Article writing has been the way for me to build up my credibility and visibility very quickly online. It was not easy for me to do in the beginning, because I was not a writer. I had always wanted to write, but was told that my writing was not any good. I was much younger at this time, and it never occurred to me to keep on writing to improve my skills.
When I came online at the end of 2005 I quickly realized that writing was going to be an important part of my success. I started several blogs and started to write each day. After a few months it became much easier, and soon I discovered that I could write articles and submit them to the article directories for publication.
Those first articles took forever to write. I spent at least an hour writing an outline and researching my topic. Then I would write each paragraph, read it over to make sure it sounded the way I wanted it to, and then rewrite it to be just right. The final article would be the result of two hours or more of trying to write the perfect article. The problem was that they were not perfect. I would read other articles on my topic and find that other authors were writing much better articles than I was. So I would write another one, in hopes that this one would be the one I could submit to the article directories.
Does this sound familiar? I was letting my habit of perfectionism get in the way of me building my online business. Slowly I had to let this go and get on with my writing. I decided that being a perfectionist was hurting my chances of being an entrepreneur. I realized that even if I thought something was perfect, it was only my opinion and could change over time.
My advice is to just write. Choose a topic that you know enough about that you do not have to spend very much time researching your facts and data. Write short paragraphs that give the reader the information they need to move on to the next step in their progress. Fulfill the promise you make in the title and summary of what you are writing. And then submit it for publication. Do this every day for a month and you will be a changed person. You, and your writing, will not be perfect, but you will be on your way to success as an online author and entrepreneur.
Heather Page says
Connie,
You are AMAZING!!! Thank you for this article. This is what I needed to just do it! You are such an inspiration for me. Thanks for being you.
Heather Page
Kymberly says
Hey Connie: As a good friend of mine once said after she’d made a little mistake: “perfectionism is highly overrated.” Good points you make. I am lucky enough to be a strong writer though look forward to gaining some of your online skills for sure! We are classmates in FP2P.
Melanie Kissell says
I think perfectionism is just as awful as being addicted to drugs. I’ve suffered from it my whole life and it’s really hard to shake. Too bad they don’t have a “re-hab” facility for perfectionists!
Your entire outlook and philosophy on the subject is wonderful, Connie. I love that you constantly let people know that it’s all right to not be perfect.
Jaime says
What a great article! I have really enjoyed reading your posts!! This one truly inspired me. Thanks Again Connie for all of your great info!!