Writing Pitfalls (March Theme): Sometimes I Forget Why I Write

So I'm glad that Anne Lamott is around to remind me:  

“If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act—truth is always subversive.”  


"I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.”


Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this reminder. I've been flopping around for months trying to figure out which "truth" is at the center of my WIP, wondering if all this angst is worth it. Of course it is.

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