In this Writing Wednesday episode, I share five simple actionable tips that will give you more confidence as a writer. I used these same tips to scale my freelance writing into a thriving business.
5 Confidence Building Tips for Writers
If you want to build confidence as a writer the first thing to understand is to determine where you are at mentally. Is your mind telling you that you're not very good? Have people told you that in the past? Gaining clarity on what truths or lies your mind is telling you plays a hugely important part in building writing confidence.
To gain mental clarity, I regularly practice meditation and self-hypnosis. Invest in noise-canceling headphones and find your inner zone of genius. Self-care really is important in drowning out the negativity that tends to drag us down when we are stressed or tired.
Make gaining mental clarity a regular practice!
When you have successfully 'mastered' a skill you feel more confident. This applies to freelance writing as well. The more you write, the more confident you will become.
In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, he presents the idea of the 10,000 rule. The idea behind this rule is that anyone who has mastered a craft puts in the work on the front end first. I was not a great writer when I started, but the point is I started. With time, I got better because I continued to work on my writing skills.
If you want to build confidence, get out there, start writing on Medium, create writing samples for Upwork and start pitching clients.
Asking for feedback put you in a vulnerable position, but to build confidence, you need to get over this hurdle and understand that feedback is to be used as a learning curve to become a better writer.
Remember the only difference between feedback and criticism is how you take it!
When you write about topics you are knowledgable and passionate about, it shows in your work! You will write faster, get more clients, make more money and gain confidence.
Clients can tell when you are desperate or needy. Gaining confidence in yourself and your writing is not just something you should do it is something you MUST do.
At the end of the day, it really does come down to owning your skills, having an open mind, practicing mindfulness, staying self-aware and not getting down on yourself when you "fail". You must continue to put the work in again and again! FREE TRAINING - 3 Ways to Land Freelance Writing Clients: inspireyoursuccess.com/training
Apply for 1:1 Coaching with Michael: inspireyoursuccess.com/coach
