Building Confidence: Embracing Your Creative Journey
Building confidence as a writer isn’t always easy. It takes time. It takes growth. And sometimes it takes facing some pretty humbling moments.
But here’s the truth: confidence is one of the most important things you can develop. Not just for writing, but for everything. When you believe in what you’re doing, you write with more purpose. You try new things. You take risks. You stop second-guessing yourself with every sentence.
Confidence doesn’t mean perfection. It means showing up and doing the work, even when you doubt yourself.
In this post, I’m sharing 5 real strategies that helped me build confidence in my own writing journey and everythings else. I’ll also share a personal wake-up call that changed everything for me.
Let’s get into it.
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Contents
1. Practice Daily Writing
Writing regularly is how you build your voice. Period. It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it won’t be. And that’s kind of the point.
Daily practice helps you get comfortable with messing up, starting over, and realizing that yes, you are improving, even if it’s slow. The more you write, the less scary the blank page becomes.
What that could look like:
– Set aside 10–15 minutes a day just to write. No pressure, no expectations.
– Journal about anything: your day, a random idea, a weird dream.
– Try a writing challenge like Reedsy’s weekly prompts (they have prizes too).
– Write flash fiction or short stories to build storytelling muscles.
– Keep a note app or notebook nearby for random ideas or scenes.
There are days when a random scene just pops into my head. No setup, no plot, just a moment that feels like it belongs somewhere. I don’t try to force it into anything. I just open my notes app or grab the little notebook I keep nearby and write it out. It takes maybe 10 or 15 minutes. Then I let it sit. I don’t revisit it until I find the right story for it.
This has become a daily habit for me. I’m constantly writing down ideas, scenes, lines, sometimes just a vibe, and storing them for later. Even when I’m unsure if an idea will go anywhere, I still write it. Eventually, that random thought finds a home, with a few edits to make it fit the story.
I also took part in Reedsy’s weekly writing challenges. The first time I submitted a story, I was nervous. I wasn’t sure how it would be received. But once I hit publish, I felt a huge sense of relief and it gave me the confidence to do it again. I didn’t win, but I kept going. And that consistency made me feel like a writer who’s in it.
2. Conduct Thorough Research
When you know what you’re talking about, your writing feels stronger and so do you.
Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, research fills in the gaps. It gives you confidence that your characters, setting, and plot actually make sense. It’s also a great way to beat writer’s block when you feel stuck.
Whenever I’m writing about a career or topic I’m unfamiliar with, I dive into research. Sometimes that means reading articles or watching videos. Other times, it means talking to real people in that field to understand what their day-to-day looks like. Those conversations help me bring more depth to my characters.
My book Deadly Sins (Amazon link) and my upcoming novel 8-Bit and novella The Devil’s Disciple are packed with hours of research. I looked into everything, from professions to historical timelines to niche subcultures, to make sure I got things right.
For 8-Bit, I focused heavily on gaming controversies and how the culture around games evolved between 2000 and 2021. The contrast between pre-social media and post-pandemic culture is wild, and I wanted the story to reflect that.
With The Devil’s Disciple, I read stories and watched films about Faustian bargains to understand how that theme has evolved. I also researched NYPD procedures and watched shows like Law & Order to help shape the investigative side of the story. I even reached out to a few friends in law enforcement when I needed real answers.
Writing with confidence starts with writing from a place of knowledge.
If you want to go deeper into how I research my stories, I broke down 5 of my favorite strategies in this post:
3. Edit and Polish Your Work
First drafts are meant to be messy. That’s why editing exists.
Revising helps you turn “decent” into “damn, that’s good.” Whether you’re fixing grammar, reworking character arcs, or just trimming the fat, it’s all part of building confidence. You start to see what you’re capable of.
When I first started writing, I’d fall into this trap where I’d obsess over a single sentence, especially the opening line. I’d rewrite it over and over, convinced it had to be perfect before I could move on. And if it wasn’t, I felt stuck. Completely blocked.
