That headline has a double meaning. When you’re successful with your business writing, you have confidence. And to be a successful business writer, you need confidence. Trouble is, many people don’t have the latter, so they struggle to achieve the former.

As a business writing coach, I often see how sagging confidence stems from underlying fears: fear of not writing a perfect draft, fear of being wrong somehow, fear of not being good enough. The list goes on.

Just write it—then make it better later, I tell my clients. Of course, that’s easier said than done. So I coax and guide them to think—and write—more confidently. And they do. Here are a few ideas I share with them:

1. Forget Ms. McGillicutty in the ninth grade and that awful boss who marked everything you wrote with a red pen but never bothered to explain why. Our brain seems to remember those disturbing messages and repeats them over and over in a loop. Maybe it thinks it is protecting us, but it’s not. Leave those old experiences behind and start fresh. You can learn to write well.
2. Remember that everyone writes terrible first drafts. OK, once in a while someone is a Mozart with words. Don’t focus on them. Just know you’re in a prestigious group of writers, writers you love to read, who write terrible first drafts.
3. Memorize this adage: Good writing is really good editing. Take that lousy first draft and make it sing. How? Through, careful editing. Edit one, three, nine times. I’ve edited articles for major publications up to 20 times. The fact that you need to edit many times does not mean you’re a bad writer. E.B. White edited his exquisite essays for The New Yorker 25 or more times—and his editors still had to pry them out of his hands.
4. Trust your gut. Scientists have proven that our gut is as smart as our brain. They’ve even named it our “second brain.”  If I’m about to submit an article that’s not ready, my gut makes me feel uncomfortable in my chair. I used to think I needed a cushion or new chair—now I know my gut is protecting my reputation. Listen to yours. I bet you’ll find it believes in your writing abilities—and keeps you on track.
5. Know that I believe in you. Even those of you I haven’t yet met. I believe that everyone can craft effective blogs, articles, books—any kind of business writing. Sure, it takes practice, and the more momentum you can build the better. That means working regularly on your business writing—not in dribs and drabs.

You can do it. I’m confidant of that.

What writing fears have held you back? How have you overcome them?

“How do you overcome writer’s block?”

As a business writing coach, I hear that question a lot. My longtime colleague Virginia McCullough and I recently delivered a webinar about kick-starting the book-writing process, and, not surprisingly, many participants asked about writer’s block. Writing a book is a big project, and that means more time for your fear gremlins to attack.

That’s right—fear gremlins that creep in and steal your enthusiasm and confidence. As Virginia puts it: “Writer’s block is a scary thing … but we believe that what is usually referred to as writer’s block is actually fear that leads to procrastination. Many people think writer’s block comes to them, as if it were a disease. But it’s a combination of self-doubt and fear that leads to procrastination. Our creativity isn’t blocked.”

Especially with our nonfiction writing (not just books but articles, blogs, proposals—all kinds of business writing), Virginia and I have found that we have to write through any concerns and problems. Deadlines loom—and our incomes depend on turning in assignments on time. Maybe we have to research more information or interview someone to get back on track. Maybe we take a few extra breaks and quietly listen for insights our brains have been working on (more on that in future blogs). But we keep writing.

Not to be glib, but the best antidote to writer’s block is to write. Don’t worry about syntax, word choices, or typos. Just let it rip. There. It’s done, that awful first draft or next chapter. As you wrote with abandon, your writer’s block disappeared. So what if your draft is lousy? Guess what? You’re in good company—writers you love to read write terrible first drafts.

I struggled with this early in my career. I thought if I wrote bad first drafts, I was a bad writer. Then I read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. All those years of agonizing over my embarrassingly bad first drafts, and in an instant I was cured. What I learned from Anne is that just about everyone writes terrible first drafts! Anne gave me permission to let myself go. Now, I let the words come any way they want (which is a real boost to creativity too).

So, let me be your Anne Lamott. It’s okay to write dreadful first drafts. All you have to do is write and write. Just get your ideas down. You can always go back two, five, ten times and make it better each time. In fact, don’t think of your first draft as writing—it’s more about planning and organizing. Capture that jumble of thoughts, and in the process, you’ll give writer’s block the heave-ho.

To learn more about the book-writing webinars and retreats Virginia and I have planned, just write me at director@afcbw.com. We’ve joined forces for an exciting new enterprise entitled The Book Catalysts. We’ll soon launch a series of on-demand and live book-writing webinars, coaching packages, and writing retreats (both virtual and on-site).

How do you overcome writer’s block? What tips can you share about overcoming fear and procrastination?

