Writers get courage from other writers, which is to say, from books and stories. Seek out the ones that astonish you, that make you say, “You can do that?” Seek out the ones that seep into you and charge you with the will to take risks. Writer friends and writing groups can similarly ballast and inspire you.

Writing forces you to face the blank page and allow what arises. All our taught lessons are about planning, predicting, understanding. Writing is about what comes after you leave behind everything you know, everything you thought was certain.

Charge yourself and your practice with courage. Read poetry. Write in groups. Write into what scares you or makes you shift in your seat. Slow down enough to see the world unfolding over the void you walk into, one step at a time. Everything you need to know is in those observed and imagined details, of gesture and action, of costume and place.

A Practical Alphabet for Writers: Find all the letters so far at https://bookwritingworld.com/blogs/