![\"8](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Do-You-Lack-Confidence-in-Your-Writing-Here-Are-Eight-Steps-That-Will-Help.png?resize=1430%2C800&is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1\"\/)
![\"8](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Do-You-Lack-Confidence-in-Your-Writing-Here-Are-Eight-Steps-That-Will-Help.png?resize=1430%2C800&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
Whatever you want to achieve by blogging \u2013 money, a fully-fledged business, recognition in your field, a creative outlet, or sharing your message with the world \u2013 you need to write.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s no way around it. Blogging <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> writing. Your platform, your means of communication, involves putting words onto a screen for people to read.<\/span><\/p>\n And that can be terrifying.<\/span><\/p>\n Lots of would-be bloggers get stopped in their tracks because putting their words out into the world feels so daunting.<\/b> These fears are so normal \u2026 so if you\u2019re struggling, please don\u2019t feel alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a blogger and writer myself, with a blog, newsletter, and online community for writers, I hear from a <\/span>lot<\/span><\/i> of people who are held back by a lack of confidence in their writing.<\/span><\/p>\n Their worries might be:<\/span><\/p>\n As a writer myself, it\u2019s heart-breaking to see how anxious some would-be bloggers feel about writing. But I can completely understand why bloggers often feel unconfident or uncomfortable.<\/span><\/p>\n Some bloggers have never really identified as \u201cwriters\u201d, so it\u2019s tough for them to step into that role. Others are \u2013 quite understandably \u2013 daunted by doing something new.<\/span><\/p>\n But in some cases, bloggers lack writing confidence because of something specific that\u2019s happened. That could be:<\/span><\/p>\n You might find it helps to reflect on anything in your own experience that\u2019s made you feel uncertain or worried about publishing your writing.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Even if something was true of you then, is it still true now? Even if you weren\u2019t good at one kind of writing (such as academic writing), does that really mean you can\u2019t write well in another, very different, context (such as blogging)?<\/span><\/p>\n I believe we can <\/b>all <\/i><\/b>write well.<\/b> Yes, there are things you can do to <\/span>improve bad writing<\/span><\/a> \u2026 but there are lots of different ways your writing can be <\/span>good<\/span><\/i>. If you can hold a conversation or write a coherent email, you can put words together perfectly well enough to write a blog post.<\/span><\/p>\n It might also help to know that even highly experienced writers often feel a lot of self-doubt. My free ebook <\/span>The Courageous Writer<\/span><\/i><\/a> begins with quotes from some writers who I regard as extremely successful. As I researched that ebook, I was surprised to read about how they, too, had massive struggles with a lack of confidence in their writing.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen bloggers turn to all sorts of different coping mechanisms and tools to try to get around a lack of confidence in writing. Some of these can be a \u201cquick fix\u201d \u2026 but I don\u2019t believe they help you (or your blog) in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n There are three really common things that bloggers do to try to get around a lack of confidence that I want you to steer clear of.<\/span><\/p>\n I completely understand why some bloggers write a few posts then <\/span>give up on their blog<\/span><\/a>, or perhaps even fail to get to the point where they\u2019ve launched their blog.<\/span><\/p>\n Maybe, if you\u2019re not feeling confident enough yet, you hope that you\u2019ll somehow be ready in six months or a year to launch your blog.<\/span><\/p>\n But unless you\u2019re actively writing for an audience, you\u2019re not going to suddenly start feeling confident. You\u2019ll just make \u201cwriting\u201d feel like a bigger, scarier, tougher activity.<\/span><\/p>\n Lots of bloggers are turning to AI tools to help with the <\/span>content creation process<\/span><\/a>. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything wrong with that (and let\u2019s face it, AI is definitely here to stay). But using AI to write everything for you won\u2019t help you become any more confident \u2026 and it could seriously harm your blog.<\/span><\/p>\n Google wants high-quality content, and frankly, an unedited draft written by AI simply isn\u2019t going to be good enough.<\/b> I promise, you can write better than an AI, with unique insights from your own life \u2026 and with examples and quotes that aren\u2019t \u201challucinated\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Google also states that<\/span><\/a> \u201cUsing automation\u2014including AI\u2014to generate content with the primary purpose of manipulating ranking in search results is a violation of our spam policies.\u201d That means that you need to be really careful about using AI-generated content for SEO purposes (e.g. to target high-volume keywords in your niche).<\/span><\/p>\n If you want to, it\u2019s fine to use AI to help you brainstorm, to create an outline for your content, or even to do some rough drafting. But you need to be confident in your own writing abilities so you can heavily edit what the AI produces.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s absolutely nothing wrong with signing up for a writing class or course, if that\u2019s something you\u2019d enjoy. I did a whole MA in Creative Writing in my early twenties, and I have no regrets.