September Book Club Selection
Bird by Bird, By Anne Lamott
Reviewed by Dom
I usually receive a handful of emails each month from Dom and Jane listeners who have a burning desire to write. The questions usually deal with the publishing end of the business, but let’s face it: you gotta write it before someone will buy it.
There are a handful of books about the writing process that I can sincerely recommend. One of those is Stephen King’s “On Writing,” and another is this month’s Dom and Jane Book Club selection.
Anne Lamott has a pretty loyal following, many from her autobiographical essays (and believe me, she’s had a life that could fill several volumes), many from her novels (which are among the most poignant that you’ll read), as well as her columns in magazines and newspapers.
But it’s this volume, her thoughts on the art of writing, that I believe really stands out. In fact, the subtitle tells it all: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. …
Anyone who has stared at an empty page, willing it to fill up with the most outstanding prose of all time, will understand where Anne’s coming from. She deals with first drafts that are garbage (a necessary evil, by the way), the terror of writer’s block, and the heartbreak of publishing rejection. But you learn; boy, do you learn.
And, to top it off, she’s funny. I think every would-be writer needs to be able to laugh along the way. It’s refreshing to hear a no-nonsense writer shoot straight about the joy and the pain that a pursuit of writing creates. If you pick up this book for yourself, you’ll write to me in about two weeks, thanking me. If you grab it for someone you know, someone who longs to write well and successfully, then you’ll hear from them in a couple of weeks, thanking you.
One quick warning, however: This book is geared toward mature audiences, simply because of the language. Keep that in mind if you’re thinking about getting this for a teen in your household who is interested in writing. In some respects I wish she hadn’t done that…but it doesn’t detract from the terrific information and insights that she shares.
So here’s the plan: get the book, read it, mark it up with highlighter, find your comfy place, and keep your butt in the seat each day until you create SOMETHING. Got it? Good.
Of course, it’s on sale right now for 20% off at all three locations of The Tattered Cover Book Store! Just ask for the Dom and Jane Book Club.