Be brave

14 found out last night that she didn't make it to the finals of a local talent competition. She was devastated, of course. This is the second year running, and last year one of the finalists was her music-nemesis--now friend--from Orchestra. The one who seems not to really care about his violin playing at all.

As I sat trying to comfort her, I remembered so strongly those years before I was published. Of course, now I know that I was published, and so that eventually all that work paid of...