3 Mental Hurdles for New Writers and How to Overcome Them

I was so excited.  I’d finally found my niche – writing – and I was ready to jump into the deep and make it a real profession.  In my excitement, I made a plan to write every single day.  I thought, I’ll start a blog…write for magazines…pen books, and in my mind, I thought it would all be effortless.  I presumed that words would flow from my fingertips as easily as water flows from a faucet.  Boy was I wrong!

As a new writer, I found it hard to find inspiration.  But more than that, my excitement about being a writer quickly turned into apprehension when I began to size myself up against all of the other great writers out there.  I felt like an ant in a room full of grasshoppers.  Scary!  Before I knew it, I was second-guessing myself and feeling like no one would want to read anything I had to say.

Here are a few crippling thoughts that ran through my mind, and tips on how I worked through them:

1.      Will people like my work?  This was one of my biggest concerns.  With so many writers out there producing great work, I wondered if I had the ability to do the same, and if others would like it.  As in any facet of life, you simply will not appeal to everyone.  No matter how great your work may be, there will be some that will not be pleased.  But that’s okay.  The people that are supposed to will gravitate towards your work, and they will love it.  So yes, people will like your work as long as you give it your best.

2.      What makes me different from any other writer?  Everyone has their own uniqueness; that includes you.  Although you may target the same genre of writing as other writers, your unique style of writing is what sets you apart.  The main thing here is not to focus so much on being different, but rather on just being yourself.  Readers aren’t necessarily looking for writers who stand out, but more so for those whose authentic personality shines through their written work.  You’re already different from other writers because your talent is unique to who you are and the people you’re supposed to reach.

3.      What qualifies me to be a writer?  This one can be kind of tricky.  Some will argue that education, experience, and expertise spell qualification.  If you have that, that’s great.  However, there are many accomplished writers who have none of that.  Your gift, talent, and passion for what you do are what qualify you.  That’s something that comes from within, and cannot be taught, coerced, or fabricated.  When you’ve got it, you’ve got it.  You just have to be confident in what’s within, whether you’ve been professionally trained or not.

The wonderful thing about being a writer is that the more you do it, the better you become.  The problem most new writers have is actually getting started…that was definitely the case for me a few years ago.  So how do you start?  You start one sentence at a time, and you build from there.  The world of writing can sometimes be very intimidating, but you can get over that hurdle by focusing on your strengths and working to improve your weaknesses.

Happy writing!

-LaKeisha Rainey-Collins