Ah, Bird by Bird. After many years of owning this book, I finally read through it, and I have very mixed feelings. Part of this may be heightened because, for longest time, I’ve heard Bird by Bird basically referred to as a Writer’s Bible. It was not this for me.

There were certainly moments of brilliance where I felt like Anne was bringing to light exactly what it feels like to be a writer, all the complicated feelings of magical intuition and crippling self-doubt. Talk of trusting in your characters to know themselves instead of forcing the plot onto them. Solid encouragement for facing writer’s block. But these moments were usually hidden in between Anne’s “instructions on writing”, which I rarely felt connected to.

I should take the time here to mention that I’m more Plotter than Pantser, and Bird by Bird is written about and for Pantsers. She tells you to just write with knowledge that you could throw out 90% of your first draft. This is not how I write in the slightest, so it was hard to relate to. But for a Plotter, I’m also more of an intuition/inspiration based writer. So, talk of reorganizing an entire book and other technical approaches to writing also didn’t work for me. Unfortunately, as I often have to deal with when reading writer’s tips, Bird by Bird emphasizes the force writing out every day even if you aren’t feeling it. This has never worked for me. It just leaves me with anxiety and a mess to edit later. None of these things are really the book’s fault. Anne’s approach to writing just doesn’t resonate with me. And that’s okay.

Bird by Bird often takes a humorous look at the writing journey. This can be enjoyable, but some of Anne’s jokes rub me the wrong way. The funny thing was that, in the first section of the book, I had trouble with the focus of the lessons but enjoyed the witty commentary around them. Then, in the second section of the book, I liked the idea of the lessons more, but she presented them in a very condescending way. For instance, she talks about natural approaches to clearing your mind and trusting your intuition, then apologizes saying, “Believe me, I hate natural solutions.” She’s putting down her own lessons just because they feel too out there and not “sharper, slicker” technical solutions. Several times in the book, she states her technical approach to a writing issue and “jokes” that if you don’t have to do it her way, then you aren’t a good person. Silly, but irritating. I find that Anne sometimes comes off as being a bit of an elitist when it comes to writing. But admittedly, those thoughts have been coloured partly by her online presence and not just the book, itself.

The opening and closing chapters of the book are the strongest, in my opinion. They are where Anne mostly sets aside the technical lessons and instead talks about how writing can enrich your life. Why it’s worth the effort whether you are ever published or recognized as an author or not. She talks about her writing journey. And that’s what resonates with me. I don’t need lessons on how to write; I’ve been writing for seventeen years. I need reminders that writing is meaningful and worth all the pain of cutting yourself open and letting your emotions spill out into words.

All in all, I still feel like Bird by Bird is a worthwhile read for most writers, especially those just starting out. Even if you discover more about what doesn’t work for you than what does. (Plotters, I’m talking to you.) At the very least, getting this book from your library and skimming through it should help you discover a few lines that make you think, “Hey, someone actually gets my goofy writer’s brain!” Some of those moments are truly magical. I just wish there were more of those moments for me.

Bird by Bird - Likewise Book Reviews

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