Writing Advice

Speaking of leather straps, I’ve been pondering about bootstraps lately—those handy loops on the tops of boots that help you pull them on more easily. Growing up, I often heard, “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” Well-meaning adults would use this saying to encourage me to work harder and stop being lazy. Of course, if I was slacking off or not getting my work done, they assumed it was because I didn’t understand I needed more effort.