Anne Lamott:
excerpts from Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life:
Short Assignments and Shitty First Drafts
Introduction:
Anne Lamott is famous in writing
circles for her sarcastic wit and her very popular books on the writing
process, on motherhood, religion and other topics. In Bird by
Bird, she writes about her experiences as a writer and a teacher
and offers some insights on managing a writing practice. The two
short excerpts provided here are, in Lamott's own words, "the two
single most helpful things I can tell you about writing".
Note: Your seminar grade will
be determined by the quantity of your responses (how many questions you
answer and how many other students you respond to) and the quality (how
well you demonstrate an understanding of the ideas you're responding to,
how detailed your responses are, how coherent and in-depth they are, etc.)
Directions:
1. Read the excerpts above.
2. Answer each of the following questions with at least one paragraph
each. Include at least one quote from Lamott's essay in your answers.
1. A Resonant Sentence: Choose one sentence or series of sentences from each section that applies to you, or
that you disagree with, or that you found interesting in some way.
Why does this part of the essay stand out for you? |
| 2. Your Reaction: People have mixed reactions to reading Lamott. Some really love her; others find her off-putting. What is your reaction to this reading assignment?
Did you like her writing style? Why or why not? |
| 3. Useful Advice: Do you find her suggestions helpful? Have you ever used these techniques in the past? How did they work? If not, do you think you might
use her advice in future writing projects? Why or why not? |
3. Submit your response to the link that reads Seminar 2 - Lamott, "Bird by Bird" (written).
4.
Post
your response to at least one of these questions to the Forums chamber
of the website by midnight, Wednesday, 1/29 (you choose which one/s you want to post).
5. Read all the other students' posts throughout the weeky
6. Respond to at least two other students' posts (more
is better). Remember: Responses should be substantial. You can't get full credit for simply summarizing someone else's ideas and agreeing with them. The idea is to add something to the conversation. You will have until midnight, Monday, 2/3, to
read and respond to the other students' ideas. |