A Writer's Notebook, Day Eight-Hundred-And--Thirty-Two

I am in a phase of transition, I think, with my writing, and I think I am getting to the place where I can start reaching the important things I want to be able to express.   I am recognizing an absence in my work, though it is hard to acknowledge, but I can see now, in a new way, the things I did so often that were attempts to hide, or be clever instead of straightforward.  I have a great deal of craftsmanship in my work, I know, but I have also been protecting myself in some ways by allowing that capacity for artistry toto serve as a screen, or perhaps a shield.  I am gaining strength in terms of being more open and honest in the work, in ways that I had not been aware of before, and I feel ready to push forward to another level with my work as a result.  In some ways, it makes me feel that I am only beginning to even be able to start the real work.

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