Are your doubts holding you back? Do you feel like a fraud?
Talking to people just starting out I know these are common feelings.
Here are some wise words from Bill Shakespeare, expert pro blogger of his time …
Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.
Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.
The fear is that there are other people who know more or better, or that someone will see a flaw in what you have written, or that you will just be shown up and embarrassed.
Don’t worry. I know it is easier said than done, but really, don’t.
Write from your experience, write from the heart. Say what you believe to be true, even if it turns out what you have said is wrong. Nobody will truly think less of you for writing what you think is right, the only frauds are people who try to misrepresent.
Nobody said you have to be an expert. Simply write what you know or write as you learn. If you are unsure, say “this is what I understand, what do you think?”.
We all get things wrong. I goof as much as anyone else (perhaps more so). Yes, I write with confidence but that is because I try things out before telling you about it, or I tell you about it as I try it.
Of course there will always be people who attack. That is their problem, not yours. People have been flaming me for over ten years so the sting has lessened and my skin has hardened. As you write you will grow your own carapace of protection too.
Don’t fear what other people will say or think, write honestly and courteously and keep at it.