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Jul 1Liked by Richard Partridge

Below is a quote that you won’t forget, for it settles the question of what to do, when pen and paper are at odds with your thoughts, you wait, then start anew!

“The secret of being a writer: not to expect others to value what you've done as you value it. Not to expect anyone else to perceive in it the emotions you have invested in it. Once this is understood, all will be well. (She wants to think!)”

Taken from Joyce Carol Oates latest excellent Substack article, “An Unexpected Intimacy,”

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I'd welcome the writer to MY WORLD. I have yet to write anything, even a PARAGRAPH, that I didn't look at & judge to be utter garbage, even if it was judged reasonably good by others. I can be my biggest critic. I want to be a male Emily Dickenson. Or channel Hemingway, but it's highly unlikely.

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Jul 1Liked by Richard Partridge

Some sage advice from those who’s imaginations have soared:

"Don't forget - no one else sees the world the way you do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell.”

- Charles de Lint

"It's none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way."

- Ernest Hemingway

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only

one.”

- George R. R. Martin

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."

- Anton Chekhov

“Start believing in Bible stories - You’re in one.”

- author unknown

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I am a writer, and I don't believe in doubt. My grammar, composition, and subject matters are not for others to judge because they are all part of the art, like a sculpture. I reserve my right to revisit and republish any of my pieces at any time. Although it rarely happens, I only publish when I feel the piece is ready. I want to share with you a piece I've written that may be a relatable answer to you, and it's called "The Egg."

What is Confidence is not 50% BS.

I know that I can navigate Everything that comes my way.

I have done it many times.

I am confident in my abilities.

Yet, the initial unknown is still haunting.

Exposure means I lay there like,

A broken egg on a cold frying pan.

There is no shell to hide behind And no way of knowing,

If the flame will ignite,

And warm me up

-ilana McBain-

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