Embracing Imperfection in Writing

Over the summer, I binge-watched Ted Lasso, the hit Apple TV series. If you haven’t seen it — I highly recommend it. It’s a remarkably written, feel-good show with many literary Easter Eggs. Some are hidden, others are in full view. The list of Ted Lasso’s Recommended Books is long and wonderful.

In Season One, Coach Beard and Coach Lasso are walking together after their game as soccer coaches, and Coach Beard is bummed out at the loss. “I hate losing,” he says, to which Coach Lasso simply replies, “Hey Coach! Bird by bird.” So this is how Ann Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life ended up on my To Be Read List.

I first started listening to the book, narrated by Susan Bennett, who made listening to it sound like she was a friend of yours in the room giving you all this advice. But I also have a copy on my Kindle so I can refer back to my highlights.

I was working on a short story for an online writing class and was immersed and overwhelmed in the process when I began to listen. So I found it helpful to hear Lamott’s personal struggles with writing, mixed in with the writing advice I hoped to find — and did.

There is a lot of great, important advice for writers to remember — some I already knew, but hearing it again in a different way mixed in with some of her personal tales really brought it home for me.

“Shitty First Drafts”

Lamott advises writers to approach a first draft knowing it's going to shitty — so let it be. Just let it all pour out in what she calls the ‘child’s draft.’ She advises letting the childlike part of you explore on the page. What author Jim Shepard refers to as ‘playing in the sandbox’.

This first draft is the ‘down draft’ — just get it down. The second draft is your updraft, where you fix it all up. You try to say what you have to say more accurately.

The third draft, she calls the ‘dental draft’ where you check every tooth. Does the story flow? Is it too loose or too cramped? Or is it all good and healthy?

In these shitty drafts and rewrites, what she warns the writer to watch out for is perfectionism. Perfectionism stifles our creative process. Perfectionism becomes the main obstacle between the writer and the first draft.

When we were children, we played and didn’t think about the messes we made while we were playing. We need to do that with our writing.

She stresses the importance of being mindful and present in your daily life to find inspiration for your writing. Whether out on a walk or in a restaurant — people watching or eavesdropping. Inspiration is everywhere.

Polaroids

Lamott tells writers it’s okay to start writing and not know what the picture looks like when you start. Writing is like watching a Polaroid develop — in the beginning, things are sort of fuzzy, and you might be able to make out the outlines, but you really need to take the time to see what develops.

Character

In Bird by Bird. Lamott says that the key to good writing is through the characters. You have to spend time with your characters to get to know them, just like you would any other person you just met — it may take weeks, even months, after you start working with them.

Dialogue is crucial to building a good character. To nail the character down, you must get the voice right. Your characters should sound differently from one another and not sound all like you.

Plot

Lamott says that plot grows out of the character. So, worry about the characters and not as much on plot. In getting to know your characters they will move the plot along and reveal the climax to you over time — slowly over time.

Focus on who your people are, how they feel towards one another, what they say, how they smell and whom they fear. So, focus on your characters!

ABDCE

Lamott discusses Alice Adams’ lecture on the short story where she gives the formula ABDCE — Action, Background, Development, Climax, and Ending. The writer aims to draw the reader in with action — make us want to know more. That’s when you drop into the background. Who are these people? How did they come together? What was going on before the story started? This leads to Development — developing our characters and learning what they care about. Everything grows from your characters, working them to the climax but not pushing them. The climax should change them. The Ending

Writers like outlines and formulas — at least, I do. So, I found it helpful to learn about ABDCE. It’s something I will remember when working on my next story.

Ideas

No writer wants to stare at a blank page. When looking for ideas about what to write, Lamott guides you toward writing prompts and your childhood experiences. To write about the time in our lives when we looked at the world with such interest and wonder, when we felt things so deeply.

Lamont says that becoming a writer is about becoming conscious. It changes your life — you observe the world differently, listen to those around you with a writer’s ear, and it can change you as a reader. You have a greater appreciation and read with a deeper concentration, understanding how difficult writing is to make it look effortless.

I gave Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life 4.5 stars in my Goodreads Review.