Have you ever looked at someone – perhaps another writer, perhaps someone a bit (or a lot) further along than you – and thought, "I could never do that"?
"I could never be that disciplined with my writing..."
"I
could never write for Copyblogger..." (or any blog / magazine / newspaper you admire).
"I could never stand up and read from my novel in front of an audience..."
"I could never be that active on social media..."
Stop.
Because any time you think "I could never," it's not true.
You might not be able to do it right now. (Sure, you
might not be ready to pitch the Guardian next week, but how about next year?)
You might not actually want to do it. (Sure, maybe some of the writers you admire are super-active on social media, but at the expense of other opportunities.)
Or, you might find there's really nothing stopping you.
I'm not suggesting you have to tackle something you feel completely unready for. But don't imagine that other
writers are somehow a different species from you.
Well-known, well-paid writers get scared too. They struggle with the work; they struggle with self-doubt. Like this:
"I could never be that disciplined with my writing..."
That author you're thinking about might fight a daily battle with procrastination in order to get those words written. They might have spent years gradually becoming more
disciplined.
"I could never write for Copyblogger..."
When I wrote my first guest post for Copyblogger, it took me a full week to pluck up the courage to actually submit it. (Spoiler: it was accepted.) There's a good chance that most of the other writers for Copyblogger – or any blog or publication you admire – feel just the same.
"I could never stand up and read from my novel in front of an
audience..."
The first time I wrote and read the prayers in my college chapel in front of an audience, I was shaking at the knees (and it was an audience of six people, including me). Public speaking is scary, and reading something you've written is more so, but you can practice, get training, and gradually get more used to it.
"I could never be that active on social media..."
Maybe not as
active as some writers are (and that might be a good thing!) But you could spend a few minutes each day catching up with other writers or sharing a great link to a useful resource you've found.
Whatever you're telling yourself "I could never..." about, stop.
If it's something you'd like to do, imagine that someone offered you £10,000 to do it.
You'd find a way, right?
What would be
your first step? That's where you can begin, right now.
