Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

ACTIVITY 1: “Following Lamott’s Advice”

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of Lamott’s ideas about writing by writing a short piece using the process she advocates and then reflecting on the experience.

For this activity, write a short piece of fiction or nonfiction following Lamott’s advice about writing as you understand it. Then, write a brief reflection on the experience of following Lamott’s advice.

Create a Summary of Lamott’s Advice

Review Bird by Bird and make a list of advice Lamott gives about the writing process. Order this advice chronologically, according to when you would actually use each piece of advice as you worked on a piece of writing.

Write Your Piece

Using the process you have outlined above, write 750-1000 words of fiction or nonfiction, in any prose genre that you like. (This does not have to be a complete piece of writing with a beginning, middle and end; it can be a section of an imagined longer piece of writing.)

Reflect on the Experience

Answer the following questions in a few sentences each:

1. What, if anything, was different about your writing process this time, as compared to your usual process before reading Lamott’s book?

2. Based on your experience using Lamott’s process, would you recommend it to another writer? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: Although the second and third sections of this activity are best completed individually, the first section can be completed individually, with a partner, in small groups, or as a whole class. If students will be completing both Activity 1 and Activity 2, it may be helpful to them to complete this activity first; having practical experience trying to follow Lamott’s writing advice will enrich their thinking about the second activity as they try to compare her advice to another writer’s advice.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who have perfectionism, anxiety, and other conditions that impact efficient decision-making may benefit from strategies for the open-ended nature of the “Write Your Piece” section of this assignment. A few writing prompts prepared ahead of time might be helpful for these students. For students with reading fluency, organizational, or attentional learning differences, it might be helpful to complete the required review of the text to complete the “Create a Summary of Lamott’s Advice” section of the activity in class, as students work with a partner or small group.

ACTIVITY 2: “Comparing Ideas About Writing”

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of Lamott’s ideas about writing by comparing and contrasting them with an academic writer’s ideas.

In this activity, you will read an academic writer’s thoughts about learning to write well, then compare and contrast these ideas with the advice in Lamott’s Bird by Bird. You will share your conclusions in a brief visual presentation with your peers.

Gather Information and Compare Sources

• Read the essay you are assigned from the West Virginia University textbook Bad Ideas About Writing.
• Review Lamott’s Bird by Bird and take note of where the two sources are similar and where they differ.

Create and Share a Presentation

Create a presentation using an online tool for slideshows or visual aids. Aim for a brief presentation (2-3 minutes in length); it should include:

• Text that succinctly summarizes ideas from both sources, comments on their similarities and differences, and offers a conclusion about the merits of each.
• Original graphic elements that effectively communicate the similarities and differences.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity can be completed individually or with a partner or small group. Compile a selection of essays from Bad Ideas About Writing that are most relevant to your students; the first four sections of the book are the most relevant to Lamott’s book. For a high school course, each student might present a different essay to the class. For a college-level course with a larger enrollment, students might work with a partner or small group so that there are enough essays for each. Students might present to small groups rather than to the entire class. Students will need individual internet access in order to complete the assignment as written; if this is not possible in your classroom, the assignment directions can be amended to promote a presentation using physical materials; students can use physical copies of the relevant chapters from the textbook.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with visual limitations may not be able to complete the assignment as written. A reasonable alternative would be to ask these students to write a brief compare-and-contrast essay on the two sources. Students with spatial reasoning learning differences may benefit from a strategy for creating graphics that convey similarities and differences effectively; working with a partner or small group may be helpful. A whole-class review of Lamott’s main ideas prior to beginning work on the assignment may be helpful for those who benefit from strategies for reading fluency or attentional learning differences.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Lamott is open with the reader about the relationship of grief and addiction to her practice of writing.

• How does Lamott’s own writing about grief and addiction in Bird by Bird illustrate her idea that writing can be A Comfort to the Self and Others? (topic sentence)
• Select, analyze, and discuss at least 3 examples of passages from the text that support your interpretation.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, comment on the potential drawbacks of such an approach and offer an opinion about whether, on balance, Lamott’s openness about grief and addiction is a helpful aspect of this text.

2. Much of Lamott’s advice is targeted at writing fiction.

• Does Bird by Bird contain enough general advice about The Practical Craft of Writing to make it useful to people who write in genres other than fiction? (topic sentence)
• Analyze and discuss at least 3 examples of ideas from the text that support your opinion. These can be pieces of specific advice, personal anecdotes, or other elements.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate the effectiveness of the balance between general writing advice and advice specific to writing fiction.

3. Lamott often exhorts the reader to be present and mindful.

• What does Lamott’s definition of “mindfulness” seem to be, and why does she believe it has value as a tool for writing and life? (topic sentence)
• Select at least 3 examples from the text that support your interpretation of Lamott’s definition of mindfulness and her beliefs about its value. Analyze and discuss each example in support of your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, judge the overall extent to which her discussions of mindfulness do or do not contribute to Bird by Bird’s value as a writing manual.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Lamott’s writing is full of analogies, metaphors, and other comparisons. Do these take up too much space in the book, or do they contribute meaningfully to its approachable tone and explain ideas that need clarification? What is Lamott’s philosophy about using such comparisons, and do you agree that this is what her own comparisons accomplish? Write a 3- or 5- paragraph evaluation of Lamott’s use of comparisons in Bird by Bird. Comment on whether her frequent use of comparisons makes you more or less likely to trust her advice on The Practical Craft of Writing. Support your assertions with both quoted and paraphrased evidence drawn from throughout the book, making sure to cite all quoted material.

