7 Ways to Boost Your Writing Confidence

Writing can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s not for the faint of heart. It takes patience and tough skin, so you have to be confident in what you’re doing to be successful. That confidence isn’t necessarily automatic. But you can develop it with real intention.

1. Go bite-sized.

Don’t worry about how long your session goes or how many words come out. Just write until you don’t feel inspired or natural anymore. At the end, identify a section or sentence you’re really proud of. If you only wrote a single sentence, identify your best word. There is always something to celebrate and be have confidence about. Latching on to those things and intentionally journaling about them can cement the fact you’re making progress and do have elements in your writing to be thankful for.

2. Revisit your work.

Once you have some bite-sized text pieces to work with, start your session by rereading them. Remind yourself why you felt good about that work. Alternatively, start reading a few pages before the end of your manuscript. This will give you a sense of flow so you don’t feel like you’re starting cold.

3. Get some feedback.

Writing feedback could be from a mentor, an online community, or even a group hosted at your library. In any case, you’ll get clarity about what you do well as a writer, and that those providing the group can help you develop a plan to improve your weaknesses. Seeing your draft change and get better can prove to you that you are learning, growing, and making progress.

4. Write where the stakes are low.

This doesn’t mean that you never submit work to your dream publications or competitions. It means that you write regularly on low-pressure platforms just to help the process of writing and publicizing your words feel natural. Normalizing the writing process in this way can make taking the next step and submitting to a slightly higher tier feel doable. You can also use those platforms to experiment more with your writing and see what readers respond to.

5. Know the purpose.

Any time you have a real motivation for writing a piece, you’ll feel less compelled to bail because you can tie your confidence to the faith you have in your purpose. Ask yourself what the message really is and what you want to achieve. Take the time to connect and become emotionally invested in what you’re doing.

6. Use some facts.

Even if you’re writing fiction, you can use facts as a foundation for what you put on the page. Facts do not lie and can’t be argued with. Let them give you a foothold so you know your scene or thesis is solid from the start.

7. Celebrate!

So often, because we compare ourselves to other writers, we always stay in learning mode. We assume that we can’t celebrate because we’re not on their level yet. But celebrating ensures that you give your brain a healthy dose of dopamine so you can feel good about what you’re doing and stay motivated to keep going. Treat yourself, share your work and why you’re happy about the milestone, and shout it from the rooftops any time you get a byline or an award.