- Elisa Bernick

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"And so, while it may feel good in the moment, it is foolish to dive into a frenzy of activity or obsess about your scholarly productivity right now. That is denial and delusion. The emotionally and spiritually sane response is to prepare to be forever changed."

www.chronicle.com/article/Why-You-Should-Ignore-All-That/248366/?fbclid=IwAR1HMa3TWabsgZf8D2FW9vO... ... See MoreSee Less

Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure

www.chronicle.com

In the early weeks of a global catastrophe like Covid-19, it’s best to accept that the world has changed and reimagine yourself and your work within it.

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Elisa Bernick

“It’s silly to try to escape other people’s faults. They are inescapable. Just try to escape your own.” – Marcus Aurelius ... See MoreSee Less

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Elisa Bernick

This comes from Ryan Holiday and it's such a wonderful meditation about the value of writing versus being an author:

"To be alive, that is the accomplishment. To have your health. To have people you love. This is winning. To get to do the work—that’s the reward, not whether the work is recognized. Which is all we control anyway.

Theodore Roosevelt was a published author by age 23. He had wealth, fame, medals and power. But eventually he realized that “far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

I’ve come to realize along those lines that there is a difference between being a writer and an author. What I love, what I should chase is the writing, being an author is about results. That’s why I always found rewards underwhelming. I was focusing on the wrong prize, missing that I had it along.

The irony is that winning great prizes not only feels like nothing, but understood properly should change absolutely nothing! We should accept the honors with gratitude, we should cash the checks (saving the money responsibly), we should enjoy the parties or the praise, and then we should, as soon as possible, get back down to work.

Do the verb, rather than be the noun.

Not to prove anything to anyone. Not to scale a higher mountain because it will feel different. Not to really get our parents to notice this time. Not because flying private is even better than flying first class is better than economy.

No.

We get back to work because the dream is the doing. The lucky break is the opportunity. It’s the process that we have always loved, it’s the joy of realizing our potential that should never get old or let us down."

mailchi.mp/ab0e697e19e1/how-does-it-feel-to-get-everything-you-ever-wanted?e=663e4b1195 ... See MoreSee Less

How Does It Feel To Get Everything You Ever Wanted?

mailchi.mp

There are two tragedies in life, Oscar Wilde once said: not getting what you want and getting everything you want. The last, he lamented, is much worse.

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Elisa Bernick

Writers who are searching for a mentor to work with or to offer mentoring services to other writers should check out the excellent Writers to Writer program through AWP! I took part in this several years ago, and it was an important step in the journey of my book "Departure Stories."

Learn more or apply here: www.awpwriter.org/…/mentorship_program_application_…
AWP provides community, opportunities, ideas, news, and advocacy for writers and teachers of writing.

AWPWRITER.ORG
Association of Writers & Writing Programs
AWP provides community, opportunities, ideas, news, and advocacy for writers and teachers of writing. ... See MoreSee Less

Association of Writers & Writing Programs

www.awpwriter.org

AWP provides community, opportunities, ideas, news, and advocacy for writers and teachers of writing.

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Elisa Bernick

Learn more or apply here: www.awpwriter.org/…/mentorship_program_application_… ... See MoreSee Less

Association of Writers & Writing Programs

www.awpwriter.org

AWP provides community, opportunities, ideas, news, and advocacy for writers and teachers of writing.

View on Facebook