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    <title>practice &amp;mdash; Ernest Ortiz Writes Now</title>
    <link>https://ernestortizwritesnow.com/tag:practice</link>
    <description>My chaotic brain needs a place to stay. Author of The Package trilogy.</description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 2026 22:18:36 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>practice &amp;mdash; Ernest Ortiz Writes Now</title>
      <link>https://ernestortizwritesnow.com/tag:practice</link>
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      <title>My Writing Exercise</title>
      <link>https://ernestortizwritesnow.com/my-writing-exercise?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[My acquaintance Alan (@legendofalan) at Substack posted a writing exercise.&#xA;&#xA;Bleeding feet&#xA;Burning eyes&#xA;Broken shackles &#xA;&#xA;Consider the exercise if you want. Here is what I wrote.&#xA;&#xA;The pencil sits on the table. Yearning to be used. So is the piece of paper next to it. Your thoughts want to burst out but is restrained by not others, but your own worries, blocks, and the automatic response of self-censoring.&#xA;&#xA;But you pick up the pencil anyways. You move your hand closer to the paper. Broken shackles the second the two writing tools touch. That first line scratching, then another, and another. Finally, those lines form a coherent message.&#xA;&#xA;You’re finally free.&#xA;&#xA;writing&#xA;practice&#xA;Substack&#xA;&#xA;a href=&#34;https://remark.as/p/ernestortizwritesnow.com/my-writing-exercise&#34;Discuss.../a&#xA;&#xA;!--emailsub--&#xA;]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My acquaintance Alan (@legendofalan) at Substack posted a writing exercise.</p>

<p>Bleeding feet
Burning eyes
Broken shackles</p>

<p>Consider the exercise if you want. Here is what I wrote.</p>

<p><em>The pencil sits on the table. Yearning to be used. So is the piece of paper next to it. Your thoughts want to burst out but is restrained by not others, but your own worries, blocks, and the automatic response of self-censoring.</em></p>

<p><em>But you pick up the pencil anyways. You move your hand closer to the paper. Broken shackles the second the two writing tools touch. That first line scratching, then another, and another. Finally, those lines form a coherent message.</em></p>

<p><em>You’re finally free.</em></p>

<p><a href="https://ernestortizwritesnow.com/tag:writing" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">writing</span></a>
<a href="https://ernestortizwritesnow.com/tag:practice" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">practice</span></a>
<a href="https://ernestortizwritesnow.com/tag:Substack" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Substack</span></a></p>

<p><a href="https://remark.as/p/ernestortizwritesnow.com/my-writing-exercise">Discuss...</a></p>


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      <pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:45:52 +0000</pubDate>
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