Most of my adult life has been given to the discipline of communication in one form or another. The form varies from public speaking to writing and all points in between. I recently read an interesting volume by Anne Lamott about the latter. I'd like to spend the next few posts highlighting some of Lamott's great advice.
Lamott 's book, Bird By Bird, is the intersection between autobiography and "how to" when it comes to writing. She draws much from her own life experience as she coaches young writers. In fact, the title of this book was the advice that her father gave to her brother (age 10), when he had procrastinated on a writing assignment. In describing birds, simply write"bird by bird." Tell one story, relate one incident, explain the uniqueness of each subject one at a time. Good advice.
Relating that her father was a writer, she shared this lesson, "writing taught my father to pay attention; my father in turn taught other people to pay attention then write down their thoughts and observations.” This is good advice for anyone desiring to communicate.
About her own journey, she explained, "all I ever wanted was to belong, to wear the hat of belonging.” She found that hat by being a writer and following in her father's footsteps, both as a writer and a teacher of writers.
Two further lessons she learned from her dad were: "make a commitment to finish things" and be an encourager. This she learned through his example. She notes, "I did not give up, largely because of my father's faith in me.”
She wraps up her introduction by noting, "What follows in this book is what I've learned along the way, what I pass along to each new batch of students.”
I am intrigued by the fact that what she received she is now passing on to others. She relates her gratitude for what she has learned and expresses it by repeating the process. What a great life lesson. Next time, I'll delve into some of her insights concerning the discipline of writing.
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