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Anne Lamott Quotes about Character

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A nun I know once told me she kept begging God to take her character defects away from her. After years of this prayer, God finally got back to her: I'm not going to take anything away from you, you have to give it to

A nun I know once told me she kept begging God to take her character defects away from her. After years of this prayer, God finally got back to her: I'm not going to take anything away from you, you have to give it to Me.

Anne Lamott
Prayer, Character, Years

Getting into a new relationship is like pouring Miracle-Gro on your character defects.

Anne Lamott
New Relationship, Character, Miracle

Any plot you impose on your characters will be onomatopoetic: PLOT. I say don't worry about plot. Worry about the characters. Let what they say or do reveal who they are, and be involved in their lives, and keep asking yourself, Now what happens? The development of relationship creates plot.

Anne Lamott
Character, Worry, Plot
Anne Lamott (2007). “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life”, p.54, Anchor

My main problem is that over and over again, I try to get all my characters to say stuff that I think is so witty or erudite you know, so that everybody will go.

Anne Lamott
Witty, Character, Thinking
Interview with Austin Allen, bigthink.com. April 6, 2010.

We want a sense that an important character, like a narrator, is reliable. We want to believe that a character is not playing ages or being coy or being manipulative, but is telling the truth to the best of his or her ability...We do not wish to be crudely manipulated...We want to be massaged by a masseur, not whapped by a carpet beater.

Anne Lamott
Believe, Character, Wish

One line of dialogue that rings true reveals character in a way that pages of description can't.

Anne Lamott
Character, Lines, Pages
Anne Lamott (2007). “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life”, p.47, Anchor

You are going to love some of your characters because they are you or some facet of you, and you are going to hate some of your characters for the same reason.

Anne Lamott
Hate, Character, Reason
Anne Lamott (2007). “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life”, p.45, Anchor

Get to know your characters as well as you can let there be something at stake, and then let the chips fall where they may.

Anne Lamott
Fall, Character, May
Anne Lamott (2007). “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life”, p.45, Anchor

Plot springs from character... I've always sort of believed that these people inside me- these characters- know who they are and what they're about and what happens, and they need me to help get it down on paper because they don't type.

Anne Lamott
Spring, Character, Writing

Just don't pretend you know more about your characters than they do, because you don't. Stay open to them. It's teatime and all the dolls are at the table. Listen. It's that simple.

Anne Lamott
Character, Writing, Simple
Anne Lamott (2007). “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life”, p.53, Anchor

Over and over I feel as if my characters know who they are, and what happens to them, and where they have been and where they will go, and what they are capable of doing, but they need me to write it down for them because their handwriting is so bad.

Anne Lamott
Writing, Character, Needs

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