Think you’ve got your head wrapped around Bird by Bird? Put your knowledge to
the test. Good luck — the Stickman is counting on you!
Q. What does Lamott compare broccoli to?
Her first drafts
Her agent
Brussels sprouts
Intuition
Q. Why can what you write be like a lighthouse, in Lamott's view?
Your work will catch the attention of a massive prehistoric monster who has mistaken the foghorn for a pal, metaphorically speaking
Lighthouses inspire so many cute little figurines
The work may help others just by being there, like a lighthouse
Thousands of elementary school students will be forced to read your work, just like they have to go on lighthouse field trips
Q. Why does Lamott tell people to write about school lunches?
Because she resents not getting to take marshmallow fluff sandwiches to school as a kid
Because school lunches actually symbolize quite a lot about our lives, if we're willing to look
Because all the writers she has met were so traumatized by their own school lunches
Because she secretly wants all writers to add a food fight scene
Q. Which vintage technology does Lamott use as a metaphor for the way a piece of writing slowly becomes clearer and more detailed over time?
Fuzzy TVs
Early sculpting tools
Dot matrix printers
Polaroids
Q. What is the last metaphor for writing in Bird by Bird?
Singing in a boat in a storm
Laughing in a meadow
Arguing with a mountain
Being the Matt Damon of literature