This was such a fantastic piece. The quote you included by Colum McCann resonated like no other because sometimes fighting the blankness feels truly insurmountable and there are any number of other pressing things that offer seemingly productive procrastination. Sometimes the answer is as simple as investing the time. I’m so happy I found your piece at a moment I was feeling stuck in my writing and needed to be reminded of the way forward.
Sophia, thank you for your comment! When I was writing this piece, I wondered if these advice were so obvious that other people would not find it as helpful as I did, so I am so glad that it resonated with you too!
Thank you for sharing the books that helped you the most and for the reminder that we need to sit in the chair and engage with the page! Sometimes it's so easy to walk away.
Yes, it sounds so simple to just sit down and write, but there are some many temptations around us these days. When I don't feel like writing, I set a timer for 15 minutes and just start typing. I told myself that it's just going to be 15 minutes, and it'll be over soon. Most of the times I kept on typing for more than 15 minutes, but on a bad day, I was more than happy to stop when the alarm goes off!
Being Chinese, your experience with learning English resonates with me. Wisdom often comes from a continuous journey of writing and reading. It requires dedication and a willingness to embrace the humility in acknowledging that you have more to learn as a writer. Keep writing, keep reading. From where I am standing, your journey is filled with endless inspiration and growth.
My kid is in college essay writing hell and we've heard "show, don't tell" so many times that it's becoming a meme in our house 😂
Haha! I get the joke now, but I do wish I had known about this earlier!
What a great piece! Thanks for sharing the books that have helped you--I hadn’t heard of a few of them!
Thank you, Ashley!
This was such a fantastic piece. The quote you included by Colum McCann resonated like no other because sometimes fighting the blankness feels truly insurmountable and there are any number of other pressing things that offer seemingly productive procrastination. Sometimes the answer is as simple as investing the time. I’m so happy I found your piece at a moment I was feeling stuck in my writing and needed to be reminded of the way forward.
Sophia, thank you for your comment! When I was writing this piece, I wondered if these advice were so obvious that other people would not find it as helpful as I did, so I am so glad that it resonated with you too!
Thank you for sharing the books that helped you the most and for the reminder that we need to sit in the chair and engage with the page! Sometimes it's so easy to walk away.
Yes, it sounds so simple to just sit down and write, but there are some many temptations around us these days. When I don't feel like writing, I set a timer for 15 minutes and just start typing. I told myself that it's just going to be 15 minutes, and it'll be over soon. Most of the times I kept on typing for more than 15 minutes, but on a bad day, I was more than happy to stop when the alarm goes off!
Being Chinese, your experience with learning English resonates with me. Wisdom often comes from a continuous journey of writing and reading. It requires dedication and a willingness to embrace the humility in acknowledging that you have more to learn as a writer. Keep writing, keep reading. From where I am standing, your journey is filled with endless inspiration and growth.
Thank you, Winston, for your continuous encouragement and inspirations!