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KathyintheWallowas's avatar

As always, I love the form and heart of your writing.

I noted the "be positive" advice about aging with a giggle... perhaps because I do everything backwards anyway. (I had the immense advantage of having the kind of disabling conditions starting in my teens that provided many of the experiences that some of us fear about aging. I got better, so I have the wonderful option now of not finding them as scary as I might (been there, done that, survived it and thrived. I also got the option (because I had to) of learning how to learn in a completely different way than I used to. (I'm not myself today, but apparently I'm me.)

In long: Rock on with your creative flow. If it's hard, give yourself cookies as a reward. Keep an eye out for when it's unexpectedly easy.

Here's a tahini zucchini candied ginger chocolate chip cookie to celebrate, either way.

Vale!

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Rick George's avatar

Congratulations upon the acceptance of your essay for publication, Sue!

After retirmement, I've jumped into writing, too. I have the same gremlins as you. I have read many books and posts and articles about the craft. One that sticks in my brain stems from the concept that to master a skill, one must put in something like 10,000 hours. The variant for writers goes something like this: We don't expect that a person can take up a piano and become a concert pianist within a year. We don't exect someone to take up baseball and make it to the big leagues a year after the first swing of the bat. So why should we, as writers, believe that we'll be masters of the craft in a year? 'Tis a journey of growth; stick-to-itness is one of the essential skills.

Now, if I can only find time to dig into that novel I started a few months ago...

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