Bird by Bird #2

How is "looking around" part of the writing frame of mind according to Lamott?

"I don't want to sound too Cosmica Rama here, but in those moments, you see that you and the chipmunk are alike, are a part of a whole. I think we would see this more often if we didn't have our conscious mind. The conscious mind seems to block that feeling of oneness so we can function efficiently, maneuver in the world a little bit better, get our taxes done on time."

I love this quote because I feel like I know exactly what she's talking about here. That feeling you are hit with every once in a while that is almost surreal, that we are so small in the universe yet entirely linked together. That is a great feeling to take into writing, it connects you to all the things around you and help you understand the people in your own writing better. Helps you give them more dimension and character, helps you empathize with their situation and really bring them to life. 

Do you agree with what she has to say about writing a story's "moral" in the "Moral Point of View?"

"If you find that you start a number of stories or pieces that you don't ever bother finishing, that you lose interest or faith in them along the way, it may be that there is nothing at their center about which you care passionately. You need to put yourself at their center, you and what you believe to be true or right. The core, ethical concepts in which you most passionately believe are the language in which you are writing."

This speaks to me because I can't tell you how many stories I have started and never finished. I think she is absolutely right in here assumption here- looking back on all of those half finished stories, they were dull and lacked the morals that I believe in. I think she is right that in order to write something that you are truly passionate about and want to finish you have to inject your own morals and beliefs into it. Otherwise it becomes stale and malignant. This reminds me of the author Chuck Palahniuk, who is so very good at injecting his beliefs into his stories- Survivor, Fight Club- they are absolutely dripping with the tone of his disdain for modern culture and they really pack a punch. 

How should we approach a story like a "letter?"

"The letter's informality just might free you from the tyranny of perfectionism. You might dress the letter to you children, if you have a few lying around, or to a niece or nephew, or to a friend. Write that person's name at the top of the page, and then in your first line, explain that you are going to tell them part of your story, entrust it to them, because this part of your life meant so much to you."

I feel like this is a great idea to get your ideas out there without feeling the pressure of having everything perfect. Like she said, the informality of it would make you feel relaxed and the idea of just telling a story to someone, of getting a piece of your past out on paper to someone that you care about, might make you look at things from a new perspective and discover something about the story you are telling that you never noticed before.