Anne Lamott and Tough Writers

In this video, Anne Lamott describes her writing process and how writing became a habit. She forced herself to sit down at the same time every day, in order to tell her brain this is the time that we are going to use to write. She calls it being a “tough writer.”

I love the idea that you have to be tough to be a writer. It’s really easy for non-writers to dismiss writing as an easy task that takes no grit or backbone, but that could not be more false.

Writing is hard. Editing is hard. Sharing is hard. Publishing is hard.

Sometimes you sit down to write, and the words simply don’t come. In that moment, a writer’s identity gets thrown in to Charybdis. And this is where the concept of a “tough writer” comes in. Anne Lamott says all you need to do is write enough words to fill a one-inch space, and when they are complete and utter garbage, that’s okay. Sometimes even writing enough words to fill a one-inch space feels impossible. I think Anne Lamott gets that, and she understands that there is a need to be gentle with yourself, but also tough enough to keep writing even when it feels impossible.

Writers are often some of the most empathetic, profound, gentle people in the world. However, the writers I know are also some of the toughest people I have ever met. Their identity goes through turbulence very time the words don’t appear immediately out of thin air, but they cling to that identity with everything they have. They keep writing. They face the criticism that comes whenever they share their work, and they keep writing.

Writing isn’t easy, but writers are tough. And that’s what makes them so lovely.