Life with most teenagers was like having a low-grade bladder infection. It hurts, but you had to tough it out.
Anne LamottRead
The worst time in any writer's life is the two months before publication. ALL writers become mental and pathetic, even those of devout faith, who have some psychological healing to lean up against, and gorgeous lives. All writers think that this time, the jig is up, and they will be exposed as frauds.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the anxiety and self-doubt writers often face before their work is published.
Anne Lamott's quote emphasizes the psychological turmoil that writers endure in the critical months leading up to publication. This period is marked by fear of inadequacy and feelings of being a fraud, regardless of their prior success or confidence. Lamott suggests that the universal experience of self-doubt is part of the artistic process, affecting even the most accomplished writers, revealing how vulnerable they can feel before sharing their work with the world.
Themes
WritingAnxietySelf-DoubtPublicationFraudCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
Writers' workshops focusing on the emotional aspects of publishing.
More from Anne Lamott
All quotes →Or you might shout at the top of your lungs or whisper into your sleeve, "I hate you, God." That is a prayer too, because it is real, it is truth, and maybe it is the first sincere thought you've had in months.
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Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.
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It is hard to remember that you are a cherished spiritual being when you're burping up apple fritters and Cheetos.
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Gorgeous, amazing things come into our lives when we are paying attention: mangoes, grandnieces, Bach, ponds. This happens more often when we have as little expectation as possible. If you say, "Well, that's pretty much what I thought I'd see," you are in trouble. At that point you have to ask yourself why you are even here. [...] Astonishing material and revelation appear in our lives all the time. Let it be. Unto us, so much is given. We just have to be open for business.
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...because when people have seen you at their worst, you don't have to put on the mask as much.
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