Courting Confidence
The continuing mystery that this writing and this writing life are...
After having yet another crisis of confidence earlier this week, I found lecture notes from an on-line poetry class that concluded in April in which the instructor reminds us that confidence is the one thing that cannot be taught to anyone and that it comes ONLY by degrees. He also says not to forget that doubt in one's work can be a sign of growth and to try to have trust that doubt is stretching your skills in new, perhaps yet undefined ways.
I know this past year I have bravely been testing new things. And trying to take to heart the advice to trust in the line, trust in revision, and trust in my own intuition, too. Easier to do on a long day of summer sunshine than when the clouds gather and sock me in.
