Word by Word cover art

Word by Word

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Word by Word

By: Anne Lamott
Narrated by: Anne Lamott
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £11.99

Buy Now for £11.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

 Writing, like life, can be a difficult process, you just have to take it Word by Word. Provocative and witty, Lamott takes you beyond her book Bird by Bird and into her "writer's mind". She won't tell you about plot points or how to get published, because, frankly, she doesn't think they're important. Good writing, she says, slows you down, opens your heart and arrives through your fingers, knowing what it's about. You'll learn how to keep things simple and how to write honestly about life, family, and friends. This recording is a 1997 Audie Award winner for the country's best Educational/How-to/Instructional audiobook.©1996 Anne Lamott (P)1996 Writer's AudioShop Words, Language & Grammar Writing & Publishing Witty

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Writing Down the Bones cover art
On Writers and Writing cover art
The Art of Memoir cover art
Storyworthy cover art
Critical Thinking cover art
Why We Make Things and Why It Matters cover art
Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk cover art
"I Give You My Body..." cover art
Book Launch cover art
The Successful Novelist cover art
A Beautiful Mind cover art
Be a Writing Machine: Write Faster and Smarter, Beat Writer's Block, and Be Prolific cover art
Stein on Writing cover art
2K to 10K cover art
5,000 Words Per Hour cover art
How Not to Make a Short Film cover art

Critic reviews

"Lamott reaches out to her audience as if she's addressing an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting." ( Publishers Weekly)
"... she shares invaluable nuggets of wisdom about writing and the writing life." ( AudioFile)
All stars
Most relevant  
I absolutely adored it. It was both a slap back into reality and a warm hug of encouragement.

perfect

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you're a writer or wannabe writer this is a rich insight into the habits and mindset of Anne Lamott : fantastic for broadening perspective and looking at things in different ways. Absolutely loved the intimacy of listening to Anne herself talking about her processes. This is a real treat.

A Gift

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Word By Word, a town hall event that Lamott spoke at in Austin some years ago. On balance, she was outstanding; a funny, intense, and emotive woman deeply passionate about the act of writing, which she describes as an act of therapeutic creativity. Her words just tumbled out of her in what felt like a 150-minute long sentence, an adrenalized flurry of exposition. The woman barely paused to take a breath. It was as if her vocal chords were on steroids, her brain shooting out mind bullets. I was getting exhausted just listening to her. Certainly made me want to write. Highly recommended!!

Wonderful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Ditch the obsession with being published and let yourself be known. Let your words become you and let your voice be known. so many rich snippets and aides to support writers

Excellent insights into authentic writing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I wasn't expecting a recorded lecture. I thought this was a book, however it was interesting to hear the author's own voice and natural rhythms of her speech as she explains her values and priorities when approaching writing. Very good.

Interesting freeflow on writing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A vivid and inspiring listen to delivered in a vivid and inspiring way. Go write.

Inspiring.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
She's giving usefull advice on writing and storytelling. I like that it's her own voice.

I just love Anne Lamott

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is alive talk by writer, parent and recovered alcoholic Anne Lamott. If you're a writer or creative of any kind, or yearn to be, treat yourself. And if you're not, it just might turn you.

Hilarious and life-changing in equal measure.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.