The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group was initiated in 2011 by author/blogger Alex J. Cavanaugh. Members blog on the first Wednesday of each month to share, support and inspire each other in their writing endeavours. If you would like to join please click on the highlighted text for more information.

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“Faith and doubt, both are needed, not as antagonists but working side by side, to take us around the unknown curve.” Lillian Smith

Say we hear in one ear ‘doubt’ and in the other ‘faith’. Which do we want to win over the other? Faith, of course. We want faith whispering constantly in our ear – motivating, inspiring, nudging us along. Without these blandishments, writing would be overwhelming, a daunting task. But take note: ‘Courage’ cannot be meaningful without ‘fear’ and ‘faith’ cannot be meaningful without ‘doubt’. As writers, we strive to banish our doubts or insecurities – our enemy, but this is a mistake as it would mean leaving the domain of human experience.

“The paradox of struggling with doubt – as with all so-called negative feelings – is that only by inviting it in, exploring and illuminating its meanings, can we be enriched as writers. The plain fact is, the more willing you are to mine the landscape of your own doubts, the truer and more recognizably human your characters will be.” Dennis Palumbo

It’s easy to fall prey to blind optimism or succumbing to despair, therefore one must strive, not to banish our doubts or insecurities, but to keep the tension between faith and doubt alive within you.