Well, you are now most of the way through Bird by Bird. What is the best advice you have gotten from Anne Lamott and why do you think this piece of advice is important? How can your writing improve by putting this piece of advice to work?
Also, be sure to read and comment on what your friends are saying as this is a discussion...and it may very well be given a grade...just sayin.
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- Ms. Seastrum
- I support and applaud the individual standing up for his/her rights against oppression. I fight for Human Rights. Learn to think critically and read the world in which you live. Choose Freewill!
19 comments:
I believe that the best advice I have gotten from Anne Lamott is "Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts." pg. 25. I think this advice is important because you can't start out with a perfect piece of writing, you have to make mistakes and learn and get better at it. You learn more as you go along. It's gonna take a while before your paper is good. Your writing can improve after you put this piece of advice to work because you'll learn from what you did wrong and incorporate new ideas into your writing to make it better.
I agree with Seryna that all writings are not perfect on the first draft you must revise and make mistakes before you have a great final copy.... In Bird by Bird, written by Anne Lamott, the best advice I have gotten is that "writing motivates you to look closely at life as it lurches by and tramps around"(pg xii) This advice is important because most authors and writers illustrate novels by their life story or of experiences. This can improve your writing by putting a piece of your life/challenges and help others by your mistakes. (giving others advice by your mistakes you have done)
I agree with Melissa....you can give others advice by your mistakes you have done.
in the book the best piece of advice i got was "good writing is bout telling the truth." p.3 you have to agree or disagree about quotes
i agree with melissa that you learn from your mistakes
nick is also correct that "good writing is bout telling the truth"
when we did our regents exam we had to agree or disagree about a quote and expalin why.
"One of the gifts of being a writer is that it gives you an excuse to do things, to go places and explore." p.xii
As a writer you need to be able to write stuff and think of stuff when ever. You need to be flexible in the mindset. And can't be afraid to use your imagination.
John William Carlton 4th
i agree with melissa. by: billy carlton
"Good writing is about telling the truth" page 3 no one wants to hear about some perfect story of someone who has lived a good life, that would be against human nature, we want to hear about peoples pain and suffering. If that person turns out better for it that makes us feel good if it makes that persons life worse its a better read. The worse things get the more we want to read example someone goes off to war sees no action and comes back after his four years are up and comes back to his life in the states and lives happily ever after with his wife that stuck with him through the whole 4 years and is honored for his duties, vs a a man going off to war loses his best friend to friendly fire his wife gets pregnant 2 years after he has been gone and the child is not his, than he loses his left leg and his right arm from being tortured and he is on his way back to the states where he is ridaculed for even participating in the war, what would you rather read.
By: Paul Overturf
-good writing is telling the truth
-write everything u can think
-write bad first drafts
-second good drafts
-third terrific drafts
-perfection will ruin ur writing
-final drafts never perfect
-"readers eye"
write realstically and openley
"believe what ur saying
-write whats imporant too u
I think that the best advice from the book is that no one starts off with a golden book idea it develops over time. Even famous writers have trouble at first then with many changes become a great writer.
Great comments people! Just remember that there is always room for growth. And, that is what this year is about...growing as writers. You will write some really bad rough drafts. Revision is important. Keep going work at getting better. Tell the truth in your writing, even if you are writing about literature.
i think that the best advice that i got from Anne Lamott is "listen to your borcoli, and your brocoli will tell you how to eat it." pg 110. i think this is important advice because it says that when you don't know what to do or what a chracter should be like you can stop and listen quietly to that little voice in your head and it will guide you. when i sit down to write something it takes me awhile and if i tried this technique i feel that i will work at an accelerated pace but have a better quality of work too.
Another cool tip I learned from reading farther in "Bird by Bird" is "You have to get things quiet in your head so you can hear your characters and let them guide your story." pg 117 I sometimes have trouble getting myself concentrated when I have to write. My head has a bunch of ideas but its so confusing to pick one and stay on topic because my thoughts wander. It is a good idea to clear your head and make it quiet so then it's easier to concentrate on your writing and do a great job with it.
Another thing that i learned in bird by bird is a very interesting and truthful quote. "You dont always have to chop with the sword of truth, you can point with it, too." i think that this is very helpful when it comes to peer editing. Most people are very timid when it comes to peer editing because they are self concious of what other people will say but if the editors follow or "grade" with this quote in mind they can convert anti-peer editirs to "all right lets peer edit!"
After reading the book bird by bird I only learned to be truth about your writing, people giving you advice about your paper is not really sometimes good and that you can improve your writing if you read more and write more. -Melissa
the only good piece of advice i got from the whole book was to be honest in your writing. - Nick
Nick if that is the only thing you got out of then, you got a lot. Honesty in writing is so very important.
AJ the sword of truth in peer-editing as a pointer is also very important. I like the way you wrote about that in your comment. We don't have to rip our friend's papers to shreds nor should we...pointing out ways to help them improve their papers is what peer editing is all about after all.
I wanted to point out that the author didn't specifically touch upon the quote said by her father a lot. He said "take it bird by bird" and i figured that she would touch upon this a little more since it is the title of her book, maybe she could have mentioned it more.
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