One Bird at a Time...

This week I am reading a book called Bird by Bird , a great book for writer newbies like me. Anne Lamott, the author, takes a humorous (and sometimes serious) approach to the hair-pulling difficulties of being a writer. Ms. Lamott has experienced the blanks, blocks, and dazes that wannabes like myself have gone through and has provided advice for clearing the hurdles.


My question is how does she know me? Every time she describes a writing crisis, she has to be talking about me! The good news is she gives very insightful advice for overcoming the obstacles. Gotta love it. One of the best exercises in the book is the "one inch by one inch frame" approach. When you are staring at a blank sheet of paper, and by this time the paper looks to be poster sized, try to see your work through a 1" by 1" frame. I can do that! By concentrating on something I can do, I won't be obsessing about what I can't do.


So, for this week I have given myself three assignments: write a 200 word assignment for Prevention Magazine, a 1,000 word piece for Golf Digest, and this blog. Hooray! One down and two to go.