<\/span><\/p>\n Some bloggers (and writers more generally) get stuck at the \u201clearning\u201d stage, however. They want to take just one more course or join just one more class because they\u2019re convinced that, this way, they can master all the techniques they need.<\/span><\/p>\n Writing isn\u2019t something you can learn just from reading a blog, studying a book, listening to a lecture, or even turning in assignments.<\/b> It\u2019s something you do for an audience. You\u2019ll learn how to write better, stronger blog posts by actually writing and publishing them.<\/span><\/p>\n So what can you do to become a more confident writer and blogger? I\u2019m going to take you through some practical steps to try. I\u2019ll explain why each of these steps will help build your confidence \u2013 and I\u2019ll give you ways to put it into practice, even if you only have a little bit of time.<\/span><\/p>\n One great foundation of feeling confident about your writing is \u2026 actually writing!<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to call yourself a writer or blogger if you\u2019ve not written a new post for months. <\/b>Get into the habit of writing regularly, and you\u2019ll begin to feel less resistance to sitting down and putting words on the page. Just like building any other habit (like exercising, reading, or eating more veggies), the more you do it, the more natural it\u2019ll feel.<\/span><\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to write daily, though some writers find that helpful. I\u2019d suggest aiming to write at least a couple of times per week, otherwise you\u2019ll struggle to have a sense of momentum.<\/span><\/p>\n Keep track of how much you write in each session (and how long the session was). Before long, you\u2019ll have a good idea of <\/span>how long 100 words takes you<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n However busy you are, I bet you can find five minutes a day to write. You could use a blog post or journaling prompt, or simply write about whatever\u2019s on your mind. Set a five minute timer and write without stopping \u2026 you might be surprised how much you get down onto the page.<\/span><\/p>\n If you have a bit more flexibility in your schedule, how about blocking out some hour-long writing slots each week? If you find it hard to stick to your planned writing times, you might use an app like <\/span>Focusmate<\/span><\/a> or join a group that runs regular group writing sessions (for instance, my <\/span>Writers\u2019 Cafe<\/span><\/a> has writing hours three times a week).<\/span><\/p>\n If I told you to sit down in front of a blank screen and write a blog post on the spot, you\u2019d likely freeze and struggle to even know where to begin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve never come across a blogger who could simply pull up a new document, instantly pluck an idea from the ether, and start typing a flawless draft.<\/b><\/p>\n Blogging, like any kind of writing, <\/span>involves a specific process<\/span><\/a>. You might not be used to thinking of it this way, but you could break down the process of creating a blog post like this:<\/span><\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to do all these stages at once. In fact, I think it\u2019s helpful to tackle each one separately \u2013 and to break it down further where possible.<\/span><\/p>\n In the next steps, we\u2019ll look at specific tips for building your confidence during each part of the process.<\/span><\/p>\n The process might look time-consuming written out, but each step doesn\u2019t need to take long. And the great thing about breaking it down is that you can easily use little bits of time. You might have 5 minutes to brainstorm ideas, 5 minutes to very quickly plan a post, then a 10 minute slot where you can draft the first key point \u2013 knowing that your outline will keep you on track, even if you can\u2019t come back to your draft for a day or two.<\/span><\/p>\n One fantastic way to use bigger blocks of time effectively (and to really boost your confidence in your ability to <\/span>stay consistent with blogging<\/span><\/a>) is to batch together different writing tasks. For instance, if you have two hours, you could first list a whole bunch of ideas, then you could pick from those ideas and fill out your whole content calendar for the next three months.<\/span><\/p>\n Brainstorming blog post ideas<\/span><\/a> can be a great low-pressure activity if the idea of writing a whole post feels daunting. I like to come up with a whole bunch of ideas at once. At this point, I don\u2019t self-censor my ideas: even if something sounds silly or too tricky to write, I jot it down.<\/span><\/p>\n Then, I go through my list and figure out which ideas might work best with my audience. This is the point where I also think about keyword research and finding the best way to frame my idea to match up with what people are searching for.<\/span><\/p>\n Even if you feel that it\u2019s tricky for you to come up with ideas, you\u2019ll find that as you begin writing them down, more ideas come to you.<\/b> One not-quite-right idea could spark a new train of thought \u2026 leading to several really strong ideas. You can also use <\/span>AI to brainstorm blog post ideas<\/span><\/a>: this could be a great starting point and may lead you down paths you\u2019d not considered before.<\/span><\/p>\n When you choose an idea to write about, choose one that you feel excited about or truly engaged with. You want to share something truly useful, heart-felt, or thought-provoking with the world.<\/span><\/p>\n Coming up with ideas doesn\u2019t need to take long \u2026 and in fact, you may well find that you\u2019re <\/span>more<\/span><\/i> creative when time is short. Having a time constraint can push you to start throwing ideas down on the page, making connections, and developing thoughts. Set aside 10 minutes and challenge yourself to brainstorm as many ideas as you can.