Bird by Bird VI: The Bird Awakens

Today in Anne Lamott's ¨Bird by Bird¨, she talks about publication. Lamott mentions that many people believe publication is a very relieving time for a writer, but she argues differently. Publication is a very stressful process, and it is important that new writers know this.

To Lamott, publishing is the most stressful part of her job, and she wants to make sure that no one gets discouraged when the part of writing their most excited about becomes the part they hate. She can't stress enough that the process of publication is filled with anxiety. Anne recognizes that there are some authors out there that, as soon as they send their paper to an editor, are able to hop right back in to writing their next story, but this is not the majority of writers.

According to Lamott, it is important to stay as relaxed as possible during all of the steps of publication. Anne is an example of what not to do. She worries that her paper didn't get to the editor during shipping, worries that the editor won't accept her work, worries that her agent won't agree to the work, worries that the corrections aren't enough, worries that the typos make her seem like an, ¨ignorant racist,¨ etc.

This section of ¨Bird by Bird¨ targets the more seasoned writers, as they are about to publish something. This part of the book helps me understand that, if I do one day decide to publish a book, I shouldn't worry too much about the process of publication. Overall, publication can be a intimidating part of the writing process, but it shouldn't stop anyone from trying.

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