If you desire to grow and improve as a writer whether to feel confident with your grammar, sentence construction, or crafting outlines, the best possible action to overcome your fear of writing is to PRACTICE and just write.
But what if hindi ka pa lang nagsa-start magsulat pero nao-overwhelm ka na sa mga self-limiting thoughts and beliefs like “what if people will judge my content?”, “what if the reader won’t like it?”, or “what if they’ll get offended when they read it?”
In today’s blog post, you’ll learn ways to overcome your fear of being judged as a writer so that you can start writing and publishing your articles with ease. Then eventually, you’ll become confident and better at your craft so you can land writing clients.
- The 3 Writing Fears that is Causing you to Feel Stuck or Overwhelmed right now
- Your First Step Before you even start writing so you’ll feel more calm during the process
- Simple and Actionable Ways to Feel more confident so you’ll write and publish articles fearlessly
Ways to Write and Publish with Confidence
Now, I can’t guarantee that everything you’ll discover in this blog will be mind-blowing or something brand new but..
I AM CERTAIN THAT THEY’LL BE IMPACTFUL and could move you to take your next best action so you’ll be uprooted from feeling stuck for I’m not really sure how long. 
Since when ka nga ba stuck?
No. 1: Embrace the Fear of Writing
No matter how careful you are..
No matter how much time, effort, and love you’ve poured into your written content such as your blog, book, or social media post..
No matter how you’ve planned out on how to distribute your content..
I’ll be honest, there will still be chances that things wouldn’t go exactly as you envisioned.
Here are three (3) common writing fears that are causing you to feel stuck or overwhelmed right now:
Fear of Feeling Not Good Enough
Many of you here raised that you’ve been comparing yourself or your work or progress with those who have been ahead or more successful than you.
🍓 Healthy Habit: You are seeking to improve so you check other writers’ stories and works and learn from them. If this is true to you, please continue.
🪫 Unhealthy Habit: However, if you’re feeling afraid that you might not pull things through like how the other writers have been doing and you’re questioning why they’re doing things better than you, it’s time to let go of this mindset.
How?
Define your own success and celebrate your own progress – big or small.
- First step: Set small and attainable goals, schedule, and reward yourself when you achieve milestones.
- Second step: Make time to reset and appreciate your own progress - be present and intentional in acknowledging how far you’ve come compared from the past week or month.
- Third step: Connect with fellow writers, share your work, and be open to receiving feedback.
Tamang-tama iyong 30-day Just Write Challenge natin for this third step. Join the Facebook Group so you’ll get notified whenever we run the #JustWrite Camp.
Fear of Judgment
When writing an article, email, or social media post, do you think a lot and feel overwhelmed even before you type the first letter or word?
It’s not really that easy to know the root cause of why you’re overthinking and feeling that people might judge you or criticize your work.
There’s one thing that has been an obvious reason for why you feel this certain writing fear though. Past experiences, ganern.
Kunyari, nung studyante ka pa, mahigpit ang competition sa school. Ang nangyayari, instead of focusing on how to write an essay that is impactful to your reader, ang una mong ini-impress ay iyong professor or teacher mo.
There is more friction or pressure kasi iyong standard ng teacher ang finu-fulfill mo. That makes the process of writing even more difficult and overwhelming.
My daughter reached out to me one day saying that she’s having a hard time writing her essay:
“Who are you writing your essay for and why are you writing it?” I asked.
In your case, let me ask, why do you want to become a writer? Who will you be writing for? And why do you want to write for you or for this group of people?
Once you’re able to answer these, you’ll get clarity and things will become easier. You’ll be more focused on who needs to see and read your content than who wouldn’t appreciate it.
Fear of offending other people
With social media, there’s an increase in the fear of being publicly humiliated, criticized, or accused of something we didn’t intentionally do or cause.
Aside from that, some writers, like Arah, are really careful not to cause harm to their readers.
In addition to that, we know too that there are certain topics that really need to be reviewed by professionals so that it won’t be seen as disrespectful to some certain groups, tribes, culture, or religious sector.