<\/span><\/p>\n When you\u2019ve got a bit longer to spend, look for twists on interesting ideas that you\u2019ve already got. The right angle or connection could make your post much more engaging for the reader \u2026 and much easier to write. <\/span>There are some great tips here<\/span><\/a> for coming up with fresh takes on well-worn ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n One fantastic way to make writing seem a lot less daunting is to create an outline for your post, in advance of writing it.<\/b> You don\u2019t need to spend ages on this \u2013 even a quick list of bullet points, covering the key things you want to say, is far better than only having a blank page.<\/span><\/p>\n Spending time planning ahead<\/span><\/a> will also help you create a stronger post, with a good, solid structure. You\u2019ll find it easier to stick to your topic or idea when writing, and you\u2019ll know that you\u2019ve not missed anything obvious.<\/span><\/p>\n AI tools can be useful at the outlining stage. I\u2019d suggest coming up with your own outline first, before asking AI for an outline, which you can then compare to yours. This is a good opportunity to check for any ideas you might have missed and that you want to include.<\/span><\/p>\n Come up with 3\u20137 main points you want to cover in your post and write them down as bullet points. This might be enough outlining for a short blog post. If you\u2019re writing <\/span>long form content<\/span><\/a>, come back to your outline when you have another 5 or 10 minutes, and expand each point.<\/span><\/p>\n Develop a set of blog post templates that you can use again and again when outlining: this can save you a whole lot of time and effort, and helps you create high-quality posts time after time. You might have a template for a \u201chow to\u201d post, a list post, a review post, an \u201cA vs B\u201d post and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n When you have an outline in place, drafting won\u2019t seem nearly so difficult. After all, you already know what you\u2019re going to cover \u2026 it\u2019s just a case of putting that into words.<\/span><\/p>\n Lots of bloggers find writing an introduction tough. One big advantage of using an outline is that you can simply skip straight to your first point. <\/b>After you\u2019ve drafted the post, it\u2019ll be easier to create an introduction that fits well.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s really normal to find it hard to focus when you\u2019re drafting. You\u2019re likely writing at a computer, connected to wifi, with a world of distractions at your fingertips \u2026 and drafting new material is hard work, so it\u2019s no surprise that you find yourself flicking over to social media or checking your emails instead.<\/span><\/p>\n I use timers in a range of different ways<\/span><\/a> to help me stay focused when I\u2019m writing. If you\u2019re struggling to concentrate, I recommend that you pick a section of your blog post, set a 10-15 minute timer, and see if you can get that whole section drafted. Then, repeat for the next one.<\/span><\/p>\n You don\u2019t need a whole afternoon free to start drafting a post. Just 10 minutes is enough. Begin with your first key section, and write as much as you can in the time you have. Add a little more later, or the next day. Before you know it, you\u2019ll have a full draft.<\/span><\/p>\n I like to split longer drafting sessions into more manageable chunks \u2013 it\u2019s really tough to focus on writing fresh content for an hour or more at a time. Try 20\u201330 minutes of writing, then take a quick break. You might want to give the <\/span>Pomodoro technique<\/span><\/a>\n
What\u2019s Knocked Your Writing Confidence?<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
What NOT to Do If You\u2019re Struggling to Feel Confident About Writing<\/span><\/h2>\n
#1: Don\u2019t Stop Blogging Altogether, Hoping You\u2019ll Feel More Confident Later<\/span><\/h2>\n
#2: Don\u2019t Use AI for All Your Content<\/span><\/h2>\n
#3: Don\u2019t Take Endless Classes and Courses on Writing<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"8](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Do-You-Lack-Confidence-in-Your-Writing-Here-Are-Eight-Steps-That-Will-Help-1430-x-400-px.png?resize=1430%2C400&is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1\"\/)
![\"8](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Do-You-Lack-Confidence-in-Your-Writing-Here-Are-Eight-Steps-That-Will-Help-1430-x-400-px.png?resize=1430%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/h2>\nEight Practical Steps to Grow Your Writing Confidence \u2013 and Grow Your Blog<\/span><\/h2>\n
Step #1: Build a Regular Writing Habit<\/span><\/h3>\n
Short On Time?<\/span><\/h4>\n
Got More Time?<\/span><\/h4>\n
Step #2: Break Down the Writing Process into Separate Stages<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
Short On Time?\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
Got More Time?<\/span><\/h4>\n
![\"8](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Do-You-Lack-Confidence-in-Your-Writing-Here-Are-Eight-Steps-That-Will-Help-1430-x-400-px-3.png?resize=1430%2C400&is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1\"\/)
![\"8](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Do-You-Lack-Confidence-in-Your-Writing-Here-Are-Eight-Steps-That-Will-Help-1430-x-400-px-3.png?resize=1430%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nStep #3: Select an Idea You\u2019re Excited to Write About<\/span><\/h3>\n
Short on Time?<\/span><\/h4>\n
Got More Time?<\/span><\/h4>\n
Step #4: Outline Your Post to Remove Your Fear of the Blank Page<\/span><\/h3>\n
Short on Time?<\/span><\/h4>\n
Got More Time?<\/span><\/h4>\n
Step #5: Draft Your Post, One Section at a Time<\/span><\/h3>\n
Short On Time?<\/span><\/h4>\n
Got More Time?<\/span><\/h4>\n