Try free for 30 days
-
Bird by Bird
- Some Instructions on Writing and Life
- Narrated by: Susan Bennett
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $34.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also picked
-
Writing Down the Bones
- By: Natalie Goldberg
- Narrated by: Natalie Goldberg
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is a new collector's edition of this modern classic as you have never heard it before, read by Natalie Goldberg herself, and then infused with her most personal reflections about this "magic manual" for all writers. Try these ingenious, Zen-based exercises to expand your writing skills ¿ or just for fun.
-
-
A painfully boring reader.
- By Bernadette How on 02-05-2018
-
Word by Word
- By: Anne Lamott
- Narrated by: Anne Lamott
- Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Writing, like life, can be a difficult process, you just have to take it Word by Word. Provocative and witty, Lamott takes you beyond her book Bird by Bird and into her "writer's mind".
-
-
Words of wisdom on writing that make you laugh
- By mrs s garrett on 08-07-2021
-
Writing Tools (10th Anniversary Edition)
- 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer
- By: Roy Peter Clark
- Narrated by: Neil Kaplan
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten years ago, Roy Peter Clark, America's most influential writing teacher, whittled down almost 30 years of experience in journalism, writing, and teaching into a series of 50 short essays on different aspects of writing. In the past decade, Writing Tools has become a classic guidebook for novices and experts alike and remains one of the best loved books on writing available. This new edition includes five brand-new, never-before-shared tools.
-
-
Required Reading
- By Dee Cheers on 18-05-2021
-
It's Not a Bloody Trend
- Understanding Life as an ADHD Adult
- By: Kat Brown
- Narrated by: Kat Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once associated more with hyper boys than adults, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is now recognised as a condition in need of a rebrand which affects people of all genders and ages in a multitude of ways. In this enlightening and definitive layman's guide, Kat Brown cheerfully smashes the stereotypes with scientific evidence, historical context, and practical support for ADHD minds across areas that can cause problems, from finances and work to self-medicating, relationships, hormones and self-esteem.
-
Writing Your Story's Theme
- The Writer's Guide to Plotting Stories That Matter (Helping Writers Become Authors)
- By: K. M. Weiland
- Narrated by: Sonja Field
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Powerful themes are never incidental. They emerge from the conjunction of strong plots and resonant character arcs. This means you can learn to plan and implement theme. In doing so, you will deepen your ability to write not only stories that entertain, but also stories that stay with readers long after the end. Conscious mastery of theme will elevate every story you write and allow you to craft fiction of depth and meaning. Take control of your story via a powerful implementation of theme.
-
-
Clear and insightful
- By Anne Farrell on 17-09-2021
-
The Story Grid
- What Good Editors Know
- By: Shawn Coyne
- Narrated by: Dan Portnoy
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not. The Story Grid breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. And finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as the writing of the story itself (maybe even more difficult).
-
-
This might have changed my life...
- By Jacob Henwood on 29-10-2021
-
Writing Down the Bones
- By: Natalie Goldberg
- Narrated by: Natalie Goldberg
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is a new collector's edition of this modern classic as you have never heard it before, read by Natalie Goldberg herself, and then infused with her most personal reflections about this "magic manual" for all writers. Try these ingenious, Zen-based exercises to expand your writing skills ¿ or just for fun.
-
-
A painfully boring reader.
- By Bernadette How on 02-05-2018
-
Word by Word
- By: Anne Lamott
- Narrated by: Anne Lamott
- Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Writing, like life, can be a difficult process, you just have to take it Word by Word. Provocative and witty, Lamott takes you beyond her book Bird by Bird and into her "writer's mind".
-
-
Words of wisdom on writing that make you laugh
- By mrs s garrett on 08-07-2021
-
Writing Tools (10th Anniversary Edition)
- 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer
- By: Roy Peter Clark
- Narrated by: Neil Kaplan
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten years ago, Roy Peter Clark, America's most influential writing teacher, whittled down almost 30 years of experience in journalism, writing, and teaching into a series of 50 short essays on different aspects of writing. In the past decade, Writing Tools has become a classic guidebook for novices and experts alike and remains one of the best loved books on writing available. This new edition includes five brand-new, never-before-shared tools.
-
-
Required Reading
- By Dee Cheers on 18-05-2021
-
It's Not a Bloody Trend
- Understanding Life as an ADHD Adult
- By: Kat Brown
- Narrated by: Kat Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once associated more with hyper boys than adults, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is now recognised as a condition in need of a rebrand which affects people of all genders and ages in a multitude of ways. In this enlightening and definitive layman's guide, Kat Brown cheerfully smashes the stereotypes with scientific evidence, historical context, and practical support for ADHD minds across areas that can cause problems, from finances and work to self-medicating, relationships, hormones and self-esteem.
