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Lindsay Elizabeth

Fantasy/Romance Fiction & Creative Living

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November 10, 2020 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

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THE AUTHOR

HI, I’M LINDSAY

I write fantasy/romance fiction and help creatives navigate the challenges of chasing their dreams. On my blog, you’ll find advice on writing, overcoming creative blocks, and building a life around what you love.

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How to Set Up a Writing Planner to Stay Inspired & Organized
11 Self-Development Workbooks and Guided Journals for Empowerment and Inner Peace
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I’m Lindsay, an author and creative living blogger. I'm sharing advice on writing, tackling creative blocks, and building a life around what you love.

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𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬...?⁠⁣
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One of the most important questions you should ask yourself when approaching goals is: how do I want to *feel*?⁠⁣
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I always ask myself this when I’m setting a new goal or feeling unmotivated about the ones I’ve already committed to.⁣
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For example: say your goal is to finally organize your workspace but you keep putting it off. Maybe the act of organizing isn’t something you particularly enjoy but right now, the chaos of its disorganized state is causing you unnecessary stress and distraction.⁠⁣
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Imagine getting rid of those negative feelings and replacing them with ones of lightness, peace of mind, and creative flow.⁠⁣
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Now, the goal isn’t just to have an “organized space.” The goal is relaxation and creativity. Those targets are *much* more inspiring and easier to stay motivated to put in effort for, right? ⁠⁣
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𝚂𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙴 𝚃𝙸𝙿𝚂 𝙾𝙽 𝙶𝙾𝙰𝙻 𝚂𝙴𝚃𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶⁠⁣
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⇢ Always think about the positive feelings associated with an outcome. You can also reverse engineer this when trying to decide what goals to set — think about how you want to feel, then determine what will create those feelings and set goals that will make it happen.⁠⁣
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⇢ Always stay close to your “why.” Why are you writing your book (and more specifically, THIS book)? Because the act of writing fulfills you, makes you feel alive? Because the story excites you? How will you feel when you finish it?⁠⁣
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⇢ Whenever we desire something, we desire it because of how we think it will make us feel. If a goal isn’t feeling good to you, check in on why you’re going after it in the first place. Is it for the right reasons? Is it because you think you *should* want it, maybe because it will satisfy someone else? Are you no longer actually aligned with it?⁠⁣
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My printable planner inserts are designed with these things in mind with spaces to keep track of your why, rewards for milestones, vision board, and more. You can download the Writing Goals Bundle & Goal Planner Bundle instantly in my shop via the link in my bio ✨

Who feels me? 🙋🏻‍♀️ Share your fiction

Who feels me? 🙋🏻‍♀️ Share your fictional crushes in the comments!

I’ve always been afraid of making mistakes. A tr

I’ve always been afraid of making mistakes. A true perfectionist, thinking I could protect myself from criticism and judgment if I just work hard enough at something.⁣
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But there is no such thing as “perfect” and it’s impossible to avoid criticism, no matter how good you are (especially since “good” is entirely subjective in art), so perfectionism is a lie.⁣
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There’s a difference between putting your best effort into something and torturing yourself about not being “good enough.”⁣
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When I used to try drafting novels, I’d never finish them. I was so caught up in trying to make the first draft as “perfect” as possible that it sucked all the fun out of the process and made me end up resenting them to the point of shelving them.⁣
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Now, first drafts are the biggest exercises in allowing myself the freedom to make mistakes. To write scenes the wrong way, to put down the wrong dialogue, to write crappy prose. Because it’s within that freedom that I find the permission to play and tap into the real magic of the story.⁣
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You don’t have to get it all right the first time, or the second time, or even the third time. You have as many drafts as you need. There are no rules about how your creative process needs to look, and how quickly you get to a satisfactory end result doesn’t determine how “good” you are. ⁣
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The journey takes as long as it takes. Why are we in such a rush to get to the end of it, anyway?⁣
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We have to release the limitations and rules that we put on our creativity and worthiness. Mistakes don’t define us. They’re just little pieces of the puzzle we’re moving around on the board, trying to find the right spot for.⁣
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Trust the process. And remember to have fun — because that’s what we’re really doing this for, right? 🖤