Here’s what I’ve learned since: there is no perfect sentence. Writing is subjective. One reader might love a line, while another skips right past it. You can’t get caught up trying to please everyone.
These days, I focus first on writing the draft, messy grammar and all, and let editing come later. When it’s time to polish, I clean up what needs to be fixed and move on. Even now, my first drafts are far from perfect. But that’s okay. That’s what revision is for.
Editing is where confidence grows. You see how far your work has come, and you realize it’s actually getting better.
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4. Write from Your Experience
The real you is your best asset.
When you write from personal experience, whether it’s something you’ve lived, felt, or struggled with, it adds authenticity that readers can feel. Your truth has weight. Use it. But that doesn’t mean you have to write a memoir. It just means you can pull moments, emotions, or conversations that are real to you and infuse them into your fiction or non-fiction.
Try this:
– Use your hobbies or job background in a character’s storyline.
– Turn personal observations into emotional beats.
– Blend real-life situations with fiction for something that feels real, but still original.
Every story I’ve ever written has a piece of me in it, sometimes front and center, sometimes in the background. A great example is my short story The Client, which is based on my time working in real estate from 2013 to 2015. I’d say it’s about 75% nonfiction. I changed the names of the characters (except mine) and added some fictional flair, but most of it actually happened.
Writing from personal experience helped me find my voice. The Client was the bridge that connected my real life to my storytelling. And once I saw how well that worked, I started blending more of my own experiences into other stories.
If you’re struggling to start writing, start with what you know. Real life is the best training ground for fiction and it’ll give your stories a sense of truth that readers can feel.
5. Embrace Your Accomplishments
Give yourself credit.
Even if you’re just writing for yourself right now. Even if no one’s read your work yet. You’re doing the work and that deserves recognition.
Celebrate the finished drafts. The tough rewrites. The day you didn’t feel like writing, but did anyway. Those moments are the building blocks of confidence. You’ve earned that pride.
Even now, there are days when I don’t feel like writing. Days when doubt creeps in and motivation disappears. But I’ve learned something important: those feelings are temporary. The key is to sit down and write anyway.
No one has to know what you’re working on. It doesn’t have to be shared or perfect or even finished right away. What matters is that you showed up. You created something out of nothing. And that’s always worth being proud of.
Writing is art. It’s your imagination taking shape. Even if the draft isn’t perfect, it holds potential. And potential is everything. You never know what one rough idea might grow into.
So give yourself credit. Celebrate the small wins. And remember, confidence doesn’t come from waiting for the perfect moment. It comes from doing the work, even when it’s hard.
Recommended Books and Media for Building Confidence
Books
The Confidence Gap by Russ Harris: A practical guide that addresses the psychological factors contributing to low self-confidence, offering insights and strategies from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to bridge the gap between doubt and confident action.
The Confident Mind by Dr. Nate Zinsser: A science-based approach to building mental resilience and confidence, this book provides actionable techniques for cultivating a positive mindset, especially in high-pressure situations, leading to a successful and fulfilling life.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson: A no-nonsense approach to living a fulfilling life, this book challenges conventional self-help narratives by teaching readers to focus only on what truly matters, allowing them to let go of societal pressures and live authentically.
YouTube
Final Thoughts
Building confidence as a writer isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s not a switch you flip. It’s something you build piece by piece, word by word. It happens when you choose to show up, even on the days you doubt yourself. It happens when you put effort into learning, revising, and pushing your limits.
There will be times when you feel like your writing isn’t good enough. Times when imposter syndrome creeps in. Times when you stare at the screen wondering if any of it matters. But the truth is: it does. Your voice matters. Your stories matter. And the more you embrace the process, with all its setbacks and small victories, the more confident you’ll become.
Your creative journey is your own. No one else can write what you can write. So write boldly. Write honestly. And most of all, write with the kind of confidence that grows through effort, not ego. Because once you realize that confidence comes from consistency, not perfection, you’ll stop holding back and start moving forward.
Keep going. Keep growing. And never forget why you started.
If you liked this tip check out my Tips For Writers page for more.
