One Continuous Mistake

practice implies engagement in a ritual. A practice may be defined as the dedicated, daily exercise of commitment, will, and focused intention aimed, on one level, at the achievement of mastery in a field but, on a loftier level, intended to produce a communion with a power greater than ourselves — call it whatever you like: God, mind, soul, Self,

“My readers would welcome whatever life style I chose, as long as I made sure each new work was an improvement over the last. And shouldn’t that be my duty—and my top priority—as a novelist?”

Everything she did—what she wore, how she lived—now came into line with this principle. Forget self. She kept her physical needs very simple, which gave her more energy for her work. She dressed, as Stanton had urged, simply and conservatively, so as not to draw attention to her own person—always in dignified black. Susan loved colorful clothes. Bu