How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
My writer friends, and they are legion, do not go around beaming with quiet feelings of contentment. Most of them go around with haunted, abused, surprised looks on their faces, like lab dogs on whom very personal deodorant sprays have been tested. (Introduction.55)
Yeah, doesn't sound like most of Lamott's friends are thrilled with their lives. But she still seems awfully sold on writing. Why do you think this is? Could it be that the dissatisfaction is actually totally worth it?
Quote #2
I had a book published! It was everything I had ever dreamed of. And I had reached nirvana, right? Well.
I believed, before I sold my first book, that publication would be instantly and automatically gratifying, an affirming and romantic experience, a Hallmark commercial where one runs and leaps in slow motion across a meadow filled with wildflowers into the arms of acclaim and self-esteem. This did not happen for me. (Introduction.37-39)
What? Publication doesn't instantly make you famous, rich, and happy? Well, who knew. Maybe publication is more the start of a journey than the end of one. Whether you think that's exciting or depressing probably says a lot about who you are and what you value.
Quote #3
And then I tell my students that the odds of their getting published and of it bringing them financial security, peace of mind, and even joy are probably not that great. Ruin, hysteria, bad skin, unsightly tics, ugly financial problems, maybe; but probably not peace of mind. (Introduction.55)
Lamott says stuff like this so many times you'd think she would start to come across as a downer. But actually, it's kind of nice to meet someone who can admit that fame achieved through writing hasn't solved all her problems. Writers: pointing out that no, you can't hack happiness since…the beginning of time.