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Writing

What I Learned About Writing from Ann Lamott’s Bird by Bird

When I first picked up Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to get out of it. Lamott writes about fiction and memoir, about the kind of writing that draws on personal memory, deep emotional truths, and a close relationship with storytelling. I don’t typically write that way. My writing tends to be more analytical—I like ideas, structure, context. I try to make sense of the world through observation and reasoning rather than plumbing the depths of my childhood.

Still, the book came so highly recommended, and so persistently, that I figured I’d give it a try.

Categories
Writing

Why I Write

Someone recently asked me, “Why do you write this blog?” As I didn’t have an answer ready at hand, I figured I’d write it out on this blog.

I’ve always viewed blogging as my own personal publishing platform, putting out my best material to the world. This might come from my history as a magazine writer. I want to avoid writing for an imaginary audience who maybe isn’t as smart or curious as I’d hoped. So instead, it’s written it for me and for my friends. And by “friends” it’s everyone from the people I live with to the people who just like what I write online.