4 Reasons Why Beginner Writers Quit Writing and How I Am Trying Not to
Why writing online feels overwhelming and how you can avoid this feeling.
If you are an aspiring digital writer, feeling overwhelmed by;
- all the information, courses, & success stories available online
- the amount of excellent content thrown your way when you enter any reading space
is common and normal, it does not mean that there is something wrong with you.
But it might make you question yourself, ‘can I really make it as an online writer, or turn my writing into a source of income?’ When you read through these pain points remember that almost every beginner writer faces these obstacles in their journey and this is exactly why you should not quit.
These are common reasons for writers to get overwhelmed that lead to quitting (sometimes without trying). And also, highlights of my journey as a writer too. What I did you can try as well to stick to your goal of becoming a digital writer.
1. You Find Everyone Else’s Writing Perfect
When you set out to build your freelance career, you are fascinated by all the successful writers that are rocking their game. Initially, you find them to be a source of inspiration, but as your exposure to their great content increases, so does the feeling of not being enough. You start to doubt your writing skill and thoughts of your writing being broken, lacking, & amateur begin to pull yourself from trying
What to Do:
Don’t do injustice to yourself by comparing your writing with that of established writers that have years of experience and are at an advanced stage of their craft. Avoid comparison when you set out to become a writer. A better approach to look at the expert’s content is to find inspiration, to analyze their work, how they structure their writing and build upon ideas, etc.
2. You Consume Too Much and Produce Little
What would polish your skill is practice. Being a beginner freelancer triggers the thoughts of not knowing enough. This is a perfect trap to busy yourself in gaining all the expertise that other writers have mastered before producing any work of your own. Remember, those writers did years of practice to get to a stage where you see them as experts. They once had been a beginner just like yourself.
“Seeking information without application is mere information not learning.”
What to Do:
The only way to make it as an online writer or any writer (any profession) is to start. Unless you are willing to write, you won’t be able to reach the level of expertise you want for yourself. So, start, create whatever you possibly can continue to do so, and sooner you would realize that your craft has been polishing all along the way.
3. You Don’t Get $$$ (Or at Least I Haven’t, Yet!)
One of the major motivators of pursuing any career is the money you get in exchange for your service. However, this should not be a motivator when it comes to writing online. If you are in the game of writing (or any other career), money does not serve well as a motivator.
Writing online takes time and effort in building an audience. The audience is what differentiates an average writer from a great writer. Money is usually absent in the early stages of writing.
What to Do:
You have to do some work to build your portfolio to be able to attract opportunities that make money. Also, even if you start making money from your work as a digital writer you would have to bear with it before you can earn a full-time income. Your consistent input without the expectation of output is how you persevere in the early stages of writing.
4. You Feel You Need to Know The Best
When setting out to become a content writer one common limiting belief shows up as “To launch my career as a successful writer, I need to learn the exact recipe to replicate”.
What to Do:
It takes courage to be vulnerable to show up as you are — a beginner writer and not fall victim to the endless cycle of learning because learning never stops.
“Information has to be replicated in action for results to show up.”
Results tell what’s working and what needs to change. You navigate on your journey as you make a path, not by thinking about your end goal at the starting line. You sure can follow others’ advice since those before you who had the same goal likely faced similar hurdles but remember no one’s path is the same. Everyone has to make it themselves on their journey (guidance, support, and mentorship do provide an edge) but do not let a lack of it stop you from achieving what you are fully capable of.
At some point, you have to get out of your way to go after what you dream about. Nobody ever achieved something by just thinking about it and collecting information. These are the same hurdles that I am trying to jump through as a writer in the early stages of my journey.
You have to believe in yourself to make it through any life experience that’s out of your comfort zone. Because that’s how you grow not just as a writer but as a human being.
Happy Writing!
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