Bird by Bird

by Anne Lamott

Recommended in 17 interviews and reading lists

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Who recommends it

1. Daniel PinkInterview

   Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott — A guide to writing that’s really a guide to living.

2. Ayesha Harruna AttahInterview
3. A.J. JacobsInterview

   Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is a good motivational one for writers. Statistics for Dummies by Deborah J. Rumsey, because I think non-fiction writers and journalists need to be much smarter about statistics (including me). And maybe a Tom Wolfe book (e.g. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test) because he’s so good at…

4. Joanna PennInterview

   Always read in the genre you want to write in. You can’t satisfy readers of the genre otherwise. In terms of books for writers, then Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

5. Benjamin SpallInterview

   Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott is a masterpiece and a must-read for all aspiring writers. It took me several years after hearing about the book to actually read it which, as is often the case, was a mistake.

6. Melissa KirschInterview

   The Forest for The Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, The Situation and the Story by Vivian Gornick. They’re all about how to write, how to be edited and how to give and get feedback.

7. Melissa RagsdaleInterview

   I definitely think every writer needs to read Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. It’s filled with wisdom and encouragement that will make you a better writer/human. Lamott’s advice to take everything “bird by bird” (meaning: one piece at a time, is something I inevitably tell myself every day. Also, The Art of Asking by…

8. Lauren K. DentonInterview

   If you’re talking about how-to books, I don’t think there’s necessarily any required reading. I started writing fiction with absolutely no training or guidelines whatsoever. Only when I realized writing novels was what I really wanted to do did I start to look for books about writing. One of the first ones I read that…

9. Scott MetzgerInterview

   Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. This book immediately comes to mind because I read it a couple of years after I graduated from college. The advice she gives about writing and life is invaluable. I still think of some of the things she says in that book.

10. Scott StabileInterview

    Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is a wonderful guide to writing (and life) for all writers (and people). Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert helps creatives establish a different relationship will all the fear that keeps them from being free in their creativity. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron offers a practical, daily…

11. Denise LandisInterview

    I’d say read Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin (she was also a novelist) and M.F.K. Fisher’s essays to learn how to write a memoir with a relaxed narrative. Read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott for inspiration and lessons on how to tackle a big project. There are many fine writers of the past and…

12. Ryan HolidayInterview

    Which path is that? I’m on a few. As a writer, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Cyril Connolly. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Cheryl Strayed. Austin Kleon. Mastery by Robert Greene. Business? Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. Purple Cow by Seth Godin. Paul Graham’s essays. Zero to One by Peter…

13. Maxine HelfmanInterview

    The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Photowisdom by Lewis Blackwell; they’re good places to take a pause as I go forward. I’ve also re-read Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott.

14. Susan AndersenInterview

    I’m a seat of the pants writer, so I don’t have any must read how-tos. I have friends who swear by The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler or Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, but they didn’t come close to giving me the old cartoon light-bulb-over-the-head moment. What I do think is important is doing your research, and…

15. Trista MateerInterview

    The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer, On Writing by Stephen King, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott,

16. Laura McKowenInterview

    On Writing by Stephen King – he tells the truth about what it’s like to be a writer and offers the best practical advice I’ve found. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott – she’s funny, humble, and honest (plus she’s in recovery and I resonate with that). And Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke – simply profound and…

17. Dr. Jill Bolte TaylorInterview

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