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐲'𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰?⁣
⁣
Most of my favorites fall into that category, whether they're from a book/film/tv show or one of my own stories.⁣
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I think it's because they're not only incredibly compelling to follow in a story and have some of the most satisfying character arcs, but also because they're relatable (to an extent). They remind us that it's okay to be flawed and have dark sides to ourselves because ultimately it's our *choices* that define who we are.⁣
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Recently, I watched "Shadow and Bone" on Netflix and @benbarnes as The Darkling made me feel some type of way, so I had to put my favorite line of his on a shirt. Not sorry that I hear his voice saying it in my head every time I wear it.⁣
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You can grab one for yourself in my shop (link in bio) as a shirt, crewneck sweatshirt, or a mug if you want an excuse to think of this line every day, too. (I'm wearing the shirt in Black Heather here.)⁣
⁠⁣
𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔/𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔?

𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢

𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞…⁠⁣
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While I’ve pressed pause on the second draft of Project Coastline (though I’m still working on it in the background, occasionally making notes and jumping back to revise my outline), I’ve started drafting one of my new projects, Project Baseball (a contemporary forbidden/secret romance).⁠⁣
⁠⁣
It’s been a rough transition from editing to drafting again. It reminds me of that moment in Jurassic Park where Tim, exasperated after outrunning the t-rex and surviving a fall from a tree, says: "𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍... 𝒘𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌... 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏."⁠⁣
⁠⁣
First drafts are both magical and maddening. 😅 It's great to be back in the liberating wilderness of discovery, but it's also hard to switch gears from editing mode. I have to keep reminding my brain to stop getting in the way of the process.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
You have to allow yourself to write complete shit so you have the space to find the story. Later drafts are for adding additional layers — atmosphere, characterization, prose, overall polishing. But actually getting out of your own way and putting that into practice can be suuuuper challenging. I’ve had to give myself grace on transitioning back into that mode.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I’ve started thinking of first drafts as an extended outline. The language we use helps us frame things in our mind, and thinking of it this way helps me differentiate it from other drafts and stop falling into the trap of thinking of it as a finished product.⁠⁣
⁣
(If you’re also in the first draft trenches, check out my IG guide “first draft tips.”)⁣
⁠⁣
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒔?⁠

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜…⁠⁣
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I recently went on a three-day staycation with one of my besties in January and it was the mental health break I desperately needed. When I came back, I felt rejuvenated and a rush of inspiration poured from my freshly filled creative well.⁠⁣
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It was coming from all angles — for my business, my writing (and multiple projects, at that), for my content. Honestly, I became a little overwhelmed because I wasn’t sure how to funnel it.⁠⁣
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I started telling myself I *had* to choose one thing to focus on in order to actually be productive, even though I was feeling inspired in several directions after a long stretch of lacking inspiration for anything.⁠⁣
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But that didn’t *feel* right, so after fighting myself a bit, I decided to take the leap and trust myself, and not worry about using my rush of inspiration in the "wrong" way. I decided to trust that it would lead me where I needed to go, and all I had to do was follow it and gently guide it along into somewhat organized chaos.⁠⁣
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I ended up outlining two and a half books for a new series, planned 3 more, figured out major plot holes on my main WIP that I'd been stuck on for months, designed new merch for my shop, and got a bunch of content planned/produced after almost a year of being stuck on that, too.⁣
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If I'd put too many restrictions on myself and not trusted my creativity and my ability to lovingly funnel it properly, I would've accomplished way less and had a lot less fun in the process.⁠⁣
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Too much pressure and restriction kills creativity. Focus on kind guidance and discipline instead.⁠⁣
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Honor the different seasons of your creativity. There isn't a "one size fits all" approach and your creativity it will look different for you in different seasons. Sometimes, it will desire extreme focus, others it will want to stretch its limbs and explore its wildness. Enjoy the journey.⁣
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And trust the process.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆?

