Bird by Bird
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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31recommend
40mentions
37people
2009–2026years
85% recommend15% neutral
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What Hacker News says
- On the subject, I cannot recommend enough Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott & On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Stephen King. Two exceptional books.
- > Maybe there’s still value in writing for its own sake?
I just finished Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and it has a meaningful response to this.
“I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope to get published that publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. The thing you had to force yourself to do—the actual act of writing—turns out to be the best part. It’s like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward.”
For me, writing is like tidying up a messy room. When the clutter is gone, I can think more clearly and focus on new ideas, so I believe there is still a lot of value in writing without worrying about readers.
- The Soul Of A New Machine, by Tracy Kidder - The history of computing fascinates me, and this is one of my favorite books on the topic.
Hackers, by Steven Levy - Again, computing history, and especially relevant to me because I started personal computing in the mid-80s and like reading about the stuff I missed. Levy is always fun to read. There are a lot of good books on the microcomputer revolution, this one is just my favorite.
Bird By Bird, by Anne Lamott - It's not just a book about writing, but a book about living. Lamott is a born storyteller, and every one of her non-fiction books is inspiring and highly readable.
On Writing, by Stephen King - I am not a King fan. The only fiction piece he's written I come back to is The Stand. But the story of how he became a writer, and his life as a writer, gives me hope for my own writing. And his advice is valuable; even if I don't like his books, I can't argue with his success.
- I've found that a lot of people like Paul Kalanithi's writing style in "When Breath Becomes Air". Not the happiest, but people like it.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is also well-written.
Some people say "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance" is very well-written, but I disagree heavily, it sucks.
"The Little Prince" is well-written, even if it's a children's book.
Kurt Vonnegut writes well.
You can't go wrong with The Western Canon.
Charles Fort, if you can decipher him.
E.O. Wilson, "Anthill" and "Biophilia"
Freeman Dyson, "A Many-Colored Glass"
Annie Dillard, "Holy the Firm"
Ray Bradbury, "The Martian Chronicles"
Douglas Coupland, "Kitten Clone". His writing style felt unique to me.
- Bird By Bird is required reading for aspiring writers in a lot of writing programs. I haven't read it in a long time, but in talking with some people recently, the advice has stood the test of time and is still highly recommended.
- This book (Bird by Bird) is one of my favorites; recognized it immediately from the submission title. I've long said to folks that much of her advice in Bird by Bird is applicable to software, agility, and entrepreneurship.
Others that come to mind from the book: her writing on "one-inch picture frames" and on "radio station KFKT", which I found to be very helpful around imposter syndrome.
It's a very entertaining (and easy!) read packed with a lot of advice that I've found more useful over time than I imagined. Recommend picking it up if you're looking to meander a little in your reading. It's a good journey.
