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Gail Marlene Schwartz's avatar

I deeply love the reframing. “Where does my work belong?” Also, “What is my goal?” And “What specifically will success look like and feel like for me?” A friend asked me how a book launch event went, and I answered, “Fantastic.” Then he asked how many people attended. “Three.” His face dropped. “Then how could it have been fantastic?” I said that the conversation was deep, nuanced, honest, and brought that small group of us into territory beyond the book. In other words, the conversation generated a kind of reflection that expanded our collective understanding. For me, that’s wildly fantastic. Many thanks for this very important article!

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Nancy Sobanik's avatar

I so appreciate this hard won perspective. I think starting out as writers many of us have the need for validation, and that has its momentary reward, like buying a new trinket. Eventually, as we hone our craft, we learn the self-assurance that comes from the hard work put into improvement. We know what we know, and the need for validation falls away. The world is beautiful, and we find our greatest satisfaction in the creating.

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