I Think Of Myself As

Many Women My Age Have Known The Experience Of Giving Up Crucial Parts Of Themselves To Please The Man They Love.

I Compromised My Ability To Tell My Story, At The Most Basic Level.

When I Was 12 Years Old, I Read Nancy Drew Mysteries And Biographies Of Madame Curie And Florence Nightingale And Books About Girls Who Love Horses Or Go To Nursing School. I Belonged To The Girl Scouts And Got A's In School And Rarely Disobeyed My Parents. I Still Kept A Collection Of Barbie Dolls In My Room, And I Almost Never Spoke To Boys.

The Painter Who Feels Obligated To Depict His Subjects As Uniformly Beautiful Or Handsome And Without Flaws Will Fall Short Of Making Art.

I Think Of Myself As A Realistic Writer, Not A Creator Of Soap Opera Or Melodrama.