Fear, Confidence, Lying, and Using What You’ve Got (Podcast)

The All Freelance Writing Podcast - Episode 19 - Fear and Confidence Issues for Writers

Princess Jones is back at it again, co-hosting the All Freelance Writing Podcast. OK. She pretty much ran the show. But that's why we had so much fun with this one.

We chatted about fear and confidence issues writers often deal with.

Listen now. (Extended cut)

*Note: This episode contains explicit language. Also, if you prefer the shorter version you can find it at the bottom of the show notes page.

If you're a new writer and think experienced pros don't remember what these things feel like, guess again.

Princess and I share some of our own biggest fears and struggles with confidence ranging from a fear of rejection and fear of judgment over our fiction to how body image issues can affect writers. And we offer plenty of tips on coping with these things.

In this episode you'll hear:

  • The fiction genres Princess and I experience the most fear working in;
  • What book / author Princess and I both love and recommend to freelance writers;
  • Tips on getting over the fear of cold calling as a freelancer;
  • What 90s movie Princess says you should never watch, but which offers a valuable lesson to writers;
  • A story about a terrible reality TV show involving throwing "babies" in front of cars (I swear there's a lesson in it);
  • Why we both love a certain no-BS colleague (plus see a "puppet" Princess made of this writer for when she needs someone to tell her "no" on the show notes page);
  • A tip on improving confidence when dealing with clients coming out of public speaking experience;
  • The little trick I use to land almost every contract I've set up a phone call to discuss (including a 100% success rate with male prospects over the phone);
  • Some terrible examples of "faking it 'til you make it" (and how to do it right to boost your confidence);
  • An ongoing "debate" over the merits of telling little white lies in the interest of your writing career (hint: for the first time ever, the show notes had to feature a disclaimer);
  • Laughing. A lot of laughing. Princess is a hoot.

A big "thank you" to Jake Poinier of DoctorFreelance.com as well who gave us a shout out in his latest video on imposter syndrome and freelance creatives after listening to our pre-release extended cut of the show. According to Jake, this podcast episode is "required listening." So listen to your doc. Check it out.

Listen now.

Profile image for Jennifer Mattern

Jennifer Mattern is a professional blogger, freelance business writer, consultant, and indie author. She runs numerous websites & blogs including All Freelance Writing, Freelance Writing Pros, NakedPR, and Kiss My Biz.

Jenn has 25 years' experience as a professional writer and editor and over 20 years' experience in marketing and PR (working heavily in digital PR, online marketing, social media, SEO, new media, and thought leadership publication). She also has 19 years' professional blogging and web publishing experience (including web development) and around 18 years of experience as an indie author / publisher.

Jenn also writes fiction under multiple pen names and is an Active member of the Horror Writers Association.

Subscribe to the All Freelance Writing newsletter to get freelance writing updates from Jenn in your inbox.

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4 thoughts on “Fear, Confidence, Lying, and Using What You’ve Got (Podcast)”

  1. LOVED this episode!! So much useful info.

    Thanks for the mention! Your advice on dealing with phone anxiety has helped me out so much since then. I like to schedule initial calls with new clients because it’s more efficient to get to know them, their business, and learn about the project. But it was really, really hard for me for a while. Now with a bit more practice under my belt, I don’t get quite as anxious. Your tips definitely helped me to get to this point. Mainly I always make sure to schedule them as early in the day as possible so the anxiety doesn’t build up all day, and I always call them instead of waiting for them to call.

    I also loved the discussion about niches/specialties. I’ve sort of accidentally settled into a few different niches, but I think I can narrow down more. I’m going to try the exercise that Princess mentions (listing all my experience) and see if I can pick a few specialties. I’m still very up-in-the-air about this – I feel like I tend to specialize more in my services than the industries I work for. But maybe I can strike a balance somehow. Lots of thinking & brainstorming to do!

    Reply
    • No problem, and I’m so glad it’s helped! 🙂

      That trick from Princess is a great one for sure. 🙂 And remember, it’s OK to specialize in service types more than industries if that’s the better fit for you. In that case, I’d just suggest narrowing it down a bit by client type: small businesses, online entrepreneurs, trade publications, blogs, large corporate clients, middlemen firms, etc.

      Reply
      • Makes sense! I think that’s basically what I’m doing now. I focus mostly on website copywriting, email newsletters, and blogging for small businesses & online entrepreneurs.

        I’m just making a list now (of clients, work history, hobbies, etc.) and there aren’t really any patterns jumping out at me as far as industry. I’m kind of an eclectic person I guess. I do really enjoy working with small business owners, though, in any industry!

        Reply
        • That could be a great specialty then! 🙂 I focus mostly on business writing (and business-related blogging) for small and online businesses. I’d say they make up 85-90% of my gigs (creative professionals making up the rest these days — formerly my primary market). If I was really pressed, I’d say I write mostly in a PR capacity (blogging, press releases, media kit content, white papers, and other PR copy), but I definitely work on the marketing copy side as well. So I can confirm that kind of specialty can work. I’ve been doing it for a long time. 🙂

          Reply

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