Bird by Bird

Thankfully Writer's Digest this month included an interview with Anne Lamott promoting her latest novel, Imperfect Birds: A Novel.  I've only read two of Lamott's non-fiction books, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life and Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year both excellent.  


Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life is an outstanding writing instruction book.  It is both supporting and motivating.  There is also an element of "go-to-it" that can not be ignored.  The title of the book is based on some writing advice that Lamott's father gave to her brother who had waited until the last minute to write a report on birds.  "Bird by bird," her father advised, "bird by bird."


There are so many great quotes from the interview:
"The triumph is to hold a finished novel in your hand that's going to be published in four or five months and that it's not awful. The triumph is that it's not awful."


"The writing grows you up into the person you've always dreamt of being, and that's so amazing."


"Laughter is carbonated holiness."


"... [I]t really matters that they write.  It's very inconvenient when you start to say no [to other life obligations], but no is a complete statement, because from now on, hell or high water, I write for two hours a day.  It's absolutely the most important thing you can do ...."