The Longreads Questionnaire: Neal Allen and Anne Lamott Neal Allen began his writing career in the late ’70s as a reporter in New York’s Hudson Valley. Over the years, he has worked as a journalist, corporate executive, and spiritual coach, writing books, magazine stories, speeches, scripts, memoirs, and business copy. However, his approach to writing has remained consistent. In his new book, Good Writing, he shares 36 rules he has compiled over his career—tips to improve the building blocks of our writing. “These rules don’t restrict me so much as they encourage me to stretch into more and more possibilities, leaps of imagination, and lovely explorations,” he writes in the book’s introduction. Allen’s wife, author Anne Lamott, has also found value in these rules for her own work. “Stronger verbs, layered sentences, twist those clichés if you are going to insist on the right to use them,” she writes, running through her husband’s tips like a checklist. Lamott, who is well known for her book Bird by Bird, a favorite among many writers, helped the author discover a creative muse that has stayed with him throughout his life. The book Good Writing consists of 36 chapters, each dedicated to one rule. Every chapter includes “Anne’s take,” adding insights to each section and occasionally challenging Allen’s perspectives. The book is a collaboration between two writers and two partners, and ultimately a practical guide for strengthening one’s writing craft. The authors were invited to respond to a questionnaire together, and their answers are structured like the book itself—one rule at a time, with both voices in conversation. Where did you grow up? At the bottom of our hill in Arlington, Virginia, a creek ran about a mile through woods to the Potomac River.#neal_allen #anne_lamott #good_writing #tiburon_california #st_johns_college_santa_fe
