--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But a writing project begins not just in…" description: "\"But a writing project begins not just in doubt but also in faith-that if your passion is genuine, if you have mastered the elements of your craft, in t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/philip-gerard-34098_crafts_but-a-writing-project-begins-not-just-in_1284691.jpg" --- # But a writing project begins not just in doubt but also in… ![“But a writing project begins not just in doubt but also in faith-that if your passion is genuine, if you have mastered the elements of your craft, in the act of writing you will learn the rest of what you need to know in order to do justice to your subject.” quote by Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/philip-gerard-34098_crafts_but-a-writing-project-begins-not-just-in_1284691.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/philip-gerard-34098_crafts_but-a-writing-project-begins-not-just-in_1284691.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/philip-gerard-34098_crafts_but-a-writing-project-begins-not-just-in_1284691.jpg) > “But a writing project begins not just in doubt but also in faith-that if your passion is genuine, if you have mastered the elements of your craft, in the act of writing you will learn the rest of what you need to know in order to do justice to your subject.” [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writing project starts with doubt and faith; genuine passion and mastery of craft let the writer learn what’s needed through the act. **In simple terms:** Writing begins with doubt and faith. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty, trust your skill. Themes writing creativity learning Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - starting a novel - academic paper - blog series - screenplay drafting Key Concepts self‑efficacy growth mindset craft mastery Questions to Reflect On - What doubts fuel your creativity? - How do you verify you’ve mastered your craft? A Different Perspective Relying on faith may lead to overconfidence without research. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Never lose your enthusiasm for living. Keep your faith and passion alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/never-lose-your-enthusiasm-for-living-keep-your-faith-and-passion/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Have faith in your passion and conviction, identify your dreams and have courage to pursue them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-sinha/have-faith-in-your-passion-and-conviction-identify-your-dreams-and/) [Anil Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-sinha/) > [“Faith is a marvel, and yet no human being is excluded from it; for that in which all human life is united is passion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/faith-is-a-marvel-and-yet-no-human-being-is-excluded-from-it-for-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If reason is a rebel unto faith, so is passion unto reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/if-reason-is-a-rebel-unto-faith-so-is-passion-unto-reason/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [We're all capable if we have faith and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/we-re-all-capable-if-we-have-faith-and-passion/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) > [“Every writing project must be reduced before you start to write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-knowlton-zinsser/every-writing-project-must-be-reduced-before-you-start-to-write/) [William Knowlton Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-knowlton-zinsser/) > [I think what gets you through a small writing project, is just one burst of inspiration. A book, especially a longer book, it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-think-what-gets-you-through-a-small-writing-project-is-just-one/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [I'd much rather do an obviously commercial writing project than get a day job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppy-z-brite/i-d-much-rather-do-an-obviously-commercial-writing-project-than-get-a/) [Poppy Z. Brite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppy-z-brite/) > [I work hard, whether it comes to writing for my own project or another artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-hughes/i-work-hard-whether-it-comes-to-writing-for-my-own-project-or-another/) [Benji Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-hughes/) > [“Writing is more than typing words: Any action that is instrumental in completing a writing project counts as writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-silvia/writing-is-more-than-typing-words-any-action-that-is-instrumental-in/) [Paul J. Silvia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-silvia/) > [If there's a therapist who wants a writing project, I think there's a need for a book about how the culture affects the mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/if-there-s-a-therapist-who-wants-a-writing-project-i-think-there-s-a/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [You know how some people will say to writers, "Why don't you just write a romance novel that sells a bunch of copies and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-corin/you-know-how-some-people-will-say-to-writers-why-don-t-you-just-write/) [Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) > [“I earn the magic of words by writing. I learn the myth of worlds by imagining.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/i-earn-the-magic-of-words-by-writing-i-learn-the-myth-of-worlds-by/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [There are 20,000 million books I could have to read, but I can pick the ones and know that I'm learning something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/there-are-20-000-million-books-i-could-have-to-read-but-i-can-pick/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [You won't make a living writing until you learn to write when you don't want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/you-won-t-make-a-living-writing-until-you-learn-to-write-when-you-don/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) ## More by Philip Gerard > [It's not enough simply to record the way people actually talk. The dialogue must be concentrated, shaped, dramatically moving, in a way that real-life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/it-s-not-enough-simply-to-record-the-way-people-actually-talk-the/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [The habits of craft, developed day in and day out over a working lifetime, create moments of astonishment, sublime and magical effects, precisely because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/the-habits-of-craft-developed-day-in-and-day-out-over-a-working/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [Storytelling is the art of unfolding knowledge in a way that makes each piece contribute to a larger truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/storytelling-is-the-art-of-unfolding-knowledge-in-a-way-that-makes/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [For the big stuff to work credibly, you've got to get the little stuff absolutely right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/for-the-big-stuff-to-work-credibly-you-ve-got-to-get-the-little-stuff/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [Voice is one of the most elusive qualities in any story. We recognize it when we hear it, but it's hard consciously to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/voice-is-one-of-the-most-elusive-qualities-in-any-story-we-recognize/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [“Nobody writes a book. What you write every day is a piece of a book, a fragment, a scene.