Herzog - A Guide for the Perplexed: an updated long interview with Herzog on his life and his…
on “YC's 2015 Reading List” ↗My field (programming) has been well covered so I'll share books about my side-field, writing. - On Writing - Stephen King - Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott - Story - Robert McKee (screenwriting) - Do the work - Stephen Pressfield (he's more famous for The War of Art but I haven't actually read that one yet) Also there are some great blogs…
on “Ask HN: Which books are “must-read” for anyone trying to learn about your field?” ↗…you're asking this here leads me to believe there's some unknown (to me) internal resistance holding you back: start writing. Write some more. Then write some more. You might be interested in books like "Bird by Bird" (Lamott) or "Do the Work" (Pressman) etc. (I've read BbyB a few times, and am re-reading/-listening to DtW again as I plow through some drudge work that's necessary, but irritating.)
on “Ask HN: How to write a book?” ↗A wonderful book that's a little off the beaten path for HN is "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life," by Anne Lamott.
on “Ask HN: What are good resources for life advice?” ↗Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott Shoe Dog by Phil Knight Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
on “Ask HN: What are some good inspirational and uplifting books?” ↗