Write Like a Writer: Begin by Understanding Life

 

 

 

"To be a good writer, you not only have to write a great deal but you have to care. You do not have to have a complicated moral philosophy. But a writer always tries, I think, to be a part of the solution, to understand a little about life and to pass this on." —Anne Lamott from her book, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.

Sound hard? Imagine reading the writing of someone who does not care, who understands little about life. Interested? I didn't think so.

Remember what Anne Lamott says next time you work on a writing assignment or, better yet, the next time you choose to write something because you think other people need to know or to think or to act on something you care about. Good luck!

 

See our most recent tips.

Tips from November 2001 to April 2002

Tips from September 2000 to October 2001.

Tips from January to August 2000
Tips from January to December 1999