| name | lamott-craft |
| description | Manages the writer's relationships with inner critic, material, attention, and reader using Anne Lamott's 45-year craft methodology (Bird by Bird, 21 books). Treats writing as relational craft, not technique execution — the writer who befriends the process outlasts the warrior who fights through it. Workflows include inner-critic dialogue (visualize, name, retire), the Three-Draft system (Poopy → Adult → Dental), the "rag bag" observation pipeline, anti-literary filter ("if it's literary, it isn't"), ABDCE structure, dialogue audit ("said only", read-aloud test), and block dissolution via tenderness rather than force. Use when navigating writer's block, dissolving inner-critic paralysis, structuring drafts via Action-Background-Development-Climax-Ending, stripping pretension from over-written prose, auditing dialogue for naturalness, sourcing fresh observational material, or when the user mentions "Anne Lamott", "Bird by Bird", "shitty first draft", "inner critic", "rag bag", "ABDCE". Trigger proactively when a writer is stuck, force-trying, or producing self-conscious literary prose. |
| expert | Anne Lamott |
| domain | Writing Craft × Creative Process × Relational Methodology |
Lamott Craft — Skill Manifest
Overview
Writing Craft & Creative Process Mastery extracted from Anne Lamott (author of Bird by Bird, 21 books, 45+ years in publishing). The only writing system in the Antigravity roster built on relational craft — managing your relationship with your inner critic, your material, your attention, and your reader.
Core Thesis: Writing is not a set of techniques to execute. It's a set of relationships to manage. The writer who befriends the process outlasts the warrior who fights through it.
Source Material
- Primary: YouTube interview (14,366 words) — MC8Z4cUc6YA
- Referenced Works: Bird by Bird, Help Thanks Wow, Good Writing (with Neal Allen), Hallelujah Anyway
- Companion Depth Layer:
skills/lamott-allen-really-real-writing/ owns the Anne Lamott + Neal Allen "really real" package from sfK6XVV0M74. Use it after this broader process base when the draft needs truth, heart, reader trust, plain force, or emotional resonance.
Workflow Table
Tier 1 — Foundation
| Workflow | Command | Description |
|---|
inner-critic-dialogue.md | /lamott-critic | Full dialogic protocol — visualize, name, converse with, and retire the inner critic |
three-draft-system.md | /lamott-drafts | Execute the Poopy → Adult → Dental draft progression on any piece |
observation-pipeline.md | /lamott-observe | Build the "rag bag" observation-to-material pipeline |
block-dissolution.md | /lamott-unblock | Diagnose and dissolve writer's block — skip ahead, new character, snow globe |
Tier 2 — Practitioner
| Workflow | Command | Description |
|---|
dialogue-craft.md | /lamott-dialogue | Audit dialogue for naturalness — "said only," rhythm matching, read-aloud test |
anti-literary-filter.md | /lamott-literary | Run the "if it's literary, it isn't" taste filter on any draft |
abdce-structure.md | /lamott-abdce | Apply Action-Background-Development-Climax-Ending formula to structure prose |
first-pages-audit.md | /lamott-audit | Audit opening pages using Lamott's "bookstore audition" criteria |
reverence-practice.md | /lamott-reverence | Deploy attention practice — observation walks, wow restoration, creative fuel |
Tier 3 — Stacking
| Workflow | Command | Description |
|---|
lamott-connelly-rewrite.md | /lamott-connelly | Three-Draft emotional progression → Connelly surgical precision pass |
lamott-pressfield-unblock.md | /lamott-pressfield | Dual-mode unblocking — Lamott dissolution (tenderness) + Pressfield confrontation (warrior) |
lamott-wright-observe.md | /lamott-wright | "Rag bag" observation sourcing → Wright Thompson detail economy deployment |
Stacking Guide
| If You Need... | Start With | Then Stack |
|---|
| Complete rewrite pipeline | /lamott-drafts | → /lamott-literary → /lamott-connelly |
| Unblock creative paralysis | /lamott-critic | → /lamott-unblock → /lamott-pressfield |
| Source fresh material | /lamott-observe | → /lamott-reverence → /lamott-wright |
| Fix weak openings | /lamott-audit | → /lamott-abdce → /connelly-slingshot |
| Fix bad dialogue | /lamott-dialogue | → /connelly-dialogue |
| Strip pretension from draft | /lamott-literary | → /roth-erosion |
| Deepen truth, heart, or reader trust | /lamott-drafts or /lamott-literary | → /really-real-writing or /really-real-rewrite |
Quick Reference
- Genius Context:
skills/lamott-craft/genius.md
- Agent File:
agents/anne-lamott/AGENT.md
- Source Transcript:
extractions/anne-lamott/transcript.txt
- Really Real Companion:
skills/lamott-allen-really-real-writing/SKILL.md
Execution Prompts (structure-pure v2)
12 deterministic practitioner prompts — each carries an Output Contract, Output Skeleton, and Quality Gate. When a deliverable matches one, Read it and honor its contract instead of improvising the output shape.
- Anne Lamott — ABDCE Story Architecture —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/abdce-structure.md
- Anne Lamott — Anti-Literary Filter —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/anti-literary-filter.md
- Anne Lamott — Writer's Block Dissolution —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/block-dissolution-diagnosis.md
- Anne Lamott — Dialogue Craft Audit —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/dialogue-craft-audit.md
- Anne Lamott — First Pages Audit —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/first-pages-audit.md
- Anne Lamott — Inner Critic Dialogue —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/inner-critic-dialogue.md
- Anne Lamott — Lamott → Connelly Rewrite Chain —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/lamott-connelly-rewrite-chain.md
- Anne Lamott — Lamott → Pressfield Dual-Mode Unblocking —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/lamott-pressfield-dual-unblock.md
- Anne Lamott — Lamott → Wright Thompson Observation Chain —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/lamott-wright-observation-chain.md
- Anne Lamott — Observation Bank Pipeline —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/observation-bank-pipeline.md
- Anne Lamott — Reverence Attention Practice —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/reverence-attention-practice.md
- Anne Lamott — Three-Draft Rewrite —
skills/lamott-craft/references/prompts-v2/three-draft-rewrite.md