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/nobody-writes-a-book-what-you-write-every-day-is-a-piece-of-a-book-a/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [Voice really depends on the answer to the question, Who is telling this story? . . . That will color your diction-and determine your metaphors, your sensibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/voice-really-depends-on-the-answer-to-the-question-who-is-telling/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [You will not read voice on the page; you will hear it in your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/you-will-not-read-voice-on-the-page-you-will-hear-it-in-your-head/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [We create an interior 'movie' in the reader's head through words on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/we-create-an-interior-movie-in-the-reader-s-head-through-words-on-the/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [You have to roll up your sleeves and be a stonecutter before you can become a sculptor - command of craft always precedes art:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/you-have-to-roll-up-your-sleeves-and-be-a-stonecutter-before-you-can/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [The simplest tool of the writer is repetition. . . . The simplest tool of the writer is repetition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/the-simplest-tool-of-the-writer-is-repetition-the-simplest-tool-of/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [The only way to write a novel is to proceed as if you had all the time in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/the-only-way-to-write-a-novel-is-to-proceed-as-if-you-had-all-the/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) > [“The fastest way to write is to pretend you have all the time in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/the-fastest-way-to-write-is-to-pretend-you-have-all-the-time-in-the/) [Philip Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) [Explore all 14 Philip Gerard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/) ## More Crafts quotes > [She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/she-spent-hours-drawing-on-her-own-trying-to-perfect-her-craft-and/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [All My Children taught me a great work ethic; you work so hard on a soap opera! It is a good way to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-larue/all-my-children-taught-me-a-great-work-ethic-you-work-so-hard-on-a/) [Eva LaRue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-larue/) > [Good films are not made by accident, nor is good photography. You can have good things happen, on occasion, by accident that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-willis/good-films-are-not-made-by-accident-nor-is-good-photography-you-can/) [Gordon Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-willis/) > [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as exist do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessamyn-west/there-is-no-royal-path-to-good-writing-and-such-paths-as-exist-do-not/) [Jessamyn West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessamyn-west/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [the twelve or fifteen millions in the British Empire, who, while they possess no electoral rights, are yet persuaded they are freemen, and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cobden/the-twelve-or-fifteen-millions-in-the-british-empire-who-while-they/) [Richard Cobden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cobden/) > [I got Michael Caine's book, Acting In Film, and I read it on the plane, desperately trying to glean information from him about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/i-got-michael-caine-s-book-acting-in-film-and-i-read-it-on-the-plane/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [One of the things about what . . . I do - writing plays - is that a poll is not taken before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/one-of-the-things-about-what-i-do-writing-plays-is-that-a-poll-is-not/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [Look, I come from vaudeville, I come from burlesque, I come from heartaches, I come from sadness, I come from gladness, I come from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rooney/look-i-come-from-vaudeville-i-come-from-burlesque-i-come-from/) [Mickey Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rooney/) > [All the craft skills that I have, I feel like I developed and honed in drama school. It's the most important thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/all-the-craft-skills-that-i-have-i-feel-like-i-developed-and-honed-in/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [A first novel of astonishing force, craft and beauty, The Headmaster's Wager conjures up a dizzyingly evocative wartime Saigon in the story of Percival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-y-k-lee-2/a-first-novel-of-astonishing-force-craft-and-beauty-the-headmaster-s/) Janice Y. K. Lee > [This element of surprise or mystery - the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called - is of great importance in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/this-element-of-surprise-or-mystery-the-detective-element-as-it-is/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [The craft's occupants clutched their armrests, and more than one of them closed their eyes. But not Artemis. He couldn't. There was something morbidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/the-craft-s-occupants-clutched-their-armrests-and-more-than-one-of/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-always-try-to-write-on-the-principle-of-the-iceberg-there-is-seven/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) [Browse all 1,453 Crafts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But a writing project begins not just in doubt but also in faith-that if your passion is genuine, if you have mastered the elements of your craft, in the act of writing you will learn the rest of what you need to know in order to do justice to your subject.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Gerard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/but-a-writing-project-begins-not-just-in-doubt-but-also-in-faith-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crafts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/but-a-writing-project-begins-not-just-in-doubt-but-also-in-faith-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/philip-gerard-34098_crafts_but-a-writing-project-begins-not-just-in_1284691.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/philip-gerard-34098_crafts_but-a-writing-project-begins-not-just-in_1284691.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/philip-gerard-34098_crafts_but-a-writing-project-begins-not-just-in_1284691.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But a writing project begins not just in doubt but also in faith-that if your passion is genuine, if you…” — Philip Gerard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Philip Gerard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gerard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But a writing project begins not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/but-a-writing-project-begins-not-just-in-doubt-but-also-in-faith-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gerard/but-a-writing-project-begins-not-just-in-doubt-but-also-in-faith-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```