Do you struggle with confidence when it comes to sharing your writing with the world? If so, you're absolutely not alone.
One writer in my recent survey asked me to write about "Having the confidence to publish, perhaps online, or
weekly chapters on a platform or personal blog?"
It's rare to find a writer who feels 100% confident about putting their work out there. Any kind of writing can feel vulnerable, but if you're writing fiction on a subject close to your heart, or you're producing memoir or real-life inspired writing, then it can be especially daunting to let other people read your
work.
A few practical things you can do that may help are to:
- Start off by showing your writing to one or two supportive people in your life. They might not be writers, but they should be people you feel you can trust with your work. You could let them know that you're not looking for feedback, just
encouragement.
- Get your work to as polished a state as possible before you publish it. That means fixing little errors like typos, but also making sure that the structure is coherent, the characterisation is consistent, and so on.
- If possible, get some feedback on your work to help you make it even stronger. This is
something we do in Writers' Cafe, or you might want to join a local writers' group, partner with a writing friend, or even pay a writing editor or coach to give you hands-on support.
- If it
feels right for you, consider publishing anonymously or under a pseudonym. Some writers feel more comfortable doing this, and plenty of writers down the centuries have written under a pen name.
Ultimately, you probably won't ever feel fully "ready" to share your work ... but taking even a small step toward that can be a really important part of your writing
journey.
If you'd like more help growing your confidence as a writer during every stage of the writing process, then I recommend reading my short ebook The Courageous Writer: How to Grow in Confidence and Nurture Your Creativity. As a member of the Aliventures newsletter, you've already got access to it!
Just head here to download your copy:
aliventures.com/newsletter-secret
Password:
alinewsletter
(That link also gives you access to all your other freebies.)
Happy writing,
Ali
P.S. If you missed last week's blog post, you can find it here:
The Ten Best Free Writing Tools to Help You Write More and Earn More
