Bird by bird by Anne Lamott

‘Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.’

I found it very hard to pick a quote as I LOVED every single line in this book. 

It is part memoir, part an instructional manual for new (or old) writers. 

Anne Lamott paints such a vivid picture of her life while, at the same time, allowing us to imagine it could be our life.

It’s part serious (and very deep) and part hilarious, making fun of her own foibles and crisis moments. My favourite combination. If I could choose a style in which to write, this is the one I would choose. 

‘It’s funny: I always imagined when I was a kid that adults had some kind of inner toolbox full of shiny tools: the saw of discernment, the hammer of wisdom, the sandpaper of patience. But then when I grew up I found that life handed you these rusty bent old tools – friendships, prayer, conscience, honesty – and said ‘do the best you can with these, they will have to do.’ And mostly, against all odds, they do.’

The Writers’ Journal is brimming with beautiful poems, interesting memoirs and engrossing short stories. And I’m lucky enough that my story ‘Gone’ is featured in this edition, titled ‘Live and Learn.’ It is ava
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