Sam's Blog of Learning

      At about page 30 of Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird , she talks about bad first drafts. Many writers worry about having a strong first draft to base their writing off of. However, Lamott is able to help writers regain their confidence, and focus more on the writing. She tells that even professional writers have bad first drafts and feel bad about them. This helps writers of all skill levels come to the realization that they are not bad because their drafts are less than exemplary.       This affects me personally, because there have been many times where I scrap a piece of writing that I have worked hard on simply because I know it is bad. However, it would be more beneficial to save the writing to improve on. Also the fact that professional writers go through many rough drafts, and are often upset with them gives me hope for my writing.       I really enjoy Anne Lamott’s writing so far because she makes reading about writing somewhat fun. She makes plenty of jokes throughout her

     Today in Bird by Bird , Anne Lamott talks about broccoli. No, this isn’t literal broccoli. Anne Lamott’s broccoli is described as the instinctive inner voice that people get. This is often the feeling that someone gets when they are being lied to, but it is also connected to writing. Broccoli can be used to accurately describe a scene or character without using too much brain power.       I will use the information covered quite often, There are many times in my writing where I struggle to invision an accurate description of a scene, and too often I’m fighting my broccoli. If I were to let my broccoli work, then I would be able to accomplish more with less struggling.      This writing likely targets novice writers, as skilled writers should already be able to control their broccoli. It will help them learn to utilize their instincts.      I really like Lammot’s whole reference to the psychologist and his “broccoli”. It adds a fun tone throughout the passage, and it makes lea

On page 60 of Anne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird , she talks extensively about the importance of staging and set design in writing. She uses a large anecdote to effectively explain how she invisions scenes in her mind before she writes them. She tells about a time when she was writing about a scene with a garden, but she didn’t know much about gardening. She talks to other people to get help on explaining what is all in a garden. I really like Anne Lamott’s satirical style of writing that she uses in a few parts of this passage. For example, she talks about her struggle of keeping plants, and she rhetorically asks if the plant needs a psychiatrist. I agree with Lamott’s argument on how “set design” helps writers because many times I find myself wondering how I can make a scene more realistic. It is important to give details that are true in order to make a reader feel like they are truly inside of your writing.

In Anne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird, she tells a brief story of her life, and then mentions the use of many different writing techniques. This blog will only cover the first 30 pages. I enjoy how that the author includes an anecdote on her life. It answers any questions that the reader would have about why she got into writing, and her anecdote also adds to her qualification as a writer to give advice. It shows that she truly does have an experience in writing. I also like how the author encourages new writers to tell the truth. It seems that whenever I try to write a realistic piece of writing while lying I struggle. I will take this information with me after reading it to better my writing in that way. Lamott’s intended audience likely consists of students wishing to learn about writing. This piece could also be written for people that write on a more professional level, as the can take some of her advice.Overall, Anne Lamott’s first writing technique showed in the first 30 p

Writing with Voice There are many ways a writer can make their texts unique. In Henneke’s article, “How to Find your Writing Voice,” the author writes about how using a voice can differentiate one’s writing. For example, certain traits like enthusiasm can help keep one’s writing unique. Knowing more about writing with a voice, I will more likely have a different word choice depending on the occasion. For example, if I am writing party invitations to friends I will be more likely to use slang or other informal words. If I am writing a letter to my boss I will have a more formal voice. Formality is only one trait of many in a voice. The audience of this article is likely consisting of people who are trying to see how word choice affects writing, students learning more about writing, and similar authors. I like Henneke’s argument on how it can be appropriate to change your voice to appeal to different readers. For example, if you are writing an article about pain