How to Share Your Writing with the World
Episode #8 of the course How to build a strong writing habit by Frank McKinley
Stage fright scares many aspiring speakers off the platform. Sharing your writing is fear from another stage.
How Do You Deal with Writer’s Stage Fright?
First, define what you’re really afraid of.
Criticism? It will come. It means you’re making a difference. It also means you can’t please everyone. Keep doing your best, aiming to serve your readers your best insights.
Failure? That’s really fear of future success. If you’re afraid you’ll raise the bar too high, you’ll hold back. Don’t! There is always room to grow.
Writer’s block? Even if you conquer this at home, raising the stakes can bring it back. Remember, you’re still writing your public post at home, so relax and do your best.
Second, immerse yourself. Repeated exposure dulls the pain and builds your courage. Run from fear and it only grows bigger.
Start on a small, friendly stage. When your risk is low, you don’t have much to be afraid of. Who knows? You might find some mega fans in the small crowd!
Your Offensive Strategy
Do these three things, in this order.
Focus on your message first. Put 75% of your effort into this. Consider who your audience is, and what they like and want.
Focus on your audience second. You can’t control how they respond. Some will cheer, others will yawn. Some will share your work, others will forget it. Even Stephen King doesn’t have a fan in every single person.
Focus on yourself last. Your fears aren’t as important as your message. Concentrate on that and your fears will fade into the background.
What If Something Bad Happens?
Know there are always trolls who can savage your work. Don’t listen to them. Their gripes probably have nothing to do with you. And they aren’t your real, devoted audience anyway.
People’s memories aren’t too long. They’ll forget about your gaffes. And if you keep growing, dusting yourself off, and pressing forward, some will come along for the journey.
You can’t know what a day will bring. Go ahead and write anyway. You’ll get through it.
Pitch Perfect
Many blogs invite guest writers. There’s bound to be a few in your genre. Here’s how you can increase your chances of getting published at one of them.
Follow the guidelines. Now is not the time to break rules. Make it as easy as possible for the blog manager to say yes. Over time, you can use your guest posts to build a portfolio.
Keep it short. People’s inboxes are full enough already. Do the blogger a favor by getting to the point in three paragraphs.
Make it personal. Learn your contact’s name. Mention something you like about the blog. Present your proposal and tell how it will help their blog readers. Conclude with your contact information, and thank them for their time.
The key is to provide value. You do that by focusing on your message, who it’s for, and how they like to absorb it. That’s the 75% that will take your mind off your fears!
Why Not Start Your Own Blog?
You can if you wish. But it will take more work to get feedback. A blog with a built-in community is better.
Do This Now
Make a list of 5 blogs you’d like to write for.
Pitch one of them.
The next day, you can do it again. Soon you’ll exhaust your list, but that’s okay. Just build another one!
Once you’ve published once, you can do it again.
Keep writing,
Frank
Recommended book
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
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