Trust, Doubt, and Faith in Your Writing
Trust is important in the writing life because its counterpart, doubt, is so pervasive. To contend with doubt we must exercise trust. This takes faith, which is, at essence, a belief in something that isn’t there. Yet.
To write, we must believe in something that isn’t there yet. We must have faith in our vision; we must trust the process, the project, ourselves. We will, of course, also doubt the process, project, and ourselves. It’s inevitable. The key to success, or even sanity, lies in the experience and expression of the dynamic tension between trust and doubt.
This dynamic tension is the foundation of faith, and one way to visualize it is through the yin yang symbol. A spot of doubt lies at the heart of trust, and a spot of trust lies at the heart of doubt. Absolutes of either are suspect.
An idealized form of pure trust would lead to certainty, and such certainty leads to righteousness, which can quickly descend into forms of tyranny. Voltaire said, “Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one.”
“Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one.” ~ Voltaire
Complete doubt, on the other hand, leads to despair, with a probable, eventual descent into nihilism. The novelist Rumer Godden wrote: “To despair is traitorous to your gift.”
“To despair is traitorous to your gift.” ~ Rumer Godden
So we need to respect the presence and purpose of both trust and doubt.
What you believe about trust and doubt can strengthen or weaken faith, because you can have conflicting beliefs. You can believe wholeheartedly in the process of writing, and you can trust that you can do it, but at the same time you might also believe you aren’t up to the task, and you can doubt the quality of your doing. And so you can remain stuck — one foot on the gas and the other on the brake.
What to do about it?
In addition to examining and perhaps adjusting some of our beliefs about trust and doubt, we need to look at another element of faith: confidence.
Faith can be bolstered by confidence, but confidence is earned rather than bestowed. Confidence only develops through action. To take any action one must have a degree of trust in the decision to act, even if there is also, to a lesser degree, some doubt. Whatever trust you can muster, use it to take action.
If you write one short story, you will be more likely to write another. If you get one poem published you will be more likely to submit another. If you complete one novel, you will know that you did and you will feel more confident to begin another.
Faith is strengthened by what becomes known through experience.
Channeling your trust into actions that allow you to gain confidence will strengthen your faith in your writing process, projects, and yourself.
Writing is an act of trust while also being a process plagued by doubt. We can do it when trust is stronger; but most of us struggle when doubt takes the upper hand. So we need to strengthen trust and keep doubt in check.
How do you do this? Well, what does it take to establish trust between friends? I would say such things as: honesty and straightforwardness; courage and vulnerability; loyalty and reliability; a willingness to say sorry and fix mistakes; presence and room to be; and the investment of time, effort, and patience.
Can you approach your writing in these ways? As a trustworthy friend? Can you be honest about where you are, courageously take new steps forward, show up for your practice, get back on the horse when you fall off, manage expectations and value your efforts?
Doubts will arise. Disappointments may occur. But if trust is nurtured and doubt seen for what it is, a caution against certainty and a nudging prompt back to greater trust, you may find a new sense of balance along that curving middle line of the yin yang symbol. From there you can write with faith.
As this year comes to end and another begins, give yourself the gift of renewed and deepened trust. Your writing will thank you.
April Bosshard, Story Coach
