Writing As an Act of Faith

 My writing process starts with starting at a blank screen or doodling until inspiration hits me. Invariably, the time between when you start and when your first idea hits you is frustrating. If it drags on for a long time, you start to doubt whether the project is doable or if you should focus on something else at the moment. Which is fine, and sometimes I do. Other times, a little voice in my head tells me to keep at it, and that a mini-breakthrough is right around the corner. I say mini-breakthrough because your first idea is unlikely to be what makes it to the final copy. You likely abandon it or refine it. But, when it hits you, it produces a burst of writing. It is a heady feeling and my confidence hits the roof. And, then it comes back down when I realize is not as good as I had initially imagined. This happens either the same day or the next day. Either way, you sleep on it and start afresh the next day, waiting for another sliver of inspiration. This process repeats itself until the piece of writing feels complete and I am ready to set it free into the world. That point of fullness can feel elusive, especially with a long project like a PhD. Where no chapter feels complete unless all the chapters feel complete. A project which needs many mini-breakthroughs and a few major breakthroughs as well, which makes it hard to keep the faith. But, the point of fullness does exist and I will reach it not very long from now. I still have some way to go, and I can see it in the distance. Any piece of creative writing (in which I include research) is an act of faith because there is no guarantee it will succeed. That's the difference between creating something new and replicating something that already exists. Ambitious projects are a leap of faith.