-
Writing Your Story's Theme
- The Writer's Guide to Plotting Stories That Matter (Helping Writers Become Authors)
- By: K. M. Weiland
- Narrated by: Sonja Field
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Powerful themes are never incidental. They emerge from the conjunction of strong plots and resonant character arcs. This means you can learn to plan and implement theme. In doing so, you will deepen your ability to write not only stories that entertain, but also stories that stay with readers long after the end. Conscious mastery of theme will elevate every story you write and allow you to craft fiction of depth and meaning. Take control of your story via a powerful implementation of theme.
-
-
Clear and insightful
- By Anne Farrell on 17-09-2021
-
The Story Grid
- What Good Editors Know
- By: Shawn Coyne
- Narrated by: Dan Portnoy
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not. The Story Grid breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. And finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as the writing of the story itself (maybe even more difficult).
-
-
This might have changed my life...
- By Jacob Henwood on 29-10-2021
-
Story Genius
- How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)
- By: Lisa Cron
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's every novelist's greatest fear: pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into writing hundreds of pages only to realize that their story has no sense of urgency, no internal logic, and so is a page-one rewrite. The prevailing wisdom in the writing community is that there are just two ways around this problem: pantsing (winging it) and plotting (focusing on the external plot).
-
-
Golden Nuggets Galore
- By Joshua on 10-04-2022
-
How to Write Best-Selling Fiction
- By: James Scott Bell, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: James Scott Bell
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most people think the way to write a best seller is to have a lot of talent and even more luck. As you will learn, there is a recipe for success, and luck may be the least important ingredient in creating a best seller. No one has cracked the code better than James Scott Bell. A best-selling author himself, and the author of the number-one best seller for writers, Plot & Structure, Mr. Bell has been teaching the principles of best-selling fiction for over 20 years, principles that apply to any genre or style.
-
-
Inspiring and filled with really practical tips
- By Liane Mills on 17-10-2023
-
Murder Your Darlings
- And Other Gentle Writing Advice from Aristotle to Zinsser
- By: Roy Peter Clark
- Narrated by: Jefferson Mays
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With so many excellent writing guides lining bookstore shelves, it can be hard to know where to look for the best advice. Should you go with Natalie Goldberg or Anne Lamott? Maybe William Zinsser or Stephen King would be more appropriate. Then again, what about the classics - Strunk and White, or even Aristotle himself? In Murder Your Darlings, Roy Peter Clark, who has been a beloved and revered writing teacher to children and Pulitzer Prize winners alike for more than 30 years, has compiled a remarkable collection of more than 100 of the best writing tips.
-
-
Not just a good book on writing, also, just a good book.
- By Maddy on 25-07-2020
-
Bird by Bird
- Some Instructions on Writing and Life
- By: Anne Lamott
- Narrated by: Anne Lamott
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For a quarter century, more than a million readers and listeners—scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities—have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom passed down from Anne’s father—also a writer—in the iconic passage that gives the book its title.
-
-
Lessons in how to live
- By Heidi Gibbeson on 13-03-2024
-
On Writing Well: Audio Collection
- By: William Zinsser
- Narrated by: William Zinsser
- Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This expanded audio collection presents William Zinsser's On Writing Well, the classic teaching book that has sold more than 1 million copies, together with a new 90-minute section that tells you how to write a memoir.
-
-
Clear, simple, brief and Human.
- By Amazon Customer on 14-11-2017
-
Save the Cat!
- The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
- By: Blake Snyder
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here's what started the phenomenon: This book has been a best seller for over 15 years and has been used by screenwriters around the world! Blake Snyder tells all in this fast, funny, and candid look inside the movie business. Save the Cat is just one of many ironclad rules for making your ideas more marketable and your script more satisfying.
-
-
Excellent
- By BillionaireManzi on 07-09-2020
-
Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story
- By: Angus Fletcher, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Angus Fletcher
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether you want to write your own scripts or simply gain a deeper appreciation for the great stories you see unfold on the screen, Professor Angus Fletcher is here to show you the way in Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story. Professor Fletcher, Professor of English and Film at The Ohio State University, brings both a personal and scholarly perspective to this craft. As a screenwriter himself, he has experienced the ins and outs of the process first-hand.
-
-
Learn about life, love & story on-screen!
- By Richard on 05-05-2018
-
Structuring Your Novel
- Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story
- By: K. M. Weiland
- Narrated by: Sonja Field
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why do some stories work and others don't? The answer is structure. In this IPPY and NIEA Award-winning guide from the author of the bestselling Outlining Your Novel, you will discover the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will help you to not only perfectly time your story's major events, but will also provide you with an unerring standard to use in evaluating your novel's pacing and progression.
-
-
Absolutely Amazing
- By treadmiller on 20-05-2018
-
The Elements of Style
- By: William Strunk Jr.
