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Sue's avatar

my dad (he's a writer) told me that once your writing is done and published, it's for the readers and there's not a lot we can do .. I think it's beautiful that the things that we write evoke different feelings for different people. :)

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Katie Kraushaar's avatar

I agree with you! I'm working on leaving space for my writing to do what it's meant to do for each person who encounters it.

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Ashley Holstrom's avatar

Your newsletter may not leave me feeling happy, but it does leave me feeling full. It makes me pause and think about how I’m facing my life. This one, especially so.

My mom also tells me I write too much about sad things. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Katie Kraushaar's avatar

Ah, I love that, Ashley! That feeling of fullness is so potent. I’m so glad that my words can do that for you. Sad writers unite!

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Tracy O’Brien's avatar

Happy birthday and have a wonderful time at the wedding. xx

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Katie Kraushaar's avatar

Thank you, Tracy!

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Hannah Levy's avatar

Katie, we have very parallel paths. I really appreciate your honesty here, and for sharing the experience of your grandmother's passing and how you processed it as a child. I turn to writing when I'm feeling my most vulnerable and raw. A friend once told me that the content I write on Instagram is heavy and intense. It made me feel like an angsty teenager. I spent a lot of time thinking about this, because my intention was never to "depress" people - my intention has always been to make people pause. For me personally, writing is a way to process the range of my emotions, and maybe the intensity of this moment in my life and from collective consciousness shines through in my writing. For what it's worth... your writing doesn't make me sad. It makes me reflective. But some people confuse the two - introspection can often churn up repressed feelings and things we wish we could hide from.

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Katie Kraushaar's avatar

I agree, Hannah--I suppose that's part of what writing is meant to do: help us reckon with the parts of life that might feel easier to hide. I have accepted that I am a person who will always like to have the heavier conversations and ask the tough questions, and it sounds like you are as well. Writing is my preferred way to process and make sense of what I've experienced. What it does for others will vary.

And my dad followed up his comment by acknowledging that he, too, tends to explore the melancholy side of life. So I come by it honestly!

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Kristi's avatar

❤️ you're writing as your most authentic self!

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Katie Kraushaar's avatar

Thanks, friend! I'm trying :)

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