During the 2011 AROHO retreat I recognized that the fear I carried with me as a woman writer in the context of tackling difficult subject matter, or fearing judgment from others—all that baggage that we tend to carry around as writers that keeps us from writing what we are meant to write—is part of what Marilynne Robinson spoke of as a categorical way we are taught to think. While I listened to her words I suddenly understood that I had the power to break that spell.—Maura MacNeil

• This quote comes from my interview with Maura MacNeil.
• Find out about the 2103 AROHO Retreat.
• Find out how I broke the spell and how you can too, in “Writing with Courage.”
• See more quotes about writing here.