So I have a pillowcase that my great grandma Bea embroidered the edge of and it is cute, two shades of blue on white. But the pillow case is starting to get holes in it, and I was thinking I should cut out the embroidered part and give it a matching border and backing and it could be a table runner or wall hanging. It feels good in a person’s heart to keep things that are so beautifully imperfect, I feel like I can see her hands putting together the stitches. It brings up memories my hands running over the quilts she made, her scent, her voice, baseball games playing on her radio, the texture of saltines smeared with butter
But then I thought - ive been meaning to make an embroidered challah cover! And this could be the center - it could be an multi-generational collaboration. Stitching together my family or orgin’s history and my cultural identity. I like that.
for the self-conscious beginner: No one makes great things
until the world intimately knows their mediocrity. Don’t think of
your writing as terrible; think of it as preparing to
contribute something great.
for the self-conscious late bloomer: Look at old writing as how far
you’ve come. You can’t get to where you are today without covering all
that past ground. For that, be proud.
for the perfectionist: Think about how much you complain about things you love—the mistakes and retcons in all your favorite series—and how you still love them anyway. Give yourself that same space.
for the realist: There will be people who hate your story even if
it’s considered a classic. But there will be people who love your
story, even if it is strange and unpopular.
for the fanfic writer: Your work isn’t lesser for not following canon. When you write, you’ve created a new work on its own. It can
be, but does not have to be, limited by the source material. Canon is not the
end-all, be-all.
for the writer’s blocked: It doesn’t need to be perfect. Sometimes you have to move on and commit a few writing sins if it means you can create better things out of it.
for the lost: You started writing for a reason; remember that
reason. It’s ok to move on. You are more than your writing. It will be here if you want to come back.
