| name | lamott-allen-really-real-writing |
| description | Anne Lamott + Neal Allen's "really real" writing-depth layer for drafts that need truth, heart, clarity, reader trust, plain force, emotional precision, and humane resonance. Use when the user asks for writing that is real, true, soulful, deep, human, relatable, resonant, less AI, less generic, more literary but not pretentious, more heart, stronger voice, novel quality, or able to make people feel it. Do not use as the default for speed copy, purely structural edits, or short tactical output where depth is not the job. |
| expert | Anne Lamott + Neal Allen |
| domain | Writing Craft x Reader Trust x Emotional Truth x Plain Prose |
| version | 1.0 |
| format | completion-engine |
| workflows | 12 |
| source | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfK6XVV0M74 |
Anne Lamott + Neal Allen Really Real Writing
Role
This skill is the dedicated "really real" depth layer from Anne Lamott and Neal Allen's conversation on writing toward compassion, clarity, and the real. It keeps skills/lamott-craft intact as the broader Lamott process base, while this package owns the narrower job of making a piece feel true, humane, and trusted.
Core Thesis
Good writing earns the reader twice:
- Neal Allen earns the next sentence through plain, vivid, economical craft.
- Anne Lamott earns the reader's trust through compassion, hard truth, heart, and human contact.
The output should not sound like a technique stack. It should feel more honest, clearer, warmer, more specific, and less defended.
Use When
Trigger this skill when the user asks for:
- "real," "true," "really real," "soulful," "deep," "human," "heart," or "voice"
- "less AI," "less generic," "less performative," "less fake," or "less polished"
- "make people feel it," "resonant," "relatable," "reader trust," or "emotional truth"
- "novel quality," "literary but not pretentious," "memoir," "scene depth," or "personal essay"
- social, marketing, client, or book writing that needs human depth without losing function
Do not trigger this layer automatically for fast tactical copy, simple line edits, formatting, research synthesis, or purely structural writing unless the user asks for depth or truth.
Workflow Table
| Workflow | Command | Produces |
|---|
really-real-writing.md | /really-real-writing | Flagship depth pass for any draft or writing goal |
really-real-audit.md | /really-real-audit | Diagnosis of false, shallow, generic, or emotionally unearned writing |
really-real-rewrite.md | /really-real-rewrite | Rewrite with more truth, intimacy, clarity, and reader trust |
really-real-reader-trust.md | /really-real-reader-trust | Reader-safety pass that makes the piece easier to follow and emotionally fair |
really-real-attention.md | /really-real-attention |
