Anne Lamott Reveals Writing Tips with Her “Current Husband”
Anne Lamott and Neal Allen have published a joint craft book titled Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences. The book appears from Avery as a 208-page volume priced at $27. The two also recorded an audio edition.
Partners in life and in print
Lamott, 71, and Allen, 69, met in 2016 on the 50-plus site OurTime.com. They married after a courtship that included buying a woodsy Marin County home nine months later.
Allen is a father of four. He worked as a newspaper reporter and later as a corporate executive. He then became a spiritual coach and authored two spiritual guidebooks.
Lamott’s reach and legacy
Anne Lamott has published 21 books and sold millions of copies worldwide. Her 1994 handbook Bird by Bird has sold more than one million copies.
Bird by Bird continues to sell about 40,000 copies annually. The book is frequently cited by writers and public figures.
Peers and praise
- Harlan Coben, author of 35 novels and roughly 90 million sales, called Bird by Bird his favorite writing manual.
- Elizabeth Gilbert described herself as Lamott’s literary offspring in a 2007 interview.
- Paula McLain and Dani Shapiro have both praised Lamott’s honesty about writing.
About Good Writing
Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences is organized as a practical manual. Each chapter presents a rule for sentence craft followed by a short essay.
The table of contents includes rules such as Use Strong Verbs, Sound Natural, Keep it Active, Stick with Said, and Don’t Show Off.
Division of labor and voice
Neal Allen wrote the explanatory openings for each rule. Anne Lamott contributed closing essays that respond to the rules in a personal voice.
This format gives readers an instructional lead-in followed by a candid, sometimes comic reflection. The arrangement also lets Lamott have the final word in each chapter.
Writing process and reactions
The pair described a collaborative process that began with Allen drafting rules and Lamott annotating them. Lamott later wrote her own pieces for the book.
Both authors said helping each other’s work is among the richest parts of their marriage. They also discussed nerves upon hearing the audio version.
Personal notes and memoir links
Lamott previously wrote memoirs about family life. Her 1993 book Operating Instructions focused on her son Sam at age one. A 2012 memoir, Some Assembly Required, included material about her grandson Jax at age one.
Events
Lamott and Allen are scheduled to appear at the Los Angeles Festival of Books event titled “Written by Hand: Lexicons, Storytelling, and Protecting Human Language in an Age of Artificial Everything.” The session takes place Sunday, April 19, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at USC Town and Gown. Admission is free, but a ticket is required.
Anne Lamott shared writing tips with her current husband while crafting the book. Filmogaz.com interviewed the couple about their rules and their partnership.