- Narrated by: James Reynolds
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book aims to give in brief space the principal requirements of plain English style. It aims to lighten the task of instructor and student by concentrating attention (in chapters 2 and 3) on a few essentials, the rules of usage, and principles of composition most commonly violated. In accordance with this plan it lays down three rules for the use of the comma, instead of a score or more, and one for the use of the semicolon, in the belief that these four rules provide for all the internal punctuation that is required by 19 sentences out of 20.
-
Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t
- And Other Tough-Love Truths to Make You a Better Writer
- By: Steven Pressfield
- Narrated by: Steven Pressfield
- Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There's a mantra real writers know but wannabe writers don’t. And the secret phrase is this: "Nobody wants to read your shit." Recognizing this painful truth is the first step in the writer's transformation from amateur to professional.
-
-
Amazing book for anyone serious about writing.
- By nigel on 21-10-2022
-
Writing for Emotional Impact
- Advanced Dramatic Techniques to Attract, Engage, and Fascinate the Reader from Beginning to End
- By: Karl Iglesias
- Narrated by: Karl Iglesias
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are three kinds of feelings when reading a story: boredom, interest, and wow! To become a successful writer, you must create the wow feeling on as many pages as possible, and this requires writing that engages the reader emotionally. In his best-selling book, screenwriter Karl Iglesias explored the working habits of A-list Hollywood scribes. Now, he breaks new ground by focusing on the psychology of the reader.
-
-
Clear. Comprehensive. Brilliant.
- By Anonymous User on 15-12-2020
-
Creating Character Arcs
- The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development
- By: K.M. Weiland
- Narrated by: Sonja Field
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you written a story with an exciting concept and interesting characters - but it just isn't grabbing the attention of readers or agents? It's time to look deeper into the story beats that create realistic and compelling character arcs. Internationally published, award-winning novelist K.M. Weiland shares her acclaimed method for achieving memorable and moving character arcs in every book you write.
-
-
it's good I guess but...
- By Anonymous User on 06-05-2023
Publisher's Summary
Bird by Bird is a modern classic - a funny and practical guide to being a writer by the New York Times best-selling author Anne Lamott.
Bird by Bird is the bible of writing guides - a wry, honest, down-to-earth book that has never stopped selling since it was first published in the United States in the 1990s. Best-selling novelist and memoirist Anne Lamott distils what she's learned over years of trial and error. Beautifully written, wise and immensely helpful, this is the book for all serious writers and writers-to-be.
For a quarter century, more than a million people - scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities - have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom passed down from Anne’s father - also a writer - in the iconic passage that gives the book its title:
'Thirty years ago, my older brother, who was 10 years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'
Critic Reviews
"A warm, generous and hilarious guide through the writer's world and its treacherous swamps." (Los Angeles Times)
"[A] classic of the genre.... The lessons she shares with her students...are refreshing." (Guardian)
"Deftly and honestly explores the mental challenges of being a writer, and Lamott's advice is, simply put, invaluable." (Bustle)
More from the same
What listeners say about Bird by Bird
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 03-01-2023
Love it
Funny, insightful and full of wisdom. As a writer I loved this book. Highly recommend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- mrs s garrett
- 07-04-2022
What a great way to get lost in life
Ann Lamott is funny, raw, vulnerable and sees life in words that are pictures themselves.
This is the most wonderful book on writing I have ever read and with so many applicable quotes that actually have an impact on how you think about yourself.
Words are our gift to all that come after us we need to leave these gifts behind if only for our sons and daughters to understand us fully.
I will read this over and over to absorb it like a sponge.
Thank you Ann Lamott.
And thank you Christine Kane for recommending we read more books like this.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sheepish
- 11-01-2023
Brilliant funny and informative
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book.
The narrator was excellent. You’d swear she wrote these words. I’m going to listen again because there is so much great advice for a would be writer like me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Helen
- 07-11-2021
Life changing
As an aspiring writer, I came across this book when I was researching books on the subject. Anne Lamott’s honesty and humour is life giving and so refreshing. It made me feel so inspired to write for writings sake. To tell of beautiful and painful things. This book is one I know I will listen to again and again. Laugh out loud funny at times, so rich in its depth and description of the human experience. I only just finished my first listen through, and I’m looking forward to starting it over again tomorrow. A treasure
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 18-03-2022
So many memorable and funny stories
Had a few good chuckles. The anecdotes are clever and hilarious ways to get a point across.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 01-11-2022
loved it so much, I listened to it twice
Loved it. interesting read - love the episodic writing, story telling, messages and humour. Excellent narration.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michael Coster
- 22-04-2023
Writer plainly hates writing.
This is beautifully written but heavily comprised of the writer complaining about how hard writing is, how it’s not very rewarding and how she doesn’t make much money. One to avoid .
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!