I think every writer can relate to the feelings you've expressed here, Isa. For the last many years, I've been using Hillary's strategy--hide everything I'm working on from (almost) everyone. I would still write poetry, but I only shared it with the tiniest of audiences.
I thought of them as gift poems--somewhat inspired by Lewis Hyde's book The Gift. It's a dense read, but vitally important for artists and writers.
Substack has been my return to sharing publicly, and I still have a complicated relationship with it.
I read this yesterday but had to wait to comment because it felt too much like looking in a mirror. I tell my film students all the time that we never get to skip making our garbage (affectionate); not when we’re starting out, and not when we’re well into our careers either. You can still be making great work (and you are!) and feel that gap between your taste/vision/aspirations and output. It sounds like you’re doing all the right things for this growing season.
If you ever get that playbook you feel like you missed, please share. I didn’t get it either. Same goes for figuring out what to do with that pesky relationship with external validation. My only coping mechanism has been to hide everything I’m working on from everyone, and it’s a middling solution at best 🫠
Read this this morning and haven’t stopped thinking about it (typical for anything you write). Feeling convicted as a writer in a slump. I hope you know you inspire me every day! I love the way you put words together and I know the ebb and flow of that, and I also know it will feel right again! You are more than what people think of you, but in the meantime, I have rarely loved reading someone’s writing as much as I love reading yours.
I think every writer can relate to the feelings you've expressed here, Isa. For the last many years, I've been using Hillary's strategy--hide everything I'm working on from (almost) everyone. I would still write poetry, but I only shared it with the tiniest of audiences.
I thought of them as gift poems--somewhat inspired by Lewis Hyde's book The Gift. It's a dense read, but vitally important for artists and writers.
Substack has been my return to sharing publicly, and I still have a complicated relationship with it.
I read this yesterday but had to wait to comment because it felt too much like looking in a mirror. I tell my film students all the time that we never get to skip making our garbage (affectionate); not when we’re starting out, and not when we’re well into our careers either. You can still be making great work (and you are!) and feel that gap between your taste/vision/aspirations and output. It sounds like you’re doing all the right things for this growing season.
If you ever get that playbook you feel like you missed, please share. I didn’t get it either. Same goes for figuring out what to do with that pesky relationship with external validation. My only coping mechanism has been to hide everything I’m working on from everyone, and it’s a middling solution at best 🫠
Thank you, Hillary, this has made my day ❤️❤️❤️
Read this this morning and haven’t stopped thinking about it (typical for anything you write). Feeling convicted as a writer in a slump. I hope you know you inspire me every day! I love the way you put words together and I know the ebb and flow of that, and I also know it will feel right again! You are more than what people think of you, but in the meantime, I have rarely loved reading someone’s writing as much as I love reading yours.
Thank you, my friend!!