Is the uncertainty holding you back?

Don’t let fear keep you from writing success [The Writer’ s Life]( April 29, 2020 Hi {NAME}, We've all been living with a lot of "what ifs" … Which is understandable since we've been experiencing something no one has gone through before. A lesson I've been trying to learn lately is which scenarios are worth worrying about, and which ones can be let go. Today, Mindy McHorse, Executive Editor of Barefoot Writer, is here to talk about both, along with three steps for moving forward. When it comes your writing business, I don't want anything to hold you back … Now is actually a good time to build your writing business and set yourself up for massive success in the coming months. Companies need to sell their products and services and keep their prospects engaged now more than ever before … and to do it, they need copy and content. Which means they need you. And if you [start today](, by the end of May, you could have a successful freelance writing business up and running! Our team of experts will walk you through everything: Choosing your niche, launching your website, putting together your information kit and fee schedule, developing a strategy for attracting clients, and more — ALL finished once and for all. [Go here now]( for all the details. To your success, Rebecca Matter President, AWAI P.S. One piece of big news before I turn it over to Mindy … We've announced the winners of our recent Writing Contest to rewrite the content for a website intro. [Click here for all the details and the winning entries.]( Congratulations to the winners and to everyone who submitted an entry! We had such a great response, we'll definitely be doing another Writing Contest again soon. Write Your Way Past Tigers, Uncertainty, and Unprecedented Times By Mindy McHorse [Let it go written in sand on the beach] Two words have lately become loaded refrains for all of us: uncertainty and unprecedented. "In this time of uncertainty …" "During these unprecedented events …" You know what this does? Heard over and over, it's a bang-up recipe for feeling threatened. And feeling threatened stinks! Your brain gives you fits, because we're wired to react with fear. Your gut whirls and twists, because our minds are inextricably linked to our stomachs. And if you're a creative professional wading through a world of uncertainty, life starts to feel complicated. So I want to examine what we, as writers, really should be worried about right now. And also what we should just let go, so we can get back to the writing we love. We're All Nutty Without Answers First, let's revisit the idea of being threatened. The world pandemic that has been going on may not directly threaten you. Hopefully you've been holed up safe and healthy somewhere, quarantined with plenty of food and a Netflix account. Even so, it leaves you with a lot of what ifs … What if this isn't the right time to start a writing career? What if my clients close up shop and stop sending me checks? What if my assets disappear and I don't have the money cushion I thought I did? Here's the thing. That kind of worrying won't do you any good, because those are things over which you have no control. In a Caltech study by neuroeconomist Colin Camerer, study participants were asked to make increasingly uncertain bets. The outcome was surprising: the less information subjects had to base decisions on, the more erratic their decisions became. You'd think it'd be the opposite, right? That we'd be more careful and rational if we had less information? Nope. It all goes back to our animal brains. When uncertainty increases, our brains shift to the limbic system, which is where fear and anxiety are produced. This worked great for our caveman ancestors. Massive amounts of caution meant they steered clear of large animals lurking in bushes. But in our current saber-toothed-tiger-free world, that same uncertainty makes us overreact. We end up making emotional, fear-based decisions instead of educated, rational choices. Here's how you get past that: - Beat the lumps out. You can't do much to a cake once it's in the oven, but you can beat it hard and smooth before it gets there. In other words, control what you can. Focus on the process, not the outcomes. This helps tremendously with uncertainty when making decisions. If you're still new to writing and the prospecting emails outweigh the yeses, which they should and will, focus on what you're putting out and how, instead of on the responses you get. Tweak until you get the replies you want. Since we can't control very much in times of transition (or ever, really), you can't place all your bets on the outcome. But you can learn from the process, continue to improve your skills as a writer, and be transparent about what you're trying to do (land writing work) and how (by honing your copywriting skills). Being transparent makes people feel more comfortable about a process, and about hiring you. - Tune out the blah-blah's. Headlines and newscasters will trumpet all kinds of heart-stopping predictions in good times and bad, but that doesn't change human behavior. So tune out what isn't true and