How to Overcome the Fear of Turning in Freelance Writing Work

When you’re new to freelance writing, every looming deadline can feel like a weight on your shoulders. It can be scary to turn in copy you’ve worked so hard on, and let others see it, read it and judge it.

Fortunately, turning in your work gets easier over time. But if you don’t want to wait months to get over that deadline-fearing hump, here are some tips to help you overcome your fears quicker and more easily:

Let Someone Else See Your Work First
It can be pretty scary to turn your work into a client – one who’s paying you for your talents and expertise.

To take some of the edge off, show your work to another third party first. Maybe it’s your spouse or your best friend, or maybe you have a friend who’s great with grammar, or you know a professional editor. It doesn’t really matter who it is, but send your work to them first. Get their feedback, make a few changes based on it, and send your revised version over to your client. You’ll feel much better about sending over a second draft rather than a first!

Go Back To Your Assignment
Take a few minutes to go back over your original assignment. Does the work you produced answer the questions or address the issues it needs to? Does it meet your client’s expectations?

Try to read your assignment and your copy back-to-back in the same sitting. If the two match up well, you can feel more confident handing over your work when the time comes. If they don’t, head back to the drawing board and make some revisions.

Assure Yourself
Sometimes, you just need a little boost in confidence to get over that hump.

Before turning in a project, set aside some time to do self-affirmations. Say to yourself “I am a talented writer, and I produce great content my client will love.”

Build yourself up, and feel good about what you produced. No one else could have done exactly what you have. It is completely unique to you and your talents! Revel in that.

Turning in your work gets easier and easier with time. Over the months and years of working as a freelance writer, you’ll become more and more confident in your abilities, your talents and your work. But until then, use these tips to help you feel more at ease when deadlines loom.

If you want actionable steps you can take to overcome fear and lack of confidence, Maggie Linders can help you. She was a shy, fearful aspiring writer who, with a little work, learned how to get past her obstacles to become a six-figure freelance writer. To help her fellow freelance writers, she developed a system called the Freelance Profit Academy where she teaches you all of her tips and tricks to help you gain confidence and start and maintain a successful writing career. To Learn more about the Freelance Profit Academy CLICK HERE