Don’t seek the opinions of others until you have formed your own opinion of yourself and work. This is not to say you shouldn’t get feedback or advice; you’ll need both at some point. The critical thing is to choose the right point.

How about you?

Many of our fears are tissue paper thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.
–Brendan Francis

What single step can you take–here, now, today–to carry your writing through the fear?

Q.   How many mystery writers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A.  Two. One to screw it almost all the way in, and the other to give it a surprising twist at the end.

Q.  What’s the difference between publishers and terrorists?
A.  You can negotiate with terrorists.

Space, but not the physical kind. I need psychological space, a certain amount of distance so I can get closer to my work. I guess that’s why I get up so early. I know I’ll have the world — my world — to myself.

How about you?

It is never too late to become what you might have been.
— George Eliot

It’s never too late to begin that book or play, that article or poem. It lives within you, as young and vibrant as when you first gave it life.