listen to what is. Come what may, people still need to buy things and they're still ruled by emotion. As a writer, it's helpful to understand the psychology of how people think and how their decisions are influenced by their emotional state. Whether you're actively writing or not, and whether the world feels upside down or not, you can always be a student of human behavior. - Ready, fire, miss, and re-aim. Don't focus on the risk: just go for it. Failure is valuable. Think of it as an education. Aim to make more good moves than bad ones. One or two writing assignments went south? Do five more and get them right. You want your wins to outweigh your losses. Also, here's a reality worth considering: We live in a culture that expects you to be right all the time. Yet that's a pipe dream. Sometimes (or often) you blow it, and then you learn. Look, pandemics bring all kinds of uncertainty. But uncertainty is also a regular part of life and business … it's just front-and-center at the moment. But, hold up … what if your clients want certainty? While you can't give it to them wrapped in a pretty bow, you can explain your writing process and detail what influenced your decision to write this way or that, so they feel confident in what you've done. A lot of people right now would say we've never lived during a more uncertain time. Whether that's true or not doesn't matter. What matters is what it feels like. So manage your uncertainty and manage your client's fears by writing directly to people's emotions, the same way copywriters have been doing for a hundred years. If you're in the process of looking for clients, take the same approach: explain your process. Explain how important it is to be authentic and relatable and basically human when doing business. People are more likely to buy from someone with empathy, someone with whom they feel connected. Meet them where they're at. Unprecedented times or not, that's how you connect, forge bonds, support others, and get through all of this. There are Barefoot Writer articles in our April issue that help you manage your own uncertainty; one touches on support networks and the other helps you build your writing process. [Take a look now]( if you're a member or [subscribe]( if you haven't yet. Either way, know you're supported by thousands of fellow writers going through the same weird time, and know we'll all come through this together. Do you have any questions about getting started in these unprecedented times? [Please share with us in the comments]( so we can help. Editorial Note: An AWAI member recently wrote in wondering, "Since I'm just starting out and still deciding which direction I'm headed, would I be a good fit for the Virtual Business Building Intensive or is it too early in my business building process?" If you've had a similar question, here's the answer … "You are definitely the right candidate for the Intensive. You're exactly the person this program was created for! Together, we'll work with you on choosing a niche and building out the pieces of your marketing, so you can start attracting quality clients — and getting paid! "Creating the elements of your marketing machine with our help, including crafting a marketing message you love, will increase your confidence and improve your success with your marketing efforts. "As part of our training program, Virtual Business Building Intensive, we'll even review your LinkedIn profile, information kit, and freelance website to ensure they will do the job of attracting high-quality clients. "Our personal reviews and supportive feedback will ensure you kick off your marketing on the best foot and propel you right on to success." [Learn more about the Virtual Business Building Intensive program here.]( Get Your Writing Business Up and Running From Home in Under 30 Days! Virtual Business Building Intensive will guide you step-by-step through building a complete freelance business … one that's attracting new clients and paying projects … in under 30 days! But your $1,000 discount ends soon … [Get started today for just $399]( HOT! Copywriting Crash Course Copywriting is the most in-demand and well-paying job for writers today. Give us 3 hours, and we'll teach you the basics of writing great copy … AND how to land the best paying assignments. [Get all the details now before the doors close.]( FREE TRAINING: Get Paid to Do Simple "Research" It takes just a few minutes to do (if you know what you're doing). And even though it's fast and simple, businesses around the world find this research VERY valuable. Because with this research in hand, you can help them "unlock" a steady stream of free leads and customers. It's why businesses large and small are ponying up big fees for writers that can help them do this. In this FREE training you'll learn from one of the world's top experts. And he'll show you exactly what this is and how to do it. [Event takes place May 1st >click here to learn more.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2020 American Writers & Artists Institute Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? 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