Writers Life and Uncertainty

I am someone who struggles with uncertainty. I’ve missed many events because I didn’t know or understand what was going to happen. Agendas, guest lists, and syllabi all significantly lower my anxiety. It’s funny, before I realized that those things give me peace, I would get frustrated when people would ask questions about events I was part of. So silly because they knew to ask questions that would lower their anxiety and I didn’t and I was the frustrated one. I will now gladly share plans and explain what’s going to happen to anyone who asks.

Great works begin in the land of uncertainty. In writing, no matter what kind of writer you are, when you first start a piece, you’re writing in the dark. Before the outlines, before the spreadsheets and research, before you even think about the plot, you have a vague idea of something. A lot of masterpieces are never written because “they didn’t know what to write” and so they stopped writing altogether.

But not you!!

When you start to get frustrated about your novel the first way to soothe your nerves is to write on it. Then sleep on it. Then, on a new day with a rested spirit, ask yourself curious questions about your writing. Journaling really helps. One trick I learned that keeps me out of that uncertainty spiral is asking myself a few questions at the end of my writing session.

How about you? How do you navigate uncertainty in your life?