You’re a Damn Good Writer

This One Affirmation Can Help Keep You Going

I wrote for 3 years before I sold my first piece of writing and landed a promotion to the communications department of the bank where I worked. I’ve earned my living from my writing skills for most of my career, but there were times when I seriously wondered if I could keep going. Sometimes, the only thing that kept me plugging away was the affirmation in the title of this article.

You’ll note that it’s written in the second-person pronoun because when I used the first-person pronoun, I felt like a fraud. It was easier to believe “you are” rather than “I am.” I later discovered, in a study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, that affirmations in either the second- or third-person pronoun have a greater impact than those in the first person.

I made a point to review every article and query that was rejected and every comment on my drafts from the reviewers at the bank. If an editor took time to write something about an article, I studied what they said. I used the comments and corrections from my banking colleagues to grow into a more confident, polished writer. They taught me the value of precision in writing, how to capture reader interest, and simplify complex subjects for the average reader. I also took classes, experimented with style and form, and counted each completed piece as a victory — even if it didn’t sell.

“You fail only if you stop writing.” — Ray Bradbury

Thanks for reading, Patricia

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