Remember that it’s okay to not have all the solutions to every problem that your readers have.
Like most experts always say, be prepared when criticisms come – think of it as part of your growth. You want to improve right? Go ahead and make mistakes then learn from it.
No. 2: Always Start with Research
If you’ve done enough research to check the facts behind the information you want to share, there’s a lesser chance na maka-offend ka ng ibang tao. The fear that you’re feeling right now might be rooted from the fact that you have less information about the topic you’re writing about.
If sensitive ang topic mo, like for example iyong sinulat kong book about domestic violence, be mindful of cultural beliefs or the language or words so you know what you’re going to use.
What I did in my research part was interview at least 5 domestic abuse victims and survivors so that I’ll have different stories to share in the book. This also helped me understand the terms my fellow survivors are using and what they believed about their situation. This way, the readers can also have an idea that what they’re going through may not be exactly the same with what’s shared in the book but they still feel heard and understood.
Next, I talked to a psychologist who has handled domestic violence cases to learn their perspective about the project then later on requested if she could read my draft. I was also open to her thoughts and feedback. In addition, I reached out to social workers, police officers handling VAWC cases, lawyers, and Christian friends.
Another important thing to note is to avoid stereotyping.
Sometimes, we get so carried away by our emotions and express things inappropriately. But you see, we’ll never know unless we try, right? The good thing is that we learn from our mistakes and improve along the way. Again, in cases you make mistakes, admit it, and apologize.
No. 3 Write for the people you serve
Why are you writing your piece? Why do you want to write a blog, book, e-mail, or social post?
If you’re not writing for yourself, obviously, you’re writing for the people you want to help with your content.
Write with a genuine passion to serve. By doing these, you can craft engaging content that will make your audience feel as if you’re talking to them face to face.
The end result? You’ll get them to take action on the next step you want them to do. Example: If you want them to subscribe to your e-mail list or follow your page, it’s easy for them to act on it.
Second, writing with a purpose to help your readers have a huge impact on your journey to overcoming your fears as a writer. It immediately shifts your mood from trying to impress to coming from a place of empathy and just sharing your content to help other people with their problems.
Here’s a quick tip to do this effectively:
Think of your reader then put yourself in their shoes. Imagine what it’s like to be in their situation based on the research you’ve done earlier. From that mode, write your content as if you’re talking to that person and offer the solution that you have right now.
8 years ago, I was not that confident to write or publish my works like you. Marami din akong self-doubts or limiting beliefs na kinalaban.
One of which is katulad nung sa’yo – baka pagtawanan lang iyong article ko kasi napaka-simple, walang malalalim na English words, at minsan pa mali mali ang aking spelling at grammar.
I can’t even say “I am a writer” confidently.
So, what did I do to overcome this?
That tip above helped a lot!
No. 4 Stop revising while writing
Don’t feel bad if you’ve been doing this, bes. This is actually a common habit for writers. However, it does lead to frustration and sometimes – writer’s block and creative overwhelm.
Try to understand that serving the right people who need your content is not about perfection. And if your goal is to become better at writing, your main focus is progress. You only do that when you keep writing and stop revising. Making your manuscript, blog, e-mail copy, or social post will come after.
As a wellness and fitness copywriter, I am a strong advocate of making writing as a form of a wellness activity even if you’re writing for a client or other people. It’s important to know that it can be really therapeutic and exciting to write.
Revising your content too often does the opposite. It increases your anxiety levels and later on leads to lose of self-confidence because you’ll feel as if you can’t pull it through. That it’s taking you too long to do it. Hindi mo lang alam, nasa-stuck ka lang because you’re already editing your work even before pa ito matapos. Just keep writing! Set a schedule for proofing, editing, or revising.
Deal?
No. 5 Use Tools to Help you Produce Quality Content
Another root cause of your fear of writing is the thought of not publishing quality content like poor grammar, unattractive headlines, boring stories, etc.
