Writing Through Uncertainty: A Gentle Guide
“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart...live in the question.”
-Rainer Maria Rilke,
When Words Feel Like Water
Have you ever noticed how uncertainty feels in your body?
For me, it sits like the open ocean in the heart of my stomach. Dark waters churn and I can feel myself paddling against the strong pull of something much deeper than me. Recently, as I navigate the profound changes of impending motherhood, moving cities and changes in my career, I've found myself reaching again and again for my notebook pen. The act of writing helps me begin to grasp what moments before had felt slippery and strange.
Uncertainty, as beloved Zen teacher Perma Chodron says “is all we truly have.” Our most faithful companion. You may be amidst a larger cycle of change like empty nesting, career changes, divorce, caring for young children or a move from one city to another. Perhaps your transition is more subtle like the shift from perfectionism to authentic selfhood, new roles at home or work, evolution of yourself, even simply the daily unknowing of our complex world. Whatever the change we are facing, there's a particular kind of groundlessness in not knowing what comes next.
The Poetry of Not Knowing
What if, instead of trying to solve uncertainty, we could write our way through it? Poetry therapy offers us this gift – the permission to dwell in questions rather than answers. As poet Terry Tempest Williams affirms:
"My voice is born repeatedly in the fields of uncertainty.” T.T. Williams
Working with myself and many other women navigating uncertain waters, we always begin with this simple truth: honest, whole-hearted questions are far more useful in times of uncertainty than quick-fix answers.
Practical Pathways Through Uncertainty
Here are three poetry therapy practices that have become anchors in my own uncertain times:
1. The Morning Question
Begin your day by writing any questions living in you. Welcome them like guests to your house. Don't try to answer them. The next day, begin again.
2. The Anchoring Exercise
Take a blank page and begin each line with: "I am.." Write quickly, without censoring. Let yourself be surprised by what emerges.
Here's what emerged for me recently:
*I am a womb-woman becoming*
*I am a travelling self with an ache for home*
*I am a sister, aunty, daughter and mother*
*I am becoming-*
3. The Metaphor Map
Choose something from nature that captures how uncertainty feels in your body right now. Write from that place.
Finding Your Voice in the Void
What I've discovered, both personally and in working with countless women is that uncertainty becomes more bearable when we stop trying to escape it and instead learn to write from it. Our words become breadcrumbs leading us not out of the forest, but deeper into our own wild-wisdom house of belonging.
Adrienne Rich, a beloved mid-century poet who came out later in her life, wrote in her poem “The Wreck,” about self-discovery honestly about the immense bravery it takes to come to ourselves, especially during great upheaval.
“I go down.
Rung after rung and still
the oxygen immerses me
…We are, I am, you are
by cowardice or courage
the one who find our way”-Adirenne Rich
Your Invitation to Write
Below you'll find seven sentence stems to help you begin your journey of writing through uncertainty. Remember, there are no wrong words when writing reflectively. Try not to censor yourself at all.
Sentence Stems for Writing Prompts (3-5 mins per prompt):
Begin with any of the following sentence stems:
"By the time you read this..."
"What if not knowing..."
“When I listen to my inner wisdom..."
"The woman I'm becoming..."
"What my younger self never imagined..."
"The legacy I'm creating..."
A gentle reminder- we don't need to be "poets" to write through our transition. We only need to be willing to put pen to paper and trust that our words, however messy or incomplete, are building a bridge to our own understanding.
Begin Your Journey
Would you like to explore these practices more deeply?
Download our free PDF guide "10 Lines of Poetry and Prompts: Your Companion Through Change" by sending an email with the subject line "CHANGE" to ourpoetryproject.contact@gmail.com.
Join us in May 2025 for our online workshop “Writing Through Life Change." Together, we'll explore how poetry can become your companionamidst life's mysteries and transitions.
Dive deeper with our Signature Curse: “Writing Through Transitions: Navigating Life’s Chapters with Courage and Authenticity.”
Remember, as one of our workshop participants beautifully expressed:
"Sometimes the most honest thing we can write is our own uncertainty. In doing so, we find we're not so alone after all."
May your words be your compass, even when – especially when – you don't know where they're leading.
About the Author:
Suzy Willow is an experienced Poetry Therapy practitioner and facilitator specialising in supporting professional women through life transitions. Known for her gentle guidance and intuitive prompts, Suzy creates safe spaces for women to explore their inner landscapes through poetry. Through individual guidance and group sessions, she helps women find their voice and vision during periods of change.