To my incredible, observant, kind-hearted, sensitive daughter, on your 15th birthday: “I believe in you my soul…the other I am must not abase itself to you, And you must not be abased to the other.” – Walt Whitman, Song of Myself Being a parent means every day I get to think about not just what I’m doing, but what you’re
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“Doubtless some ancient Greek has observed that behind the big mask and the speaking-trumpet, there must always be our poor little eyes peeping as usual and our timorous lips more or less under anxious control.” – George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1871 So you’re finally ready to get honest? You’re finally ready to admit that your writing is no good? Congratulations. Welcome to
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“If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don’t just stick there scowling at the problem. But don’t make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people’s words will pour in where your lost
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“You are going to feel like hell if you never write the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves in your heart–your stories, visions, memories, songs: your truth, your version of things, in your voice. That is really all you have to offer us, and it’s why you were born.” – Anne Lamott What terrifies you? It can seem
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I’m special. I know you’re wondering how I know. But I’ve always known, crazy as that sounds. In fact, I suspect most people who haven’t experienced big, deep pain probably agree with this. And anyone who has experienced a massive life event that brought them deep pain, they’ll probably confirm it: Not suffering pain makes you special. Since life inevitably
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