Jacqueline asked Roxane Gay:

Hi, Roxane. I've come to the realization that in order to sit my ass down and write that work that has long eluded me, I would have to tap into a vulnerable and painful place. How does one do that without letting it consume you or undo any healing that has taken place? That vulnerability sounds scary.

Roxane Gay I would question that the only way to write what you want is to tap into a vulnerable and painful place. Is that true? Or is that what you think you need to do to write something compelling? There is some distance between those two things. Vulnerability is scary which is why you need firm boundaries about how much of yourself you are willing to surrender to the page, to the reader. When you respect your own boundaries, you protect yourself.

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