Writer's block, an owner's guide: Bird by Bird (last time for now)
Done with the Anne Lamott book at last. It’s long, and without a wasted word.
I stand by what I said before. It happens to be about writing, and to be simultaneously authoritative and humble; go read it for that alone; but that’s not the point. The point is that the author is courageous in talking about fear and doubt.
And she is not the first to talk about those, but she is rare in how she talks about them. As I said before, she talks about them in simile and metaphor that tell the truth more brutally, more recognizably, more thank-goodness-I’m-not-the-only-crazy-one than most writers would dare.
Authenticity. The thing I strive for in the therapy office. A strength in a writer too.
I’d send this book to my daughter, a professionally published author, and I’d send it to my sister, a writer and recovering librarian, but I wouldn’t want them to think I was just sending them a how to write textbook. This is something else. This is a piece of writing.
And now - just as I said three days ago - let’s try to get back to the theme of the weblog.
Published on March 22, 2005 at 9:09 pm. Linking to this article? Thank you! The permanent address is http://www.todayiwrite.com/journal/bird-by-bird-last-time-for-now.html
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