Trust Me: Building Trust Across an Ocean

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As the writer portion of the One Way to Grace partnership, trust plays a huge role in my ability to complete my work.

Why Trust Was a Must

The first half of One Way to Grace deals with David's childhood and the details of his alcoholism. It is not always easy to rehash the most painful and embarrassing moments in your life with someone you've never seen in person. Actually, it's never all that easy. The only way to make it work, and end up with a fully genuine final product, is to cultivate a deep sense of trust.

Earning Trust

Prior to conducting any official interviews, David and I simply had conversations. I got to know the man who lived the life I was so passionate about writing. We are all more than the content of our personal timeline. David's personality, his soul, shape the way he perceives the things he has experienced. The trust that comes from open and honest conversations sheds light on who David truly is, what his inner voice sounds like.

Maintaining Trust

Once a strong bond of trust existed between David and me, it was important to maintain that valuable trust throughout the writing process. Especially now, as we begin the business portion of bringing a memoir to the reading world, we need to rely on each other's honesty.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," needs to go without saying sometimes, and that's what a balance of business and personal trust can allow.

Utilizing Trust

The trust between David and I strengthens the friendship behind the One Way to Grace partnership. It is also an important tool I utilize in my writing. When our chapter meetings are over and I go off on my own to turn my interview notes into readable work, I rely on David's trust in me to make vital artistic choices. If I felt as though David did not trust me to create a true interpretation of his innermost memories, emotions and demons, I would be unable to make the big leaps of Faith that go into some of the best prose.

My implicit trust in David as a business partner makes me comfortable sharing my ideas freely. I know he'll tell me exactly what he thinks, correct me when I'm wrong, and support me when I'm right. For example, when David said something about our most recently completed chapter didn't feel right. I trusted his perception and spent hours re-reading the piece. Eventually, I realized there was a pacing issue that was easy to fix but hard to spot.

Trust is essential. When you all finally get a chance to read David's story, I hope that trust is evident. Correction, I know it will be.