Some years ago when I was in my first year in college, I heard Salome Bey sing for the first time. The moment was exciting. Salome’s 1 filled the room and brought the theater to life. I was so 2 that I decided to write an article about her. I 3 Salome Bey, telling her I was from Essence magazine, and that I wanted to meet her to talk about her career. She 4 and told me to come to her studio next Tuesday. When I hung up, I was scared out of my mind. I 5 I was lying. I was not a writer at all and hadn’t even written a grocery list. I interviewed Salome Bey the next Tuesday. I sat there 6 , taking notes and asking questions that all began with. “Can you tell me...” I soon realized that 7 Salome Bey was one thing, but writing a story for a national magazine was just impossible. The 8 was almost unbearable. I struggled for days 9 draft ( 草稿 ) after draft Finally I put my manuscript ( 手稿 ) into a large envelope and dropped it into a mailbox. It didn’t take long. My manuscript 10 . How stupid of me! I thought. How could I 11 in a world of professional writers? Knowing I couldn’t 12 the rejection letter. I threw the unopened envelope into a drawer. Five years later, I was moving to California. While 13 my apartment, I came across the unopened envelope. This time I opened it and read the editor’s letter in 14 . Ms Profit, Your story on Salome Bey is fantastic. Yet we need some 15 materials. Please add those and return the article immediately. We would like to 16 your story soon. Shocked, it took me a long time to 17 . Fear of rejection cost me greatly. I lost at least five hundred dollars and having my article appear in a major magazine. More importantly, I lost years of 18 writing. Today, I have become a full-time writer. Looking back on this 19 . I learned a very important lesson: You can’t 20 to doubt yourself.