A piece of inspiration here to plow through and keep on writing! I hate to hear writers say they quit a writing project because they didn't know where the piece was going. It's all the more reason to NOT stop. Memoir writing is a perfect example of practicing the religion of uncertainty. It's because of uncertainty that fuels the story to keep writing, to peel away the layers, to dig deep regardless of where the writing ambles. Eventually, a polished gem shines!
Thanks so much, Nancy. I think one of the interesting things about memoir is how certain we can be that we know ourselves and our lives, but then we uncover surprises, new ways of viewing things, nearly forgotten memories, etc. Like all writing, it's best to proceed with memoir with a mindset of uncertainty.
To seek certainty is to collapse reality to points of data. But to rest in life’s mystery is to revel in its fullness, its ineffable, miraculous nature. Beautiful and thought provoking post. Thank you!
Incredible post! I have always preferred the question to its answer. The question is where we live most of the time. It can be terrifying but also stimulating.
So much to love here. I know it's that sense of not-knowing that keeps me writing, keeps me exploring, keeps me inspired. Everything in life is so tentative. Uncertainty underwrites everything. Recently I've been playing with a poem about how I'll stick with the poets and mystics in these uncertain political times when so much good is being threatened--having faith in that religion of uncertainty, perhaps, that you elude to.
I love too what you say about writing with love. And that line about absence being a form of love struck me, because the novel I'm in the midst of publishing is all about that: the ever-present-absent mother. The novel explores two essential questions, each encapsulating the notion of uncertainty and ambiguity (as I suppose all questions do): What happens when the one person holding a family together mysteriously disappears? And how well do we really know anyone, especially those we love the most? So, yes, this post truly speaks my language. And perhaps it serves as a kind of affirmation as I grapple with my own uncertainty in the pursuit of publishing of this novel.
Thanks so much, Deborah. The mystics certainly provide comfort in times like this. I love the idea for your novel, so keep writing it. I love the paradox: that she's keeping the family together, yet is unknown, as it turns out. All of publishing is uncertain terrain, unfortunately.
Another inspiring post. This one is especially resonant. I work in the field of leadership & organization development. Leadership and transformation requires our ability to navigate uncertainty, dance with emergence, and surrender to the complexity — not control or manage it. Of course it’s the same with writing and creativity, but I didn’t see that phenomenon playing out until I read this. 💡
Thank you Grant. Your Sunday posts brought me back to Substack.
Thanks so much, Kathryn! I always say "writing is life." It's also leadership, of course (because the best leaders are creators). I love your phrases "dance with emergence" and "surrender to complexity." Especially as a leader, it can be challenging not to try to over control or over manage.
Thanks for reading, Thaisa! I always think of you as a writer who writes with the deepest of mysteries, so I bet you’re good at “staying in uncertainty.”
Brilliant post. Thank you.
A piece of inspiration here to plow through and keep on writing! I hate to hear writers say they quit a writing project because they didn't know where the piece was going. It's all the more reason to NOT stop. Memoir writing is a perfect example of practicing the religion of uncertainty. It's because of uncertainty that fuels the story to keep writing, to peel away the layers, to dig deep regardless of where the writing ambles. Eventually, a polished gem shines!
Thanks so much, Nancy. I think one of the interesting things about memoir is how certain we can be that we know ourselves and our lives, but then we uncover surprises, new ways of viewing things, nearly forgotten memories, etc. Like all writing, it's best to proceed with memoir with a mindset of uncertainty.
To seek certainty is to collapse reality to points of data. But to rest in life’s mystery is to revel in its fullness, its ineffable, miraculous nature. Beautiful and thought provoking post. Thank you!
Incredible post! I have always preferred the question to its answer. The question is where we live most of the time. It can be terrifying but also stimulating.
So much to love here. I know it's that sense of not-knowing that keeps me writing, keeps me exploring, keeps me inspired. Everything in life is so tentative. Uncertainty underwrites everything. Recently I've been playing with a poem about how I'll stick with the poets and mystics in these uncertain political times when so much good is being threatened--having faith in that religion of uncertainty, perhaps, that you elude to.
I love too what you say about writing with love. And that line about absence being a form of love struck me, because the novel I'm in the midst of publishing is all about that: the ever-present-absent mother. The novel explores two essential questions, each encapsulating the notion of uncertainty and ambiguity (as I suppose all questions do): What happens when the one person holding a family together mysteriously disappears? And how well do we really know anyone, especially those we love the most? So, yes, this post truly speaks my language. And perhaps it serves as a kind of affirmation as I grapple with my own uncertainty in the pursuit of publishing of this novel.
Thanks so much, Deborah. The mystics certainly provide comfort in times like this. I love the idea for your novel, so keep writing it. I love the paradox: that she's keeping the family together, yet is unknown, as it turns out. All of publishing is uncertain terrain, unfortunately.
Another inspiring post. This one is especially resonant. I work in the field of leadership & organization development. Leadership and transformation requires our ability to navigate uncertainty, dance with emergence, and surrender to the complexity — not control or manage it. Of course it’s the same with writing and creativity, but I didn’t see that phenomenon playing out until I read this. 💡
Thank you Grant. Your Sunday posts brought me back to Substack.
Thanks so much, Kathryn! I always say "writing is life." It's also leadership, of course (because the best leaders are creators). I love your phrases "dance with emergence" and "surrender to complexity." Especially as a leader, it can be challenging not to try to over control or over manage.
Thanks again for your encouraging comment!
Love this, especially the questions about love. Thank you so much!
Thanks so much for this, Grant. I find if I stay in uncertainty long enough my voice begins to speak....
Thanks for reading, Thaisa! I always think of you as a writer who writes with the deepest of mysteries, so I bet you’re good at “staying in uncertainty.”