Building Confidence As a… Writer (2)

Last week was the first in a series of posts about how to build confidence as a writer. I use the ellipsis to show that the tips can be used in almost any area of life, not just the writing portion.

The first post was about starting your day off with something that makes you happy / gives you a smile. Several readers responded with wonderful habits they have to kickstart their days.

The second tip to building confidence as a writer is – no surprise – write!

Write on a napkin. Write on paper. Write on a pad. Write in a notebook. Write on a sticky note. Type on a keyboard and see it on a screen.

Write often. Write whenever you can. Write every day. Write on specific days.

Write for 5 minutes, an hour, or until your fingers cramp. Set a timer and write until it goes off. Write until the child wakes up from his nap. Write during your lunch hour. Write between customers. Write between loads of wash.

Write what you know. Write about what you’d like to know. Write what makes you feel uncomfortable. Write the way successful people in your chosen area write.

Write whatever interests you – business, finance, non-fiction, how-to, fiction, poetry, speeches, children, middle grade, adult.

Write 120-character phrases, play around with headlines, practice closing paragraphs.

Write short. Write long. Write somewhere in between.

Write. If you call yourself a writer, you need to write. If you want to build your confidence as a writer, you need to keep writing. If you want to be a successful writer, you will be writing as often as you can.

Write to specific prompts. Write to an assignment (in class or make one up on your own).

Playing with words on a daily basis enables you to become more comfortable with the  writing process overall. Having a habit of writing gives you the mindset to embrace words – no matter how they may come to you – as a magazine article, a short story, blog post, tweet, poem, process guide, marketing piece, customer or company profile.

As writers, we write. The more we write – the more we try different styles of writing – the more we can hone our individual strengths and narrow in on what we excel at and what we are most passionate about.

Are you working on building your writing skills each day? What are your challenges?

Lisa J. Jackson is an independent writer and editor who enjoys working with businesses of all sizes. She loves researching topics, interviewing experts, and helping companies tell their stories. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.