𝐈 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝟑𝟐 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡. ✨⁠⁣
⁠⁣
(Swipe for a photo dump from my birthday week which included a stay with my two wonderful besties @kristineiza & @midcenturyminnie at Disney World’s Grand Floridian — a ✓ off my bucket list!)⁣
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I learned a lot this past year, but one of the main things I want to continue focusing on in my next trip around the sun is 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I have a tendency to live in my head and get wrapped up in the future — trying to avoid mistakes, worrying about what could happen, attempting to control things, waiting for specific outcomes — and it robs me of enjoying what is already in front of me.⁠⁣
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Being mindful of this, I've been making an effort to catch myself when I'm getting stressed about something outside the present moment (and outside my control).⁠⁣
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As an ambitious (and generally anxious) person, this has been a big challenge for me.⁠⁣
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Funny enough, one of the tricks that helps me stay rooted in the present is to take a quick trip to the future to ask Future Me what I'll miss about today.⁠⁣
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We can have an eye on the future in such a way that inspires us and moves us forward without the destination becoming an obsession that keeps us in a state of perpetual ”waiting" rather than living.⁠⁣
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Everyone talks about enjoying the journey, but I'm only just beginning to understand what that truly means.⁠⁣
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Every season of life has gifts, some that won't be with us when we make it to the destinations we're currently striving toward. In the future, we'll look back on certain aspects of our current lives and be nostalgic for them because we didn't realize they wouldn't be with us forever, or didn't even stop to realize what a gift they were in general.⁠⁣
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𝟸 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙰𝚂𝙺 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁𝚂𝙴𝙻𝙵 𝙳𝙰𝙸𝙻𝚈:⁠⁣
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× What do I have right now that I'll probably miss in the future?⁠⁣
× How can I make the most of where I am right now, in this season of life that I'm in?⁠⁣
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❝𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙩.❞ — FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬, 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧...?⁠
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Besides being awesome, they're also the inspiration for my merch — and all of that merch is currently 𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙚!⁠
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From 𝟭𝟭/𝟮𝟲-𝟭𝟭/𝟮𝟵, all my printables are 15% off and everything else is 10% off.⁠
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This week, I dropped my latest collection, which is inspired by my love of fairytales. Swipe ⇾ through to see all five designs, including one inspired by @drewbarrymore's iconic character (Danielle de Barbarac) in one of my favorite fairytale retellings, Ever After: A Cinderella Story.⁠
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You can check out the fairytale and Marvel-inspired collections, as well as all the apparel, mugs, and printables for writers in my Etsy shop (via the link in my bio).⁠
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𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅/𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈?

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐮𝐧…⁠
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Recently, I had to get honest with myself and accept that I’d hit burnout on my WIP 1/3 of the way through my second draft.⁠
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For a year and a half, I worked on Project Coastline without taking a break for more than a week or two, except when I moved, which was a stressful experience so it didn’t feel like a “true” break (in terms of filling up my creative well).⁠
⁠
I‘d been reluctant to take a real break because of how anxious I am to finish this book, but I had to remind myself of the importance of recognizing when it’s time to push and when it’s time to pull back — and not let my impatience get the better of me.⁠
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Creativity ebbs and flows. Sometimes, it needs a little pressure and discipline. Other times, it needs a little space to breathe. Part of the process of living a creative life is becoming in tune with what your creativity needs each moment in order to thrive.⁠
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𝙷𝙾𝚆 𝚃𝙾 𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙳 𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙽𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙰𝙶𝙰𝙸𝙽 𝚆𝙷𝙴𝙽 𝙽𝙴𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙰 𝙱𝚄𝚁𝙽𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝙿𝙷𝙰𝚂𝙴⁠
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⇢ Give yourself permission to listen to what YOU need and what feels good. Yes, there are difficult parts to anything (writing included), but once it stops being fun at all, you know it’s time for a break.⁠

⇢ Get to know the difference between constructive pressure/discipline and destructive pressure. How does it feel in your body? The former will help you focus, the latter depletes you.⁠

⇢ Get rid of the noise. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to be creative. If you start comparing yourself to others too much, distance yourself from other voices for a while so you can reconnect with and get grounded in your own voice again.⁠

⇢ Refill your creative well, whatever that means for you at the moment. Maybe it’s reading/watching other fiction in your genre, maybe it’s focusing on other things that have nothing to do with writing. What are you feeling drawn to?⁠

⇢ Trust the process. It’s not going to be a clean, linear journey, no matter who you are.⁠
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𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒕? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒐-𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒕?

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