“Last thing. You’re a writer now. Please learn how to read as a writer. That means not only that you gotta get your regimen down; it means that reading is a fundamental part of your regimen. You might want to read everything with an eye for “How in the fuck did they do that?” You gotta commit and, as Jamilah Lemieux says, know that this ain’t some ol’ easy sometimesy shit. Practice. And obliterate the notion of someone hooking you up. When you don’t practice, you’re expecting editors and teachers to hook you up. When you practice, you’re looking forward to inviting folks to your practice sessions with the hopes that they want to practice with you. Love your people and the words you’re trying to share with them. Don’t be afraid of love. And write and read into your fears. You come from a lineage of wonderful practitioners whose practice eventually saved lives. Even Baldwin, Morrison, and Hurston practiced.
We’re not good enough to not practice.
”