In today’s world, you’ve got countless opportunities to express yourself in writing.
It’s fun when you’re in your safe space. The words flow. Your heart is at play. You’re free to be you – no restrictions, no outside expectations, and no worries. Yeah, right…
Special Note: This post is by Positive Writer regular contributor, Frank McKinley.
Then you get to the end.
The publish button stares at you. Should you press it? Or should you edit the piece a bit more?
The longer you hesitate, the harder it is.
In those moments of hesitation, your fears amplify and could cause you to quit.
The following are some of the worst ways you can imagine.
Writer’s Worry 101
Your mind races as you consider everything that could happen.
- Someone will laugh at your work – in public – and tell all their Facebook friends.
- The day after you publish you’ll think of something you could have included in the post.
- You might make a point you deeply believe in and one of your readers will mercilessly criticize you for it.
- Your post gets lost in a universe of countless whispers – and no one reads it, comments on it, or cares about it.
There’s no guarantee that any of this will happen, of course. It’s the possibility that scares us.
It’s enough to make your heart race, your palms sweat, and your creativity run into hiding.
So to protect ourselves from that pain, we hold back. We soften our message. Maybe we even post less frequently, or not at all.
If you’ve read this far, and felt any of these feelings, you’ve come to the right place.
You may not be able to make these fears go away. But you can manage them. You can move past them. And you can use the weight of your gifts to lean in and write something awesome.
And you’ll be able to press publish with no regrets.
Accept the fact that fear will never completely go away.
That’s good.
If you’re stretching yourself, you’ll second guess yourself. You’ll wonder if you should have said it the way you did. And you’ll feel a bit unqualified to even address the topic at this level.
It’s okay. Don’t quit. No, you don’t want to do that.
Nobody knows everything. Not Even the experts. They just know enough to appear smart. Watch them enough, and you’ll see someone throw them a curveball. Chances are, they’ve learned more about handling the unexpected than they do about their topic.
When you’re growing, you’ll always feel a bit unprepared and short of knowledge. You’re learning. Don’t let it scare you. Share your wisdom anyway. Someone will appreciate it. You just have to find the people you can serve best, and do your work for them.
Reframe your fear as enthusiasm. This is an adventure. You’re going somewhere you’ve never been before. Maybe no one has. Go. Do it. Make your mark.
If you’re persistent, fear will step aside and let you shine.
Take risks with your writing – regularly.
If you keep a journal, you’ve done this already.
Now it’s time to take that great idea and go public.
In today’s world, you can get almost instant feedback. Use it to move forward, refine your writing, and learn to deal with critics.
You can’t learn all this just by reading about it.
You learn to swim by getting in the water. You improve your speaking skills by giving speeches. You find out what your readers want by sharing your writing with them.
If a post bombs, you can write another one. Keep writing and next week no one will remember what you wrote this week. You’re only finished if you give up, so do yourself a favor. Keep writing. Hit publish. And don’t be afraid to look foolish while you’re building your career.
The key is to take a new risk every week. If you can stand it, take a risk every day. Don’t let disappointment derail you. Learn from it. Move on. Create something new.
Your risk tolerance will grow stronger with every step you take outside your comfort zone.
Prepare as well as you can.
Is there anything you need to know?
Look it up.
Are your writing skills not as good as they could be? Take some lessons.
Having a hard time coming up with ideas? Brainstorm a list.
If you’re a perfectionist, you’ll love this tip. But don’t build a nest here. Kick your children out so they can fly. In other words, set a time limit to get ready, then go.
Publishing is the goal of preparation.
Don’t stop short of the finish line.
Be a brainstormer.
Want to pull out your inner genius?
Pick your own brain. Dump your thoughts on paper.
Here are a few ways I generate and refine my own ideas.
Mind maps. This tool reflects the way your brain works. You start with a word (or picture) in the center. Then you branch to other words as they come to mind. It’s best to keep each word in its own bubble. That way you can make connections to anything that makes sense to you.
Here’s what one looks like.
Free writing. Set a timer. Use a prompt. Write until time runs out. You’ll have a draft, and maybe even uncover some new insights.
If it’s not all you wanted, just do it again.
This is also a great way to make your writing more conversational. Imagine yourself telling your thoughts to someone else. Then read it aloud. If it sounds like coffee with a friend, your readers will have more fun reading it.
Journal. My journal is a stream of consciousness. It’s a chance to explore my thoughts and feelings. And often, it’s a test drive before I share my ideas with the world.
It’s also a way to keep your writing muscles strong.
Take an observation walk. We’re so busy we don’t have time alone with our thoughts. Leave your phone at home. Walk alone. Take whatever your mind throws at you and explore the possibilities. Or maybe you pick something to look for on your walk. Things of a certain color. Rough things. Smooth things. People that catch your eye. The news you just heard.
When you’re uninterrupted, you can go places your busy life will never take you.
Set your own deadlines. Remember Parkinson’s Law? Any activity will fill the time you give it. If you want to be productive, set a deadline.
And keep it short.
If you’re doing something huge like writing a book, set a deadline for every single piece.
Writing? Figure out how long it takes to write the required number of words and add 10%.
Set a time limit on your editing, too. You don’t want to polish all the life out of your post, your book, or your poem.
Set (and meet) deadlines regularly and you’ll become the prolific writer you always dreamed you’d be.
The time to overcome your fears is now.
I know all these techniques work because I use them.
Last week, I sat in on a client meeting. The presenter asked the audience a thought-provoking question. I took the question, mind mapped the answer and wrote a short inspirational post. My total time investment? Less than one hour.
That’s the measurable time.
The intangible effort was the connections I made to things I already thought about before I heard the question.
Writing ideas are available. Now you have the tools to grab them.
When you do, fear may rear its ugly head, but it won’t be a factor working against you and you won’t quit! No, you won’t do that.
Serious Writers Never Quit: They Find The Way
