8 Comments
Mar 12, 2023Liked by Jeannine Ouellette

Jeannine,

When I first subscribed to your Substack, I thought it was mainly for helpful writing tips -- which you deliver in spades -- but it's so much more: It's a beautiful and articulate roadmap, not only for writing, but for how to look at the life you've lived with more courage and honesty. Thank you for constantly sharing so much of yourself. I've lived enough of a life to know how difficult that must be at times. Thank you.

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author

What a lovely comment to receive!

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The story of Mary Ann made me weep. The story of how your memoir came to be made me hope. And the story Bent with Billie made me dream of one day writing something with one of my kids, of discovering together how my life has soaked into them, and how their lives have soaked into me. What a gift. Thank you for sharing this, and everything else.

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author

You know, I have been writing for my whole adult life, so that's more than 30 years now--yet, hearing words like yours in response to my work never, ever stops being uplifting beyond what you might possibly imagine. Thank you, thank you. Truly. Also, tonight I just now finished rocking Billie's foster son (2 years old) to sleep, and am feeling deeply the circle of life, and am full of gratitude. Thank you for being part of that in this moment.

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founding

Every single part of this interview resonated, and I found myself standing still in my front hallway, reading it word for word, laughing and crying and feeling understood as a writer and as a woman. The part that really stopped me and made me sit down was about the retreat you ran. You put into words every single fear I have about imposter syndrome and worries about filling my spots and “who am I to do this?” I feel so much less scared to take this leap of my own, especially after seeing that beautiful photo of the dock jump. Thank you for sharing your work with the world. I’m reading your book now and can’t put it down.

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author

Oh my goodness, thank you for taking the time to share this feedback!! It means so much! Thank you!! And for reading my book, too! And, to note, this post is free for all, so don't hesitate to send it to anyone else you think might need to hear these things. I'm pretty open about what I call the "back room" of writing, the room behind the curtain. It's like that Lidia Yuknavitch interview where she said she didn't know how to structure her book, and I REVERE her and was so grateful for that honesty, I try hard to do the same thing!

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founding

Jeannine, I couldn't agree more with what you're saying. Literary citizenship has helped me navigate the world of writing and publishing, especially because I stepped into it when I was 40! I had a lot of ground to cover, and so the generosity of other writers helped me stay the course and not give up at those (not infrequent) moments I was ready to chuck it all. I've cross-posted this piece on my own Substack, Writers' Haven by Christine Wolf. I'm confident that my subscribers will find your words as refreshing, reassuring, and inspiring as I did. Thanks again.

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author

Yay to all of this! As I tell myself, keep going!!

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