Well, make writing fun by being friends with tools like Grammarly, ChatGPT, Yoast SEO, headline generators, and others.
“But this might not write my tone or voice”, you might say.
Of course, that’s given my friend, using tools might affect the output that you want but let’s talk about balance.
Here are some ways to illustrate that better
- Use the tools such as Grammarly for proofing when you’re done writing your draft
- Use ChatGPT to get topic ideas and not rely on the content it generates – still write your own in your personal voice and tone (or coach ChatGPT on how to do that?)
- Use Yoast SEO to monitor details that might help your blog to rank on search engines
See? By making friends with them, I actually meant to be partners with them, not make them your slave and do the work for you – that’s not what friends are for. luh! 😅
And well, if you have friends like these tools, I don’t know if you’re still going to think or feel that you’re not good enough as a writer.
No. 6 Establish an Accountability System
“No man is an island” – I strongly believe in this. Just imagine if you’re around people who really value you as a person and talks the same language.
Being accountable means owning your own process as a writer and this helps overcome writing anxiety when it’s installed properly with a team or buddy.
Here’s how to establish a strong accountability system for your writing journey:
- Set clear and attainable goals that work for you and not based on what other writers have been doing. Remember that this is your journey and your accountability group and buddy have their own path to take too.
- Motivate each other by cheerleading and sharing your feedback to your accountability buddy.
- Establish good discipline by reminding each other to stay away from distractions and focus on your own specific goals.
- Create trackers or any form of system to monitor your progress and notice how far you’ve come. By doing this, you’re instilling gratitude and positivity.
- Celebrate with your buddy or accountability group when they share their wins. Know that this builds up their confidence and you’ll gain the same when they celebrate with you
No. 7 Seek Feedback: Ask for help
Obviously, asking for feedback may raise fear of being judged as a writer but it’s also crucial if you want to eventually improve and conquer your fears.
It helps you to:
- Understand your strengths and weaknesses as a writer
- Get a fresh perspective about your work and avoid overthinking
- Decrease your writing anxiety because with growth, you’ll notice increase in confidence and shift of mindset
- Write engaging content because you already have other people’s or your audience inputs which makes it more relevant to other readers
- Write more efficiently and produce better results
Seek feedback from those people you already trust. If you have an accountability group, reach out to them. If you have someone in your network who might be a beneficiary of the solution you’re sharing in your content, ask if what you shared resonated to them and what needs improvement.
Remember that whatever feedback you receive is addressed to your written piece and it’s not a definition of your whole self as a writer. Join us in the Freelance Writing Side Gig Community – the Inkfluencer’s Haven to be with fellow writers who want to make writing fun, calming, and soul-filling.
Conclusion: Overcome your Fear of Judgement
If all else fails, how about using a pseudonym?
Like I said in the beginning, I am no mind-reader and I don’t know what’s really causing your fear of being judged as a writer but one of the ways I was able to overcome fear of writing and putting out my work out there is ‘hiding’ behind a pen name.
It helped BIG TIME for me to take that first step. After all, that’s actually the hardest part – to just do step 1 and then before you know it, you’re already consistently taking more actions.
Remember: you’re writing NOT to please everyone. So zoom in on your purpose, your readers’ needs, and the impact that your content may leave on others.
Now, if you’re looking for a way to help you take your first step, embrace your fear of writing, learn how to write with a purpose, practice writing without revising, and establish a strong accountability system, I am inviting you to join the Freelance Writing Side Gig Community.
Join today and be with like-minded writers (seasoned and aspiring) who have the same mission like you.
If not today, when will you be ready?
💞 If you’re already tired of procrastinating things in your writing journey.
💞 If you’re already fed up with the voices in your head telling you that you’re not good enough for this.
💞 If you’re ready to take on the challenge and make something different so you don’t feel imprisoned in your current job.
💞 If you’re wanting to make an impact and leave this world with a legacy that you’ll feel you’ve fulfilled your purpose – this is a sign.
Come join us today, after all – IT’S FREE!