@DonBoivin was the perfect writer to start your series with. Thanks for sharing his insights with us...I especially loved seeing his journal note which led to one of his popular posts. I look forward to the next monthly installment, Amanda.
I did, and then, when I realized it was just a quote, hanging in the middle of nowhere with no relevance to a post, I deleted it, but I thought I was just deleting the restack, not the whole quote. Now it’s gone. I liked how you spoke of my vulnerability as a writer. if you can remember what you said, I would love it if you posted it again, but if not, that’s just fine. In mindfulness, we learn to let go of the things we are most attached to. 😇
Truly, wonderful! Thank you Amanda for your skill and energy to highlight other writers—that is such an unselfish act in this age of “self-promotion.” And Don…I learned more about you as you reflected upon Amanda’s questions; thank you as well for your authenticity.
Thanks Kert! So glad you enjoyed it. And it’s a pleasure for me to do this and find out more about writers I’ve connected with on here. And others who I don’t know yet who’ve got in touch and asked to be featured. I love meeting new people and talking about writing!
It's certainly interesting digging into what makes a writer tick and what makes their writing different than others. Don adds an interesting twist to Mary Oliver's succinct advice -"Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell others about it."
As I understand it, he recommends we let readers know what it was in us that got us to end up in that "place" in life where we make the observations. Good advice - Thanks for sharing.
Don, I am SO grateful to have found you. Your writing is transformative. That Emily Dickenson quote and your writing, as it so often does, took my breath away. I learned so much from this mindful interview. Thank you so much and thank you Amanda, this series is going to be phenomenal!
Thank you Amanda and Don for this inspiring and helpful interview. It’s always such a joy to read about other writers’ processes, especially ones I admire like Don (I’ve just discovered your Substack thanks to this Amanda!). There’s also a lot here that’s actionable, and I really like Don’s response about mindful writing. What resonated with me most, though, was the part of the interview where Don addresses fear: “Well, I understand now, after some years of reflection, that if I don’t finish the book, if I never show it to the world, I won’t have to face the possible rejection. Or, almost as bad, I won’t have to risk learning that my novel is mediocre at best. Right now, my view of the book is that it is unique, engaging, and fun. It is the book I would have read and enjoyed when I was twelve years old. And I know now that I am attached to that view and don’t want to risk giving it up.” I relate to this so deeply: being attached to a view of my writing and therefore unwilling to risk its integrity by sharing it with an audience. Anyway, sorry for the long comment 😅. Thanks again to both of you.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jacob. I'm so happy you found it inspiring and helpful. Ah yes, the fear. It's so hard to overcome. I hope you and Don both get there as I'm sure there are many people in the world that would love to read your work.
Great to hear from you, Jacob! Thank you for your kind words. Don't be sorry for the long comment; we love that, don't we, Amanda!
Do you have a book that you haven't attempted to publish? Substack is helping me to realize that I have a non-fiction in me, and I think within a year I will start writing it (or it's already been started through all my essays).
Best of luck to you, Jacob. May your best intentions be realized!
Thanks Don! Not a book per se, but I certainly aspire to writing a collection of non-fiction essays. I’m hoping Substack can give me the creative space I need to figure things out! So far, so good. I look forward to reading/buying your book someday!
Amanda, thank you for this interview with my twin. I so enjoyed the entire interview. It's 4:52 am and I'm wide awake after reading this.! My ideas now are swirling through my mind like a twister! I've always enjoyyed reading everything my brother writes. His interesting , enjoyable work always gives my mind so much more to contemplate, gives me so pleasure, and I couldn't be more proud of him. Thank you!
Aw, it's my dear sister! You are my biggest fan and I love you for that! Well, I already love you but you warm my heart again and again with your kindness, Donna! 🩷
Thank you, Don, for sharing your wisdom. I love your mission statement - "Any writing I do, in Substack or elsewhere, must be infused with self, with love, with integrity. It must be honest—it must be my truth. It must not be arrogant. In other words, it must contain within its heart the understanding that all humans suffer." @Don Boivin is one of the most generous writers/readers here on Substack, so encouraging and supportive of other writers, even a newbie like me. If it weren't for Don (and a few other kind souls - @Perry J Greenbaum, @Thomas Kuegler), I might have gotten discouraged within a few weeks.
What a great interview! I’ve been looking forward to the start of this series with a couple writers I admire - I was not disappointed! ✨
Thanks Stephanie! I'm glad to hear that you were looking forward to it and that we have delivered!
I had no doubts. 😉 Thanks for doing this series!
Great start to your series Amanda. Don is a fascinating individual with a lot of stories to share. I look forward to future interviews.
Many thanks, Matthew. And for sharing it too. 🙏🏼
@DonBoivin was the perfect writer to start your series with. Thanks for sharing his insights with us...I especially loved seeing his journal note which led to one of his popular posts. I look forward to the next monthly installment, Amanda.
Deb, this is so nice! You wrote such a thoughtful comment on Notes, too, and I was trying to restack it and accidentally deleted it! 😟
You're welcome. I think you restacked my comment as a quote, so the interview link didn't stay attached.
