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How Writers Can Conquer Uncertainty

Carol Tice

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Jonathan Fields

Have you ever taken a writing gig you didn’t really feel qualified for? I was rapping with Renegade Writer Linda Formichelli about this recently.

Lately, we’ve both found we keep getting asked to do stuff that’s pretty far out of our wheelhouse. I just recently rewrote 400 pages of government transit-agency documents, when I’d never covered transportation or done a government contract before, for instance. But we keep taking it on and loving the adventure, and the challenge of stretching our skills.

It takes that kind of daring to be a successful freelance writer. You have to be willing to step into the void sometimes and just try to write something. Maybe it’s your first e-book. Or your first big corporate client, or national-magazine byline.

Jonathan Fields, author of the new book Uncertainty, has been studying how successful businesspeople overcome the fears that dog most of us and keep us from taking that leap of faith that could move our business forward.

In case any writers are missing my drift…whether you know it or not… you have a business.

How can you get over the fear hump and get out there? Fields has some ideas for you.

As regular readers know, I learned a lot when I got lost trying to go hear him speak at SOBCon. Here’s what I learned once I finally found my conference and got to hear him talk:

Stop thinking you’re the only scared one. Interviews with risk-takers have debunked the myth of the fearless leader. Successful innovators are scared just like you. They just push through it and do the hard thing anyway.

They’ve trained themselves to feel their anxiety and still move forward. This can be learned.

Be willing to bet on yourself. When Fields had a yoga studio, he ended up getting the studio mentioned in a national magazine. The editor said, “It’s too bad you don’t have a video — then people all over the country could benefit from your yoga techniques, and you could earn from them, too.” Fields had no video, but responded, “It’s funny you say that — we’re just in post-production on our first video.”

Then he hung up the phone, and got going to make a video. Obviously, it was a risk to claim he had a video. He’d never made one before. Would he be able to do it? Fields trusted he could. The video went on to become a hit and took his yoga business to a whole new level.

Change your tape. Fields says the biggest problem most creative people face is that deep down inside a tape is playing. Often, it’s saying, “I suck, and this thing I’m working on sucks, too.”

Kill the negative self-talk. Fields says many of us are just playing that tape so that we won’t have to step out of our comfort zone and feel the nervousness of confronting something difficult.

Unleash your creativity by reducing anxiety. When you’re anxious, your body is in fight-or-fight mode — and the creative side of your brain is in lock-down. Whether it’s learning to meditate, going for morning walks, or a calming cup of tea, find what helps restore your calm. You’ll accomplish more and grow your income.

How are you overcoming uncertainty as a writer? Leave a comment and let us know.

Fire Up Your First Draft: 10 Time-Saving Ways to Boost Writing Speed

Fire Up Your First Draft: 10 Time-Saving Ways to Boost Writing Speed

The Blazing-Fast Way to Boost Writing Speed. Makealivingwriting.com

Are you struggling to boost your writing speed?

You’re not alone. Cranking out a first draft is agony for many freelance writers. It can kill your productivity and suck the joy out of your work. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

I used to hate first drafts, too. I could sweat for hours over one paragraph. Hours! My writing speed was so terrible, I even quit freelance writing for a while. Don’t do that, OK?

When I came back to freelance writing after a long break, I had a new attitude-and a new skill set. I learned how to triple my writing speed. I’m happier, I’m a better writer, and I make more money in less time.

No matter how slow, scared, and perfectionistic you are, you can light up your first-draft writing speed.

It’s not a mysterious, magical gift. It’s a skill, just like knowing where to put the commas or how to pitch an editor. And the better you get at it, the more you can earn.

Ready to fire up your first-draft writing speed? Check out these ten tips to write faster.

7 Reasons Why Writing Killer Headlines Will Change Your Life

Whose responsibility is writing killer headlines anyway? In the old days of journalism, headlines may have been left up to the copy editor to determine but in this digital day and age, writers should pay as much attention as possible to coming up with hooky headlines...