“Let's see if I can write about something other than my heart.”

“Don’t let yourself be. Find something new to try, something to change. Count how often it succeeds and how often it doesn’t. Write about it. Ask a patient or a colleague what they think about it. See if you can keep the conversation going.”

“Maybe I can learn to live in a way that makes it worth writing about, and maybe I can actually become something more than this empty shell.”

“Anger was something I could control. I could settle into an easy rhythm of blameand hate. Focus my energy on something other than the ache in my heart.”

“I enjoy writing, I enjoy my house, my family and, more than anything I enjoy the feeling of seeing each day used to the full to actually produce something. The end.”

“Maybe I can hide it. Yes, I think, perhaps you can bury something of yourself to live well with others, but if you want to be alone . . . well, let them see it all.”