2. Although Lamott’s book is intended as a writing manual, it also expresses many of her personal values. What are her beliefs about the value of writing? What does she consider “good” writing, and how does this relate to her beliefs about the value of reading? How do her personal anecdotes and authorial intrusions convey values about subjects other than writing--spiritual beliefs, ideas about how to live well, and so on? In a 5-paragraph essay, write an analysis of the implicit and explicit values conveyed alongside the writing advice in Bird by Bird. Show how Lamott’s beliefs about The Practical Craft of Writing are intertwined with thematic motifs such as Writing as a Comfort to the Self and Others, and Mindfulness as a Tool for Writing and Life. Support your assertions with both quoted and paraphrased evidence drawn from throughout the book, making sure to cite all quoted material.

3. Lamott urges writers to tackle projects “bird by bird.” To what extent does this advice apply to areas of life aside from writing? What other advice does Lamott give—about mindfulness, compassion, accepting help from others, and so on--that applies generally to life, not just to writing? Write a brief, structured  essay in which you evaluate Bird by Bird as a manual not for writing, but for living a full and contented life. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the book, making sure to cite any quoted material.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. To which of the following does Lamott frequently compare the practice of writing?

A) Wading through a swamp

B) Having a vivid, ongoing dream

C) Staring through a window at nothing

D) Having a long conversation with a loved one

2. Which command does Lamott frequently repeat throughout the book?

A) Relax

B) Think

C) Look

D) Listen

3. Which is not a piece of writing advice Lamott would agree with?

A) If you are struggling to find the right way to say something, take a break and come back to your writing when you are fresh.

B) Allow yourself to use your first draft to find exactly what you want to write about, and don’t worry about carefully structuring it.

C) Find a productive way to deal with your inner critic so that it doesn’t interfere with the flow of your writing.

D) Instead of focusing on the big picture, focus your energy and attention on one small section of work at a time.

4. Which word best summarizes Lamott’s characterization of the writing process?

A) Surender

B) Conquest

C) Discovery

D) Revelation

5. Which two states does Lamott argue must alternate during the writing and editing process?

A) Complete faith in oneself should alternate with critical dispassion.

B) Critical dispassion should alternate with prayer and ritual.

C) Prayer and ritual should alternate with moral reflection.

D) Moral reflection should alternate with complete faith in oneself.

6. Which of the following statements would Lamott be least likely to agree with?

A) Writing can be an act of self-care.

B) Being published is the most rewarding part of writing.

C) It is natural to feel jealousy of other writers.

D) Writing involves both creation and destruction.

7. To which art form does Lamott compare writing several times throughout the book?

A) Music

B) Sculpture

C) Dance

D) Collage

8. Which piece of advice might Lamott be most likely to update in a contemporary edition of this book?

A) Her advice about first drafts

B) Her advice about the inner critic

C) Her advice about conducting research

D) Her advice about mindfulness

9. Which most accurately characterizes the content of Lamott’s book?

A) It primarily focuses on theoretical ideas rather than offering step-by-step advice.

B) It primarily focuses on style, offering prescriptive advice about grammar and rhetoric.

C) It is a mixture of advice about publishing with encouragement for beginning writers.

D) It is a mixture of the philosophical with concrete, actionable advice.

10. Which of the following would Lamott be least likely to recommend?

A) Taking frequent notes on life experiences

B) Giving up on stories that are clearly not working

C) Working on your writing every day

D) Joining a writing group to get feedback

11. According to Lamott, what larger category connects the ideas of “finding your voice,” “giving,” and “publication”?

A) These are legitimate purposes for writing.

B) These are different stages in the writing process.

C) These are potential benefits of copious reading.

D) These are outcomes a writer has little control over.

12. What does Lamott believe about sharing personal and private experiences in writing?

A) Sharing these experiences should be avoided because they unnecessarily burden a reader.

B) These experiences, paradoxically, are the most universal and should be shared.

C) Sharing these experiences should be avoided in order to avoid violating others’ privacy.

D) These experiences help a reader understand an author and are necessary for good writing.

13. Which feeling does Lamott search for, as described throughout the text?

A) Being chosen

B) Being respected

C) Being loved

D) Being okay

14. Who arguably had the greatest influence on Lamott becoming a writer?

A) Her father

B) Pammy

C) Rankin

D) Carpenter

15. Which animal does Lamott compare writers to?

A) Goat

B) Bat

C) Sloth

D) Parrot

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Why does Lamott argue that writers must be self-aware?

2. What connection does Lamott see between mindfulness, pain, and writing well?