Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott's style of writing is engaging and motivating. She discusses writing as though you were a student in her class. In addition to the elements of writing Anne (I feel we are on a first name basis) offers many ways to deal with the challenges of writing. She addresses writing from the heart and how to maintain the discipline needed to be a writer.

I appreciated Anne's insights into the writer's life. She gives many thoughtful examples of challenges writers face. She prepares you for what you might encounter and then offers advice on how to deal with the pitfalls as you trip, stumble and sometimes fall.

Bird By Bird is a blending of sound instruction and heartfelt guidance to apply to writing. I felt inspired and motivated to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Her writing style is engaging and reaches into the soul of the writer. She makes you believe you have something to say and that you should get it down on paper. Anne opens up her life to the reader and shows how to apply experiences and raw emotion to writing. Even the most reluctant writer can find something to grab onto in this book. If I were teaching writing to adults I would use this book as a text for the class. It's better than a morning cup of coffee to a tired or blocked writer. Bird By Bird inspired and gave me hope that

I, too, could find my voice.