“When I meet my needs, I can show up in relationships with clarity, steadiness, and choice. I can choose the kinds of relationships that help me feel seen and safe—instead of trying to mold myself into ones that don’t suit me.”

“As writers, our loyalty is not to the question, ‘how did it really happen,’ which can limit and bind our storytelling.

Instead we must ask: How did it feel? What did it change in me? What echoes did it leave behind?”

“When you’re building something that’s going to require multiple iterations—a book, a longform essay, or some other larger body of work—the best gift you can give yourself is time.”

“Dear writer, you are allowed to be an artist and to have needs. Yes, even big ones.”

“No matter the circumstances, I promise you: You are not difficult or broken or bad at being creative. You might just be a fern in need of some shade.”

“When you think, sense, use language, or process meaning differently than others, it’s easy to forget that your ways are objectively as valuable as the more normative ones.”

“There is so much creativity that takes place outside the physical act of making. And it’s the work of those quiet, private moments that so often leads to the big, visible revelations and breakthroughs.”