Bird by Bird - Some instructions on writing and life (book summary) | Anne Lamott
““Your parents and grandparents will be shouting “Don’t do it, don’t sit down, don’t sit down!”, and you’ll have to do what you did as a kid—shut them out and get on with finding out about life.””
Bird by Bird is a book that delivers on its promise: instructions on writing and life. It is almost more instructions on life than writing itself, I would argue. Many of the concepts shared by Anne Lamott in the book are principles for life, that also apply to writing.
At the foundations of the book there is the belief that writing means staying in touch with the unspoiled child version of yourself and explore life through writing. The most challenging part is to get in touch with the inner child, because if you are an adult, chances are you have been suppressing the instinctual child within you for a long time.
“Writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself, getting some work done, then unhypnotizing yourself and going over the material coldly.”
The job of a writer is to cut through the fog that surrounds our lives and describe the reality of things as they truly are. When you shine light on the truth as it is, readers may experience a sense of wonder. They can recognize for a moment the essential reality behind the words, and notice their suppressed inner child light up.
“Life is like a recycling center, where all the concerns and dramas of humankind get recycled back and forth across the universe. But what you have to offer is your own sensibility, maybe your own sense of humor or insider pathos or meaning.”
At its core, writing is about hosting people in their journey through exploring themselves and their life. And being a host is one of the most fulfilling feelings for human beings, according to Lamott.
“Becoming a writer is about becoming conscious. When you’re conscious and writing from a place of insight and simplicity and real caring about the truth, you have the ability to throw the lights on for your reader. He or she will recognize his or her life and truth in what you say, in the pictures you have painted, and this decreases the terrible sense of isolation that we have all had too much of.”