I did, and then, when I realized it was just a quote, hanging in the middle of nowhere with no relevance to a post, I deleted it, but I thought I was just deleting the restack, not the whole quote. Now it’s gone. I liked how you spoke of my vulnerability as a writer. if you can remember what you said, I would love it if you posted it again, but if not, that’s just fine. In mindfulness, we learn to let go of the things we are most attached to. 😇
You remembered, and you restocked the note as well! Thank you so much, Deb. Your kindness warms my heart. ❤️
Thanks Deb. I'm glad you like it!
I enjoyed this interview. Bravo to you, Amanda! Bravo @DonBoivin! (although I know you're not looking for Bravos 😉)
What! Yeah I am! 😇 Thank you, Fran.
Thanks Fran. All bravos welcomed! 😘
Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks for reading, Richard. Happy to hear you found it inspiring.
A wonderful interview. Art and writing in general is the doorway to the soul.
Thank you - so glad you liked it! And yes, art is definitely soul work.
Truly, wonderful! Thank you Amanda for your skill and energy to highlight other writers—that is such an unselfish act in this age of “self-promotion.” And Don…I learned more about you as you reflected upon Amanda’s questions; thank you as well for your authenticity.
Thanks, Kert!
Thanks Kert! So glad you enjoyed it. And it’s a pleasure for me to do this and find out more about writers I’ve connected with on here. And others who I don’t know yet who’ve got in touch and asked to be featured. I love meeting new people and talking about writing!
It's certainly interesting digging into what makes a writer tick and what makes their writing different than others. Don adds an interesting twist to Mary Oliver's succinct advice -"Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell others about it."
As I understand it, he recommends we let readers know what it was in us that got us to end up in that "place" in life where we make the observations. Good advice - Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mark. Glad you enjoyed it.
Don, I am SO grateful to have found you. Your writing is transformative. That Emily Dickenson quote and your writing, as it so often does, took my breath away. I learned so much from this mindful interview. Thank you so much and thank you Amanda, this series is going to be phenomenal!
Thank you so much, Niki. You’re so very kind!
Thank you, Niki! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and are looking forward to more.
Excellent!
Thank you Amanda and Don for this inspiring and helpful interview. It’s always such a joy to read about other writers’ processes, especially ones I admire like Don (I’ve just discovered your Substack thanks to this Amanda!). There’s also a lot here that’s actionable, and I really like Don’s response about mindful writing. What resonated with me most, though, was the part of the interview where Don addresses fear: “Well, I understand now, after some years of reflection, that if I don’t finish the book, if I never show it to the world, I won’t have to face the possible rejection. Or, almost as bad, I won’t have to risk learning that my novel is mediocre at best. Right now, my view of the book is that it is unique, engaging, and fun. It is the book I would have read and enjoyed when I was twelve years old. And I know now that I am attached to that view and don’t want to risk giving it up.” I relate to this so deeply: being attached to a view of my writing and therefore unwilling to risk its integrity by sharing it with an audience. Anyway, sorry for the long comment 😅. Thanks again to both of you.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jacob. I'm so happy you found it inspiring and helpful. Ah yes, the fear. It's so hard to overcome. I hope you and Don both get there as I'm sure there are many people in the world that would love to read your work.
Thanks Amanda!
Great to hear from you, Jacob! Thank you for your kind words. Don't be sorry for the long comment; we love that, don't we, Amanda!
Do you have a book that you haven't attempted to publish? Substack is helping me to realize that I have a non-fiction in me, and I think within a year I will start writing it (or it's already been started through all my essays).
Best of luck to you, Jacob. May your best intentions be realized!
Thanks Don! Not a book per se, but I certainly aspire to writing a collection of non-fiction essays. I’m hoping Substack can give me the creative space I need to figure things out! So far, so good. I look forward to reading/buying your book someday!
Amanda, thank you for this interview with my twin. I so enjoyed the entire interview. It's 4:52 am and I'm wide awake after reading this.! My ideas now are swirling through my mind like a twister! I've always enjoyyed reading everything my brother writes. His interesting , enjoyable work always gives my mind so much more to contemplate, gives me so pleasure, and I couldn't be more proud of him. Thank you!
Hi Donna, lovely to meet Don's twin! So glad you enjoyed it but hope you get some more sleep!
Aw, it's my dear sister! You are my biggest fan and I love you for that! Well, I already love you but you warm my heart again and again with your kindness, Donna! 🩷
Thank you, Don, for sharing your wisdom. I love your mission statement - "Any writing I do, in Substack or elsewhere, must be infused with self, with love, with integrity. It must be honest—it must be my truth. It must not be arrogant. In other words, it must contain within its heart the understanding that all humans suffer." @Don Boivin is one of the most generous writers/readers here on Substack, so encouraging and supportive of other writers, even a newbie like me. If it weren't for Don (and a few other kind souls - @Perry J Greenbaum, @Thomas Kuegler), I might have gotten discouraged within a few weeks.
Thank you Amanda, for putting this together. <3
Hi Anna, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. And yes, Don is superstar! I'm glad you were encouraged to stay.
Aw, thank you so much, Anna! I’m flattered and just so grateful for your kind words🙏🩷