Bird by Bird

I just finished reading Ann Lamott's Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing and Life yesterday evening and have already loaned it out. She is surely hard; I don't just mean a brash or tough as nails type of person, though she is seemingly that, as well, but perhaps for Christians to be reading another professing Christian (her testimony is the forward to her book Traveling Mercies) who can use all of the most vulgar words in the English language is difficult. I enjoyed the book quite thoroughly, and felt quite fed afterwards, almost encouraged that writing was something that I could do, whether I was ever published or not. But it was possible none the less.
The author is funny, hillarious at moments even when you think that it is something that shouldn't be so funny like death and cancer. I think what made me want to write, to cause the the ends of my fingers to feel prickly like when I have some incredible idea for a story, was that in my own life I have dealt with situations that no one really wants to talk about or deal with (how many book are there, whether for children or adults, about dealing with a handicapped sibling or child that are actually funny and going to draw you in and not make you feel all the more depressed or angry becuase all the person can talk about is how this bad thing happened or that bad thing happened? Let me tell you - none!) and so when Ms. Lamott started saying the same thing about cancer and how her father and best friend both died from it and there was nothing to help her so she wrote the book I thought - eurisko! (eureka in greek) I have my calling in life. It may not be that comprehensive of a calling, but it's something that I'm going to be thinking about - perhaps even publishing here, so keep your eyes out! Well, keep them in your head so that you can read the posts and then be on the look out, if I get so far as writing anything.