Why people recommend it
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is a well-known guide on the writing craft and the creative process that offers practical advice alongside humorous personal anecdotes. On The Ezra Klein Show, Alex Bores recommended the book as a delightful read and a useful reminder for procrastinators to break down large tasks into manageable pieces. Matthew Hussey referenced the title on Modern Wisdom, comparing it to his own work and noting that it transcends mere writing advice to offer insights about life itself. On How I Write, Harlan Coben discussed the book, specifically highlighting its famous chapter on the necessity of writing a terrible first draft. David Perell also praised the work on the same podcast as one of the best books ever written about the craft. Anne Lamott herself appeared on How I Write to discuss her perspectives on writer's health, writer's block, and the three-draft structure detailed in her book. She also explained how she utilizes the principles from the text in her writing workshops to help students overcome procrastination, change their perspectives, and confront the psychological barriers that prevent them from putting words on the page. The book continues to be celebrated by authors and podcasters alike for its enduring wisdom, encouragement, and honest approach to creative struggles.
Who recommended it
- Anne Lamott Discussed
- Harlan Coben Discussed
- David Perell Discussed
- Alex Bores Recommended
- Ryan Holiday Discussed
- Brie Wolfson Discussed
- Matthew Hussey Recommended
Anne Lamott — 11 mentions
“Well, I wrote a lot about writer's block in Bird by Bird because I think it's a misnomer.”
“And I use that with all of my bird by bird writing workshops because it's about putting on a better pair of glasses and waking up.”
“And so the first thing I say to my bird by bird workshops is you got to stop not writing”
“With the first draft, you know, in Bird by Bird, I said there's three drafts.”
“Now, in bird by bird, this is before cell phones, I always had my students write carry a pen in their back pocket”
“I mean, we always in in good writing and in bird by bird, I always say, you know, write a ton of dialogue and then take most of it out.”
“The character, I wrote about this a lot in Bird by Bird. Um there's something at stake.”
“I've had a couple of books with a with the word bird in them imperfect birds and bird by bird”
“It's like there's a um chapter in Bird by Bird on Polaroids and it talks about how because when I was coming up and when I wrote Bird by Bird, we took Polaroids.”
“and the teacher got to hold up bird by bird and all that and I did my thing poopy first drafts and bird by bird and and all of that”
“She told her students this great formula that I I wrote about in Bird by Bird. It's AB Dce.”
Harlan Coben — 1 mention
“we were talking off thing about Ann Lamont's bird by bird. She has the great chapter called the shitty first draft that many people are familiar with.”
David Perell — 1 mention
“Annie Lamont is famous for writing bird by bird which is one of the best books ever written about the craft of writing”
Alex Bores — 1 mention
“And it's "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott, which is just a delightful read and is a good reminder for any procrastinators to just break down your work and do it bird by bird.”
Ryan Holiday — 1 mention
“it's like look if they wanted to come off better they I I forget who said this but um it's a who wrote Bird by bird oh Ann Lamont she was like if they wanted to come off better in your work they should have been nicer to you”
Brie Wolfson — 1 mention
“This is an anecdote I love from Bird by Bird where Anne Lamott will just, she sort of is absorbing her world and she keeps an index card of observations in her back pocket”
Matthew Hussey — 1 mention
“in the same way that I think of like you know an Lam's Bird by bird it's a book about writing that's kind of about life”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
- A Confederacy of Dunces
- A theory of justice
- An Elegant Puzzle
- Angle of repose
- Far Tortuga
- Help, Thanks, Wow
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“people forget that back before she did the Christian books back even before she did operating instructions and bird by bird her her writing manual”