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I am my own worst enemy always - after I conquer fear of failure, I run into the positively idiotic big boss, Fear of Success. Sure, "what if it sucks and fails" is a big one, but "what if it succeeds and people want me to Show Up" is almost more terrifying. This is hilarious, of course, because it assumes Success (which is like winning the f*ing lottery), but I am nothing if not creative with my anxieties. They stop me before I even get started. May Sarton is a guiding light for me, too - I just found a postcard picture of her that is now up in my office. What would May do? (We know, of course, and she Showed Up.) Thanks for this, Amy, I might be knocking on your office door soon!

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Ah, this! And I just immediately downloaded Journal of a Solitude, thanks!

“When you start to lose your nerve, remember all the stories other people have written that you’re glad exist. Consider the novel or essay or whatever it was that made you feel seen, that articulated something you had been wanting to but couldn’t, quite. Aren’t you glad that writer silenced their judgy inner voice?”

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