Have you noticed that 800-pound gorilla in your office? You know, the one that hovers in the corner, breathing its stale breath across just about every desk. Most people keep their heads down, not wanting to make eye contact with this killer—killer of sales, deals, promotions, and respect.

That behemoth is also known as bad business writing. Not many people want to face this hairy, scary creature—it just seems too big to tackle. But honestly, the solution is simpler than you may think. (And ignoring it can prove disastrous!)

Recent articles in newspapers and trade magazines lament how e-mail and texting have strangled our ability to produce effective business writing. And to some extent, that’s true. But the problem has been around much longer and goes even deeper. I believe the root of bad business writing stems from a misunderstanding of the writing process.

Why didn’t we learn this in school?
That’s what students and clients often ask me. I’m not sure why, but somehow we came away with the idea that writing is a compendium of grammar rules we keep vaguely in mind as we string words together. But the writing process is much more organic than that. It includes an understanding that in order to produce a polished piece, for example, we must allow ourselves to write a dreadful first draft—something most of my students think is a waste of time, a sign of their inability to write, or both.

I understand. I used to feel that way too. Then Anne Lamott, author of Bird by Bird, cured me in an instant when I read her chapter entitled “Sh**ty First Drafts. Click! Just like that I turned off that ornery voice in my head. She gave me permission to write those awful early drafts and taught me that they are simply the means of getting my thoughts down so I can make them better later. Which brings up another misunderstood tenet of the writing process: editing. (More on that next time.)

Start today!
Do you worry about your first draft not being perfect? Let me be your Anne Lamott and assure you that 99 percent of great writers, writers you admire, start with dreadful first drafts. Those lousy drafts are your best work at that moment. They are the best anyone can do in that early phase of the writing process.

OK, now try to write your first drafts fast. When you do, you’ll:

1. Have more time to edit (because good writing is really good editing).
2. Tap into more creativity. (That’s how the brain works!)

So, write those fast—and dreadful—first drafts, knowing that you’re off to a great start. That’s your first step in making friends with that 800-pound gorilla—and increasing your sales, deals, promotions, and respect.

Recently, while doing research on the Internet, I came across this request:

Hello, I want to find an expert who can create my business writing such as mission statement, primary aim, and strategic objective.

As a business writing coach, I hear a lot of excuses why people can’t or won’t write, and sometimes they even make sense. But this one has me flummoxed. The reasons for starting a business are so intimate to the creator, I can’t imagine how the task of writing these messages could be successfully passed on to a stranger. No one is “expert” enough to craft these messages. Sure, maybe someone could tidy up the final draft, but the originals need to come from the heart of the founder. They must be steeped in the passion that went into founding the business. No one else can capture that.

My guess is this person (for some reason I think it’s a man) is overworked and looking for help. I empathize, but hire an accountant or a virtual assistant—not a writer.

Or maybe he’s carrying around an old fear of writing. Lots of people do. And my advice to these clients (and this person, if he’s reading this blog): Just make yourself write.

How?

Set a timer. The fearful part of our brain and the part that puts off unpleasant tasks love timers. Somehow timers are soothing. “Oh this will last only 10 minutes. I can handle that,” they seem to think.

Set a timer and write for 10 minutes. Pour out your heart. Let ideas and feelings out that you wouldn’t want to say in public. Don’t worry; this is just for you (at least this incarnation). Let it rip.

Next, go back and find the good stuff, the real feelings about why you started your company, why you’re making a difference in the world, how you’ve got the solution to those painful problems that keep your customers awake night.

Now, sleep on it, literally and figuratively. Walk away and go back to your day-to-day work. If something new comes to mind during the day, jot it down. Those ideas are precious—and ephemeral. You’ve awakened your creativity. You’ve honored it by allowing it to flow, and it will pay you back with innovative ideas that just pop into your head. Give them the respect they deserve. Capture them. Add them to your rough draft.

Finally, literally sleep on it. Check it in the morning. Ah, more ideas and better syntax. That’s how the brain works. Edit a few more times.  Wait a week or more. Let the ideas flow.

Now ask a writing expert to review your ideas, to make them compelling and correct. Your passion and personality are emblazoned on the words. It’s safe to share them.

Try this method anytime you face a writing task you don’t feel up to. Large or small, prosaic or ponderous, the type of project doesn’t matter. This technique will take your business writing to the next level and increase your confidence about what you can accomplish.

Who needs an expert? You’ve got one inside that marvelous brain of yours just waiting to be tapped.