Conviction?

How to write when you don't know how you feel.

Hi Cringers,

"What if you don't have the conviction to write anything?"

Someone asked me this yesterday.

If you want to write, but don't know how you feel, start researching. The issue is that you probably don't have enough information to know your opinion.

If you get through researching and still feel confused, start writing.

Weigh all sides and think through details as you go. Why do you feel stuck? What are you struggling with? Is there an underlying issue you feel strongly about?

It's also okay to explore an idea without an agenda. We don’t always need to have an opinion on everything. Maybe you’re more interested in presenting the facts and letting the reader decide.

Alternatively, you might set out with conviction only to arrive in a grey area. That's okay too.

It just means you’re thinking deeply about something and keeping an open mind.

We can’t always find the answers or know how we feel right away, but we can try and get closer to understanding it all through writing.

Just beware that conviction sells, so it's the messaging we see most often. Certainty is sexy in a world of uncertainty.

No salesperson is going to detail the grey areas of a problem.

No newspaper wants a headline that says, "It's complicated."

So we go through a world of "right" vs. "wrong," "good" vs. "evil," "this way" vs. "that," eroding our sense of complexity in the process.

We gravitate towards conviction because we want something solid to hold onto, some clear light to guide us through the chaos.

It's the draw of cults, salespeople, and certain politicians.

When others have convictions and you don't, you become vulnerable to their influence.

This group knows "the secret." This salesperson has "the solution." This politician has "the answer."

It's a dangerous path to not at least work towards developing your convictions, even if it's: "I don't have all the answers and neither does anyone else."

Sometimes writing can help you discover your convictions and sometimes it can show you that nothing is as it appears. Both realizations are valuable.

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