Despite trying to be good about not binging on more books, I had to snag a copy of Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron when I saw the adorable kitty on the front cover. I remember hearing about Dewey somewhere else (which escapes me at the moment), but it wasn’t until I saw it within my grasp that I decided to pick up a copy. My reasoning was that I would read it after I finished the book of the moment. Unfortunately it didn’t take long for that plan to go straight to pot.

The book was sitting there, too close to me, calling out to me and those big kitty eyes on the front cover begged me to crack the spine and just read a little. How was I to resist? Well, I couldn’t. And a little bit turned into about six chapters. Quite frankly, those first six chapters were enough to get me to shelf my book of the moment so I can finish reading Dewey. I probably would have finished it last night if I didn’t actually need to sleep. Continue reading »

Reading: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Section: Getting Started and Short Assignments

Still light-hearted and full of wit, but also telling a sobering, yet all too familiar, tale of aspiring authors idealizing the writing profession.

The problem that comes up over and over again is that these people want to be published. They kind of want to write, but they really want to be published.

Anne reminds us (drills it into our subconscious, actually) that in order to become good writers, worthy of publication, we need to write well. With passion and determination. In bite size doses, of course.

…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 should, and said, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”

Wise words.

Sometimes we need to think small when we want to accomplish something big. Take it one small step at a time, and before you realize it, you’ll have the big picture sitting right in front of you.

Reading: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Section: Introduction

The last sentence of the acknowledgments is a hoot. With that out of the way, we can move on.

Anne Lamott is a very funny lady, and I’m not just saying that because she wrote it in her book either.

And if you can stop laughing long enough to read between the lines, you may even notice the hint of melancholy in her words.

I laughed, I cried, I reflected — all within the first few pages. At one point, I honestly began to wonder if she silently crept into my head while I was sleeping and pilfered some of my childhood memories.

What a wild ride lay within the pages of Bird by Bird.