#1 New York Times bestselling author, Anne Lamott, spoke with me about 40 years of teaching writing, how to write more bravely, on sh*tty first drafts, and sharing hacks she’s learned over her career at the Writers Rising 2024 retreat. Anne Lamott is the author of 20 books, including New York Times bestsellers Help, Thanks, Wow; Dusk, Night, Dawn; Traveling Mercies; and Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, as well as seven novels. Her latest book, Somehow: Thoughts on Love was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Publishers Weekly praised “…her ability to distill complex truths with a deceptive lightness” in their starred review. Anne is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, an inductee to the California Hall of Fame, and was recently a columnist for The Washington Post. She has taught at UC Davis, writing conferences across the country, and is currently an artist in residence at A Writing Room Collective. [Discover ⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠writerfiles.fm⁠] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Anne Lamott and I discussed: The debt of honor that is the writing life Why you don’t have to know everything to finish your book What it was like getting inducted into the California Hall of Fame next to Mark Zuckerberg and Serena Williams The importance of accountability for staying on track Why you need to stop not writing and get your butt in the chair And a lot more! Show Notes: ⁠Writers Rising 2024⁠ ⁠awritingroom.com⁠ ⁠Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life⁠ by Anne Lamott (Amazon) ⁠Somehow: Thoughts on Love⁠ By Anne Lamott (Amazon) ⁠Anne Lamott Amazon Author Page⁠ ⁠Anne Lamott on Twitter⁠ ⁠Anne Lamott on Facebook⁠ ⁠Anne Lamott on Instagram⁠ ⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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