Member-only story
A Letter to An Aspiring Young Writer Struggling to Make her Way in The World
A few weeks ago, one of my readers sent me a beautiful email about her aspirations to become a writer. I saw so much of my younger self in her. I asked her if I could turn her email into a newsletter.
Matt Damon once told an interviewer that when people tell him they want to be an actor, he tries to talk them out of it. When the interviewer asked him why he said, “if I can talk you out of this in conversation, you’re not cut out for this because it’s so hard.”
Even though I’d never try to talk someone out being a writer, there’s a great deal of truth to what Matt Damon said. It is hard because the writing life is one in which nothing is guaranteed, and anything is possible.
It takes bravery and courage to express your fears and concerns, and I commend Arianna for doing it. Exposing your insecurities is a profound act of vulnerability. She was even brave enough to let me mention her by name.
I don’t have advice, only observations. This why I encourage you to read this with a caveat that I share with members of our prime community: Consider the possibility that everything I’ve said here is total bullshit. It might be for you.
