Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Reviewed Date: March 29th, 2023

I love writing. When I sit down to write, I feel more alive, and a smile spreads over my lips as my thoughts are being translated into words and begin to appear on the paper. I wrote my first book to see whether I could write a full-length novel or not. I had one short story experience before committing to writing a book.

It was an exhilarating experience. I wasn’t focused on whether it would sell or not; I was engrossed in the writing process, treating characters as real people, imagining unusual scenes, editing dialogues, removing unwanted chapters, and so on. It was the experience that made me feel I was on top of the world.

I considered my first book as merely an experiment, and I thought most people weren’t interested in reading it. Surprisingly, close to 300 people have read it. They gave me the confidence that there is an audience for my stories. That confidence no one can take away from me.

Bird by Bird is a good book that teaches how to write fiction. Shockingly, I knew most of the techniques the author talked about even before writing a book (if you read good books, you will unconsciously pick up the structure and plot ideas). But I personally related to the author in several aspects. It made me feel I wasn’t alone in this.

If you want to be a writer, I recommend this book. Even if you know writing techniques, give it a read. It contours foggy thoughts.