Part Five Summary : The Last Class
Summary of “The Last Class”
Lamott summarizes the important points again: write about your childhood, write when your observation is acute, write when you feel things deeply. Do not be afraid of your material or of being emotional about it. If something in your life is real, the reader will connect. Risk being vulnerable and open. Tell the truth.
On the other hand, a writer has to be aware of libel, of defaming the reputation of another by a written word. If you use a real person as a model for a character, disguise that person so he or she cannot be recognized. It is better not to write for the sake of vengeance but to find meaning in something that happened.
Commentary on “The Last Class”
Lamott says the proper attitude of a writer is not self-pity. A writer should feel fortunate to have the ability to write and use the imagination. Write with everything you have for the rest of your life. This devotion is its own reward. Being a writer is “part of a noble tradition” (p. 235). It is an honor. It feeds the soul.
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