Bird by Bird
The title comes from a memory of Anne Lamott's brother, overwhelmed by a school report on birds the night before it was due, and their father's advice: just take it bird by bird. Lamott uses that line as the spine of a book that is part writing manual, part memoir, part survival guide. She is honest about self-doubt, perfectionism, jealousy, and the messy first drafts every writer has to push through, and she is very funny about all of it. Even readers who never plan to write a book find encouragement here for facing any big, scary task. Tim Ferriss has called it one of his absolute favorites and a book he gifts to everybody.
What you might want to know about Bird by Bird
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Anne Lamott's funny, honest guide to writing and to life, built around the advice to take any overwhelming task bird by bird.
No. It is framed around writing, but Anne Lamott's advice on facing fear, perfectionism, and overwhelming tasks speaks to anyone, which is part of why Tim Ferriss gifts it so widely.
It comes from advice Anne Lamott's father gave her brother, who was overwhelmed by a report on birds: take it bird by bird, one piece at a time.
Bird by Bird was written by Anne Lamott, published in 1994 by Anchor Books.
Bird by Bird is 256 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Bird by Bird takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
Bird by Bird is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.