Are you terrified of writing?

When I first got started in this industry, I was terrified of writing articles or blogging.

Here are some fears that ran through my mind:

• My grammar and spelling are awful.
• What will people, my family or friends will think?
• Suppose no one likes what I write.
• What if I offend someone?
• I'm not a professional writer.
• Why would anyone want to read what I have to write?
• What can I really add that someone else hasn't covered?

Does any of this sound familiar?

If it does, you're in great company. I think a lot of bloggers and people you may read have felt the same thing. And yet you're reading their blogs and articles all the time.

How to get over the fear of writing?

Pick the right niche or topic.

If you're picking a niche that you're not really passionate about or have knowledge of, it's going to show in your writing. Your audience will probably see it too. This will lead you into even more insecurities and fear. So avoid that by writing what you know about or love. People will be able to sense this and react accordingly. You'll also be a lot more confident because it will be like a normal conversation which brings me to my point.

Write like you talk.

I came from a Corporate America background where my writing was always scrutinized by my department head who must have been a freaking English major in a past life. Prior to working there I had a lot of confidence in my writing. My teachers always complimented me on it. Granted, my grammar was never perfect, but the spirit of my writing usually overshadowed that. But for years my confidence was shot because of this manager. Initially I tried to write very corporate. It was boring and I didn't really get the feedback I longed for. One day I decided to start writing in more of a conversational style. I injected my humor and my voice. Bingo! It resonated with people. I discovered that most people prefer conversational articles.

Write Reviews

A lot of times when you're starting a blog you may run into writer's block because you've exhausted the number of ways you can talk about a given niche. Fortunately, if you picked the right niche there are probably tons of products and services you can write reviews on. Reviews are by far one of the easiest styles of writing because you're just following a format that consists of:

• Intro to the product or service
• What it does
• The Things You Like
• The Things You Don't like (or complaints)
• Where to buy?
• Do you recommend this or not?

There are a lot of variations to this. But you get the point. You can literally do this for years to come and I have. So if you can follow a format like that and picked a niche with a lot of products or services, you'll always have content to write.

Use WA Blogs

I've really come to love the WA's blog system. Sure, it's great for the whole community and help aspect. But did you realize it's the perfect tool to help you boost your confidence and improve your writing? When you blog here you get to see what type of blog post will get a reaction. You learn how to communicate with others via comments which you'll be doing with your own blog. You get to figure out what your voice is or should be. And best of all, it's in a friendly environment that is encouraging. This will help boost your confidence when it comes to writing in the wild.

It's ok to be scared....

At the end of the day, your fear is natural and normal. The reality is your first couple of articles and blog posts are going to suck unless you're a professional writer or English major. I look back at some of my early writing and I cringe. But that's how you get better. Fortunately, you have WA blog system so you can literally practice here until you feel confident enough to get out in the real world.

Either way, you can't use your fear as an excuse. You have to just get out there and start writing. It's the only way to improve. But hopefully some of these tips will help you get up to speed faster.

And for you English majors out there, yes, my article is probably riddled with grammar and spelling errors. Sorry about that. But I have discovered that most people don't really care and it's never really hindered the money I've made online. Most people tend to find my blog posts informative and/or entertaining. So there! LOL

Let me know what you guys think down below by leaving a comment. Did you find this useful? Are there other tips you want to share? Chime in.

Eddy with a y