Sue: Emily, this anxiety you’re experiencing, it’s natural. This is a big step for you and your career. You’re putting yourself out there, and it’s stirring up a lot of emotion. But that’s good. You of all people know what to do with emotion: Put it on the page. Write about it. Turn it into art.
Emily: But I don’t believe in myself anymore.
Sue: Wait, what?
Emily: I used to have this confidence, this power, but not anymore, not since I met him. And Sue, I hate to say this, but it’s your fault.
Sue: My fault?
Emily: Yes, because you pressured me into this. You introduced me to him. You started filling my head with all these ideas about fame. And as soon as I gave him my poem, I lost everything. The flow I used to have, it got cut off. I used to be inspired by everything. And then suddenly, the only thing that mattered to me was him – what he thought, how he felt. It’s like he invaded me. He’s all I can think about. I used to have a drive that came from somewhere else, and now it all comes from him.