Anne Lamott One Inch Picture Frame

Writing is like driving a car at night.

Anne lamott one inch picture frame.

The little picture frame reminds her to focus on just a small piece of the whole story. I picked up anne lamott s book bird by bird some instructions on writing and life. Lamott then describes how she sits down to write each day and how she is utterly unfocused until her glance falls on the square one inch picture frame on her desk. Some instructions on writing and life.

There is however one piece of her advice that has always baffled me and that is the one inch frame. The one inch frame is a concept by anne lamott. In a voice as resonant with humor as with wisdom hard won lamott advises writers to focus only on what can be seen through a one inch picture frame a lovely idea that has often consoled me when i struggle at the page. One idea she had was to write short assignments about as much as you can see through a one inch picture frame.

Fill the frame she tells them as they write. And my more arresting financial problems and of course the orthodontia i remember to pick up the one inch picture frame and to figure out a one inch piece of my story to tell one small scene one memory one exchange. Those smaller portions will weave together to form the larger narrative. Write as much as you see through the one inch picture frame.

She tells herself she only has to. I read her book bird by bird. 17 the exercise helps keep the writing to small actionable chunks of daily work. One of the tips for writing that lamott mentions is to use a one inch picture frame as a point of reference for what to write.

If you want to see how much i enjoyed reading it check my review on goodreads here. It reminds me that all i have to do is to write down as much as i can see through a one inch picture frame. Selections from anne lamott s bird by bird. She describes hyperventilating over the enormity of the task facing her as she sits down to start her next novel and calming down when she notices a one inch picture frame kept on her desk to remind me of short assignments.

The genius of the whole method hinges on the one inch picture frame lamott instructs students to put on their desk. Focus on writing the one inch portion of the story that needs to be written.