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Dario Dallalasta “Wry writing tips from a true master, filled with hilarious patter, poignant moments, and a treasure trove of good advice. I learned to get started with short assignments, write “shitty first drafts,” and denounce perfectionism (one of my major hindrances). She writes, “Perfectionism is a mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are the artist’s true friend.”

Ms. Lamott touches upon all kinds of subjects that writers find intriguing, such as writer’s block (and writer’s jealousy), the benefits of writing groups and conferences, the ups and downs of publishing, and finding your voice. I loved her writing voice – it was honest and clear-headed and self-deprecating and touching. There’s one very short story she includes that literally brought stinging tears to my eyes. I still to this day find such a feat to be a miraculous gift from a writer. I also loved this little instruction on writing and life: “There’s no point in writing hopeless novels. We all know we’re going to die; what’s important is the kind of men and women we are in the face of this.” Wise words, Ms. Lamott.

As writers, we tend to be navel-gazers, but the following tidbit really hit home with the selfishness of some of my writing: “Some of us tend to think that what we do and say and decide and write are cosmically important things. But they’re not.” After which she states, “If you don’t know which way to go, keep it simple.” Such good advice!

Finally, she advises that writing can bring you great pleasure in the midst of undeniable pain. And maybe, just maybe, you can write something that actually makes a difference: “Against all odds, you have put it down on paper, so that it won’t be lost. And who knows? Maybe what you’ve written will help others, will be a small part of the solution. You don’t even have to know how or in what way, but if you are writing the clearest, truest words you can find and doing the best you can to understand and communicate, this will shine on paper like its own little lighthouse.” I think it’s safe to say that now I want to be her best friend.”

Kindle Customer “Had to buy this for a college course in fiction writing. Honestly, she can’t even go most paragraphs without changing the subject halfway through. This makes the book awful to follow as far as absorbing specific pieces of information. Now I am judging this from the standpoint of it’s use in my class, a textbook. I can’t really judge how this is for just recreational reading.

I would say that as a writer she isn’t the most successful and there’s a lot of writing books out there from far more successful writers that are a lot clearer in their points with a much less annoying narration. If you have a choice I’d say buy those ones instead.

The biggest flaw I see is that basically, she writes to one type of book. The kind she writes. Books about people, with realistic settings, about life. So if you are a sci-fi writer, a fantasy writer, some romance writers etc, anything that’s not something like an urban coming of age novel, her advice isn’t always applicable when she’s talking about characters and plot and setting.

Bottom line, if you want a book that helps you become a better writer, get one written by a successful writer in the genre you write in or want to write in. Maybe that is Anne Lamott for you. For me it is not.”