Writing - Riding That Busload of Faith

 I learned quite a bit from Malinda Lo's newsletter On Beginnings about synopses and outlines for new novels, and I do suggest you to read that. What I would like you to think about is this:

Why am I going into all of this? Because the one thing that has been consistent across all this synopsis/outline/proposal writing has been faith: Faith that the book idea is good enough to publish. Faith in my ability as a writer to eventually write, finish, and polish the book I imagine in my head. I have successfully done this seven times now.

Faith is really important for a writer. You really do have to believe that you can do it. You have to have faith in that idea that pulses in your brain that only you can see. You have to have faith that you can draw that idea out onto the page in words. When (not if) the actual writing of the novel diverges from the synopsis, you have to have faith that the changes are right, or will at least push you in the right direction. When you’re faced with all sorts of revision challenges or plot holes or character issues, you have to have faith that you’ll figure it out. And you have to have faith that people will want to read it.

Just another remind of how little faith I had, and how nowadays what faith I have is sustained by my friends who seem to have faith in me. I agree – based on my experiences – faith is needed in writing, in almost everything we do as human beings. It is why, unlike the popular idea of lemmings, we do not all join together and plunge off a cliff.

Let me leave you with Brother Lou Reed for a further explanation:

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