I recommend everyone to read Bird by Bird, so much so that I will make it into a tag.
Bird by Bird
If you want to write nice stories, its great, she gives you ideas and really pushes you to write honest and authentic things.
But even if you just want to write, its still a great book, lots of wisdom, and some parts made me laugh. Something I don't normally do when reading.
One of my favorite concepts she has is shitty first drafts. She says no one will read them so just write, and then take hopefully a good line or something useful from it. Maybe you learn from it that you shouldn't go in that direction, but when its complete you learn something.
I also like how she views it as such a process, you don't just write for the piece you are working on, thats not done, it will be done after you write a shitty first draft, re write a second draft and then maybe after someone edits it and you finally write a final draft.
In school they would force us to write things like this, but I didn't understand it so much then, why do I have to write this essay I don't want to write in the first place three times? Who is this for. I feel like I am understanding it now.
I believe it was our old writing buddy Tyler who told me about this book and so i checked it out.
I found the beginning mindblowing and fascinating... i felt so inspired. And then i just never went on to read the rest of the book.
I guess my reasoning at the time was that it gave me what i needed -- the permission to give myself permission to approach writing in this process oriented way.
And i've never felt the need or allure to visit such a source since.
I found the beginning mindblowing and fascinating... i felt so inspired. And then i just never went on to read the rest of the book.
I guess my reasoning at the time was that it gave me what i needed -- the permission to give myself permission to approach writing in this process oriented way.
And i've never felt the need or allure to visit such a source since.