tips on building confidence as a writer

Fake it 'til you make it. You have to act confident to be confident. That means doing things you would do if you were already confident, including sending out queries and manuscripts to your preferred markets.

(OK, that last bit was probably more toward me than anything. lol)

I second what Jen said. Sometimes, what works for me is to send out my emails late at night when I'm not so anxious about it. Too tired to be anxious. Spellcheck before sending. I also look back at some of my writing accomplishments like my article in a newsletter, a copy of my first paycheck, my poem in an international booklet or even some of my hs and college work with positive comments from my teachers. That really boosts my self confidence and helps me to see that I don't write crap. At least not most of the time.

I keep my writings and reflect on them. Don't compare your work to others. I find the best basis for comparison is my own history. I can measure how I am doing based on results and also by reading earlier material, which allows me to appreciate the development of my own writing skills. If confidence is at stake here, you want to approach each challenge with a belief in your own abilities. This won't happen if you constantly use the achievements or writing styles of others as a tool to critique your own work.

What you can do is identify and explore different styles from material which you read and experiment with it in your own writing.

What a great idea for a post!

Please feel free to use these and you can post a link to my blog (below) as well if you like:

To build confidence a writer can do the following:

1. Re-visit publications you have been published in or gotten a "nod" from (example: "yes, we like your article but just ran a similar one") in the past and try for another round. You are more likely to get through and it will feel good. Plus, it's smart business.

2. Begin to realize in your heart that rejection isn't personal. Remind yourself that the editor may have a backlog of good material, or a million other reasons why they didn't accept your piece. Each time you don't hear from one or get a rejection, it's tempting to let it erode your self-esteem, but if you practice not taking it personally, your confidence will grow.

3. Work on your skills. Every writer can improve. Read a book on grammar. Take a class. Get a critique and apply what you learn. Any time you can work on becoming a better writer, it will add to your confidence level.

4. Help others. There is no confidence builder like sharing what you've learned with other writers. Not only is it a nice thing to do, it makes you realize the fact that you know a little something about the craft. It's one of the main reasons I have my blog. It is also one of the top reasons I post on Absolute Write. It's good for everybody!

Hope these are helpful! Let us know when it's up!

"Fake it til you make it."

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I like that. There's a lot of truth to that, too. Even if you have only sold a few pieces to a large content site for a penny a word, there still some confidence you will gain from that. But why think small! Just go for the bigger markets and don't give up. Perseverance is just as important as confidence, maybe even more so.

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I think the best way to build confidence as a writer is the same as building confidence in any area, whether it is baking or learning to drive a car or learning a new language: do it. Practice. Risk and learn.

As far as building self-esteem as a writer, the best way, I think, is to have small, managable goals, and, as you meet them, you come to feel better and better about your writing career, and yourself as a writer.

"Fake it till you make it" seems to sum it up for me. I first started out trying to sell a novel and the whole trip seemed so overwhelming. I then decided to try freelancing about six months ago. I figured I'd start off trying to fry a smaller fish, since the novel thing almost killed any confidence I had. I sold my first article a couple of months ago and it was a solid boost to the confidence. I still wonder who am I kidding trying to make some dollars at this writing thing, but I'm still "faking" my way along and it seems to be paying off little by little. A little voice in my head keeps reminding me that I was the girl who failed 3rd grade grammar.

Aw Joyce, third grade was a long time ago, besides passing grammar doesn't necessarily mean someone can write well. Just look at all the English teachers who can't write for publication. Not to mention, the reason some people are editors is because they can edit, but they can't write from scratch. Not all editors you understand, but some. You just keep telling that voice in your head to shush, you do know grammar, and you ARE a writer.

ritinrider said:

Aw Joyce, third grade was a long time ago, besides passing grammar doesn't necessarily mean someone can write well. Just look at all the English teachers who can't write for publication. Not to mention, the reason some people are editors is because they can edit, but they can't write from scratch. Not all editors you understand, but some. You just keep telling that voice in your head to shush, you do know grammar, and you ARE a writer.

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Thanks for the boost of confidence. See, I can find some confidence right here on AW.

l. I find the best way to build confidence is to not let others throw you should they have criticism of your work. Accept it or reject it as you see fit. You're the one to determine whether it's good or not. Their comments are very subjective.

2. When I first started writing, I wrote "I am a good writer," twenty times each day. That always made me smile and pushed me onward to write more.

3. If I find I get less confident in my writing, I write shorter pieces for awhile and then keep writing longer ones as I feel better about it.

Hope these tips help, Laura.

Susie said:

2. When I first started writing, I wrote "I am a good writer," twenty times each day. That always made me smile and pushed me onward to write more.

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I started with "I is a good riter." It was an inauspicious beginning.

caw

Love what you do enough to want to improve. Everything else leads from that.

Write, Write, Write and Write some more. Then add.. Reading, Reading, Reading and Reading some more.