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“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
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“That was one of the virtues of being a pessimist: nothing was ever as bad as you thought it would be.”
― From Here to Eternity
― From Here to Eternity
The Life of a Book Addict
— 12151 members
— last activity 2 hours, 51 min ago
We now read at "On the Same Page." ...more
Nothing But Reading Challenges
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(click on image to go to discussion) We believe reading is fun and find unique and challenging ways to spread the love of reading. Th ...more
Apocalypse Whenever
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— last activity 49 minutes ago
The most active group for apocalyptic and dystopian stories! Join a monthly book discussion, get recommendations, or just tell us if you like canned p ...more
Our Shared Shelf
— 223222 members
— last activity 13 hours, 37 min ago
OUR SHARED SHELF IS CURRENTLY DORMANT AND NOT MANAGED BY EMMA AND HER TEAM. Dear Readers, As part of my work with UN Women, I have started reading ...more
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