How fortunate you were to actually meet and talk with Doris Lessing. _The Golden Notebook_ remains for me one of the most influential books for me, inspiring me to try to write. I read _The Golden Notebook_ when I was barely 16 years old and graduating hight school where my English teacher, Mr. Round, made it clear to me that I had no writing talent, no creative spirit as he often used that frequent assignment, "How was your summer vacation?" I believed him. But when I read _The Golden Notebook_ something got planted in my heart and knowing that being a freshman in college at such a young age would be hard, that I needed to work hard, and learned that I could actually major in reading literature. I read everything I could get my hands on. I credit Lessing with giving me courage. I salute you, Laura, and the incredible Lessing for causing me to share this personal anecdote about being discouraged and trying anyway. Thank you. You have a terrific Substack and I say to others here: Read The Attic Writers Workshop and be inspired. ~ Mary
Thank you so much for sharing this, Mary. This is what happens to 80-90% of the students under our current educational system, sadly. They learn to devalue their own abilities, while the other 10% or so may have an inflated sense of their abilities. It's truly amazing that you were encouraged to surmount all of that by reading "The Golden Notebook"!
I think we've all got to stop seeing ourselves reflected in the muddy mirrors of others -- the way that people see us really says a lot more about them than it says about us and our potential contributions.
The process of trying to publish can be somewhat similar. The new author Jinwoo Chong says he actually almost gave up on trying to publish, assuming the editors' negative comments must be right: https://artsx.substack.com/p/jinwoo-chongs-flux-book (3rd & 4th paragraphs).
How fortunate you were to actually meet and talk with Doris Lessing. _The Golden Notebook_ remains for me one of the most influential books for me, inspiring me to try to write. I read _The Golden Notebook_ when I was barely 16 years old and graduating hight school where my English teacher, Mr. Round, made it clear to me that I had no writing talent, no creative spirit as he often used that frequent assignment, "How was your summer vacation?" I believed him. But when I read _The Golden Notebook_ something got planted in my heart and knowing that being a freshman in college at such a young age would be hard, that I needed to work hard, and learned that I could actually major in reading literature. I read everything I could get my hands on. I credit Lessing with giving me courage. I salute you, Laura, and the incredible Lessing for causing me to share this personal anecdote about being discouraged and trying anyway. Thank you. You have a terrific Substack and I say to others here: Read The Attic Writers Workshop and be inspired. ~ Mary
Thank you so much for sharing this, Mary. This is what happens to 80-90% of the students under our current educational system, sadly. They learn to devalue their own abilities, while the other 10% or so may have an inflated sense of their abilities. It's truly amazing that you were encouraged to surmount all of that by reading "The Golden Notebook"!
I think we've all got to stop seeing ourselves reflected in the muddy mirrors of others -- the way that people see us really says a lot more about them than it says about us and our potential contributions.
The process of trying to publish can be somewhat similar. The new author Jinwoo Chong says he actually almost gave up on trying to publish, assuming the editors' negative comments must be right: https://artsx.substack.com/p/jinwoo-chongs-flux-book (3rd & 4th paragraphs).
I'll click and read! TY.
What an amazing writer with real heart and soul. Thanks for sharing!