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Summary: Writing or Group Therapy?
Review: For writers? I don't think so. This hodge-podge of "how do I feel today" stuff is really for the weak of mind who can't handle the notion that writing is a craft, not a group therapy session. Most often, Lamott references movies, NOT BOOKS, to make the points that her insipid writing cannot capture.
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Summary: A Romp Through Anne Lamott's Writers Workshop
Review: If you've ever thought of signing up for one of those writers workshops with some successful wordcrafter but were put off by the price or the possibility of somebody asking, "What are YOU doing here?" this is your chance to do a test-run on what it might really be like.If Anne Lamott's workshops are anything like her book "Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing and Life," then whatever the cost - dollars or pride - it will be worth the price of admission. Lamotte is funny - poking fun at herself as well as doing a running, withering commentary on society and human nature. No thought is too important to permit a digression which is part of her style of writing (and speaking?). On the other hand, no thought is too trivial to put on a 3X5 card for possible intrusion (not a Freudian Slip, thank you!) in something she is writing or saying. Her philosophy of life and writing seems to be: If the shoe fits, it probably isn't yours, but wear it anyway. Whoever left it for you should have been more careful where they leave their shoes. Besides the fun, no there's nothing besides fun in life - except despair and you don't want to go there - the fun in no way takes anything away from Lamott's sound advice for writers, especially those with low self-esteem, poverty status, lack of writing skills, and nagging in-laws who wonder why you don't get a REAL job. Her practical advice includes: getting started (sit down everyday, same time, same place, quiet your mind, and start writing until you "get to that one long paragraph that was what you had in mind when you started, only you didn't know that, couldn't know that, until you got to it"); try doing short assignments ("...writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." E. L. Doctorow); developing characters ("Just don't pretend you know more about your characters than they do, because you don't. Stay open to them. It's teatime and all the dolls are at the table. Listen. It's that simple."); and plot (Plot grows out of character. If you focus on who the people in your story are, if you sit and write about two people you know and are getting to know better day by day, something is bound to happen."). One of my favorite chapters is "Broccoli" which begins with Mel Brooks' old routine in which a psychiatrist advises a patient, "Listen to your broccoli, and your broccoli will tell you how to eat it." Don't try to find out who that psychiatrist is - she's booked up 'til January 3000! Lamotte is affirming the shy attribute of intuition - trust it, tease it, test it, listen to it, get to know it. There is a gentle, tender, wondrous part of each of us that aches to be honored and invited to tea with our other toys, but like E.T., it has the right stuff to transform our lives and awaken the dolls. "Bird by Bird" offers the pat on the back and kick in the pants every aspiring writer needs. Lamott does not think everybody who writes should publish . But she does believe everybody who wants to write should do it! There are characters in each of us just waiting to enter the stage of our minds and come to life. So, what are you waiting for? Get started all ready! They may not wait for ever.
Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational!
Review: Thank you, Anne Lamott. You've written a wonderfully inspirational, funny book on writing. There are so many marginally helpful books on writing -- and I have many of them -- that seem to be written from the point of view that publishing is the most important aspect of writing. Anne Lamott tells us -- no! shows us! -- that it's doing the writing that we should love first. And she illustrates that point in so many beautiful ways.
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Summary: Either a Fan of Lamott - or Not
Review: If you love Lamott, you'll love this book. It's that simple. She gives a few practical tips, perhaps not as technical as some might like...but Bird by Bird is classic Lamott, which is enough for me.
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Summary: Instructions for therapists and writers
Review: I found this to be one of those books that touched my heart, mind and soul. As a therapist who writes about trauma, I have always found that literature adds to my understanding of people in a way that enhances my more traditional methods of learning. When I recently presented a scientific talk at a conference on trauma, I read an excerpt from this book that summed up for me the task of the therapist (though she was talking about writing). The audience loved it and many came to ask me about the book. This is a book I will treasure always.
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Summary: Outstanding advice for writing... and living
Review: Thank you, Anne Lamott! (I thought I was the only one; what a relief to know I've got such excellent company!) This is one of the best books I've ever read, and I plan to buy copies for everyone I care about. The bit (on page 23 in the paperback) about how she hopes doesn't get hit by a car before she writes the second draft is so accurate I got dizzy. It's shocking to see the comments that I hear in _my_ mind written on someone _else's_ page. And then to watch her debunk those fallacies with such humor and confidence! When/If I grow up, I want to be just like you, Anne.
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Summary: Still flies after all this time.
Review: I had to reread Anne Lamott's book to see what all the controversy was about. My theory is that those who dislike it wanted more instruction on "writing" and less on "life," or at least on life so different from their own. So they wanted a different book. The book I read and reread was the one I wanted. I already knew "how to" write; I was just having a dry spell--procrastinating and getting depressed. I wrote earlier about reading two books, Bird by Bird and Undoing Depression, on the advice of a therapist. Something clicked and I don't intend to overanalyze. If it works for me, I'll continue to use it.
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Summary: Well...
Review: Despite the vulgarity, I managed to stick with this book until she got around to mocking the reader about "the myth of publication." Hmmm--nice that myth came true for her. Just read that her next novel is getting a 1.2 million advance. I can't imagine that her students are really less talented. Buy Julia Cameron's books instead.
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Summary: You'd think she was Hitler
Review: It's really strange to see the degree of emnity some people have for Lamott. Her style of writing is unique, but for some reason it seems to hit some very raw nerves out there in literature land. As a writer, I found this book helpful, but more importantly hilarious and engaging, as opposed to dull how-to's that often serve as instructional material these days. Lamott is so willing to open herself to this sort of criticism with the level of honesty she exhibits, I hope she has a thick skin, I suspect she does. This book is a great read and reminds burgeoning writers not to take themselves too seriously, and that advice alone could salvage many efforts that would have otherwise fallen by the wayside. Anne has guts and I certain take my hat off to her. Lamott is an original and these days that is harder and harder to find.
Rating:
Summary: Strange but fascinating
Review: As the reviews below indicate, people have vastly different approaches to writing. My approach is nothing like Anne Lamott's -- in fact, from what I read in BIRD BY BIRD and some of her other books, she and I live in radically different worlds. However, the naked honesty and raw wit she brings to her writing are worthwhile and refreshing. Is this the greatest book ever on writing? Maybe not -- but it is a refreshing new approach to the subject, one that is intensely personal rather than analytical or academic. As a writer, I found this book very worthwhile -- but can fully understand how others were either confounded or even annoyed with it. This is not an instructional "how to" book. If you are willing to sit down with a quirky and sometimes bizarre personality and see if she can add to your perspective on writing, give this book a shot. I cannot say that BIRD BY BIRD changed my life, but it has made me re-evaluate my approach to writing - with very positive results.
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