26 Comments
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James Bailey's avatar

We could restack fifty passages for fifty days and still not do scratch the surface of the wisdom and essentialism in here. 🙌🙏

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Bridget Godwin's avatar

Agree! I wanted to restack the whole thing.

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Caroline Cala Donofrio's avatar

Thank you, James. 🙏😊

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Lindsey Smith's avatar

I could read this over and over again every day for a month and still feel like I had not tapped all the lessons it contains. This is brilliant for all of us who doubt (that is to say, all of us).

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Victoria's avatar

I sure hope you compile all these substack entries into a collection of essays someday. One that I can purchase a hard copy....maybe even get autographed, if I'm lucky 😉 ...and highlight passages that particularly resonate, fold pages that I want to reference later...

Reading AI generated passages are so soul-less and it makes me feel empty as a reader. I know it is communicating information, but the fact that I can literally TELL it is AI generated leaves a bad taste

So when I see your Subtack email every Sunday, my heart flutters a little with joyful anticipation. They are so rich, so soulful. Thank you!

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Caroline Cala Donofrio's avatar

Thank you, Victoria, that means a lot. ❤️ I don’t know how a publisher would feel about a book of these, but maybe I’ll print one myself! And I’m so honored that you both anticipate my words and recognize that they all originated from my little human fingers.

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Emily Pittman's avatar

I love your list of why you write. I want to make my own for why I paint and hang it in my studio! ❤️

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Caroline Cala Donofrio's avatar

Thank you, Emily! I love that idea.

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Donna McArthur's avatar

I appreciate your point that personal writing is a conversation with ourself that will leave us changed and we don't always know what we are setting out to say. The thing that is most difficult to write is the part of us that is crying to see the light of day and is often the piece that will take flight and probably lift us, and our readers, to a new level.

Thank you Caroline.

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Doris Füllgrabe's avatar

Another one for the books. Love the insight, LOVE the pics. ❤️

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David Nebinski's avatar

So good! I have been thinking more about my writing - so the timing of this was so appealing, thank you!

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Caroline Cala Donofrio's avatar

I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you!

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jrg's avatar

thank you, needed this today! also loving that colorful spiral notebook.

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Caroline Cala Donofrio's avatar

Thank you!

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Emily Mueller's avatar

Beautifully written. Thanks for sharing!

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Heather Sunseri's avatar

"In the world of memoir, it is said that good writing is what you’re scared to share with others, while great writing is what you’re scared to share with yourself."

Just reading that sentence made me a little anxious, because I know it to be true.

Thank you for this post, Caroline!

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Barbs Honeycutt's avatar

HI Gnocchi!!

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Sally Jupe's avatar

Thank you Caroline. My 'locked away for later' writing thoughts needed to see this process today. I had never heard of the word 'behoove' until I read it in your essays BTW and so looked it up. And for some really odd reason an image of a Friesian cow always pops in my head! 😂

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Caroline Cala Donofrio's avatar

Hahaha, I love that, Sally. Maybe because it has hooves… or behoove is like a fancy “moo”? Funny too because I don’t know that it’s a word I’ve ever used in my speech, yet in writing it pops out again and again. The process is mysterious in its way!

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Sally Jupe's avatar

Haha yes its both hooves and moo. Just don't blurt our 'Friesian' instead now if you do say it out loud!!

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Carly Valancy's avatar

There really is nothing like the feeling of having written. Thank you for this reminder

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Caroline Cala Donofrio's avatar

Thank you, Carly. 🩷

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Yvonne's avatar

So beautifully written and so full of hope. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for your words of encouragement. Onward, Caroline!❤.

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Caroline Cala Donofrio's avatar

Thank you, Yvonne! ❤️

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bernadette's avatar

As always, thank you for writing ; )

💖✨

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Oj's avatar

Nice

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