The Indispensable Role of Confidence for Writers

How being confident in your writing gives you an advantage

Have you ever noticed how successful people are so confident? Even those internet influencers and gurus that many of us hate so much ooze charisma and confidence. And you know what? It works! People watch their channels and buy their courses because of the confident persona of who they are watching.

I don’t think enough writers pay enough attention to this aspect of writing. Being a confident writer is one of the biggest keys to success that you can have.

Confidence increases your writing self-esteem, which makes writing easier. But not just that a confident writer makes readers feel that this writer knows what they are talking about.

This is all well and good, I hear you say. But how do I become a confident writer?

Obviously, I am going to tell you.

Believing in your voice

Confidence begins with self-belief, especially in your voice. Every writer has their own distinctive style and perspective. This is often called voice, and your voice is exactly that, it’s your writing voice.

I trust my writing voice. My good friend Dave read one of my articles and said “I could hear you narrating that in my head”

Your voice is individually you. You are unique, as is your voice. This is your life, your experience, and your personality, all wrapped up in words.

Overcoming the fear of criticism

Nobody likes criticism! We as people react badly to it. Maybe this is from a childhood of parents, teachers, and other kids criticizing us, or just humanity in general. Most people hate it. It makes us feel bad and unworthy and sometimes stupid.

I hate being criticized in life, but I couldn’t care less about my writing!

Why don’t I care?

Because this is MY writing, mine! Not yours, but mine! I don’t care if you wouldn’t phrase it like that, or I used the passive voice in this sentence, or because some writing teacher of yours says this is wrong. It’s my writing!

Consistency breeds confidence

Consistency is a key element of creativity. The more you write, the more confident you become. And more importantly, the more you write, the better you get at it!

And the better at it, the more your confidence increases.

Setting a writing routine

Not everyone needs a routine. Many writers are like me, can just sit down and write when they have time.

But some people need the motivation to write, and a writing routine or schedule helps with their confidence.

One of the hardest parts of writing is writing. What I mean by this is that sitting down at the keyboard and starting writing is one of the most difficult things to do, and being able to write often enough drains many writers’ confidence.

Learning and study

Education is your friend. I am not talking about schooling, although you can certainly sign up for a writing course or two to help you develop.

What I mean is that studying about writing will increase your confidence. I know this! I learned about this, this is why I think I am not doing well rather than I am not doing well because I suck as a writer.

There are tons of resources out there in the land of the Internet! From really basic such as how to format a blog to more advanced topics like fictional world-building. Most of it is free!

And of course, there are a lot of how-to-write books by famous authors and successful bloggers and so on.

Setting realistic goals

Setting unrealistic goals is a confidence killer.

Many people think setting an unrealistic goal will force them to work harder. But in reality, it does the opposite. Why take it seriously if you can’t do it, anyway?

If you are putting a negative outcome as your aim, then you will feel unsatisfied.

“I want enough money by the end of the year from my writing to buy a Tesla”

When you only earn enough to buy a second-hand bicycle, you will feel unfulfilled.

Accomplishments can help in building confidence. The achievements don’t have to be that big, but if they are satisfying, it will really boost your writing confidence.

Surrounding yourself with support

Many writers don’t have a family member who thinks that writing is a viable career path. Some families will be against someone wanting to be a writer!

Even if you do have your family’s support, I would recommend joining writing communities, either online or offline, or even both.

Selling something

For example, when you earn money from a blog or make a sale for a product such as an E-book, your confidence level goes through the roof! I can do it! Someone paid for my writing! I am an actual paid writer!

The first sale I ever made was a flash fiction story to a magazine when I was in my twenties. The magazine paid me about $15 for it, but to me, on a confidence level that was worth a whole month of my normal job.

My final words

I hope that you understand how important confidence is and how you need to be confident in your writing. This one thing will skyrocket your development.

There really is nothing worse than not having that confidence in yourself to be a writer. It slows down your progress and makes you overthink everything you do.

Thanks for reading

Paul