Why writing skills are critical for your career

People regularly assume their writing skills are “good enough” to get by.

But data shows that’s far from the truth: companies spend more than $3.1 billion on remedial writing training yearly. Yikes.

Having a strong foundation of writing skills is essential to building a profitable career as a freelance writer. But, even so–many people pursuing this path don’t feel proficient in their writing abilities (much like those hobbling on limited writing expertise at in-house jobs.)

Writing-focused training gets pushed down the to-do list month after month. It’s easy to think: “Why spend time on my craft when I could be pitching, prospecting, and doing client work?”

The answer, my friends, is that by taking the time to improve your writing skills, you will be more successful.

It’s as simple as that.

The bottom line here: If you feel insecure about your writing skills, you’re not alone.

Whether you actively worry about your grip on the basics, suffer from imposter syndrome while doing work for your clients, or just want to make an effort to improve your skills, there are many ways to do so.

What to do if you worry your writing isn’t “good enough”

Imagine this: you sit down to write a piece for a client only to find yourself entirely overwhelmed by the thought that your writing isn’t good.

• Almost every sentence you type, you immediately delete.

• The cursor blinks at you for an eternity (and it feels like a taunt.)

• It takes you twice as long to write the article as it should.

When you finally knock the piece out, the end result feels off…but you can’t pinpoint exactly what’s wrong.

Far from a rare occurrence, this is a situation that plagues countless writers around the world. It’s an anxious, emotionally fraught space to exist in, and it can become a self-perpetuating cycle if it’s not broken.

Worse yet: This perpetual state of worry is only the beginning of the insecurity a writer might feel about his or her skills.

“This isn’t on the mark for our brand, please re-work,” is one of the most dreaded and self-confidence-shattering responses for a writer to get.

If you get pieces back from clients full of edit requests, it can feel like confirmation of this insecurity and, thus, the self-perpetuation of the belief that your writing is bad. It’s also not great for business; the extra time you spend fixing that piece will eat into your earnings.

Beyond that, if the client wasn’t happy, they probably won’t re-hire you for future projects. The looming sense of dread that proceeds sitting down to write anything once you start to doubt your work is exhausting and mentally taxing.

But it doesn’t have to be a permanent state.

5 ways to break free from the writing insecurity complex

There are a few things you can do to break free from the thought: “I’m not a great writer.”

• Join a community of writers. Because writers often find themselves alone with their computers day in and day out, finding a supportive group to be part of can help stave off the insecurity that accompanies such an isolated job. A community can help you troubleshoot when you feel stuck or stumped.

• Examine where those internalized doubts might stem from. Writing is quite personal, and by default so is feedback on your writing. It’s natural to take it personally when you get critiques on your writing, but sometimes the doubt stems from a deeper place. Becoming more self-aware through therapy, journaling, etc. is a way to navigate those deep-set doubts about your abilities.

• Establish a daily writing practice. Practice, practice, practice. It’s a cliche because it’s true: the more you practice, the better you’ll get. Implementing a daily writing habit is the key to becoming a better writer. By writing daily you’ll refine your communication skills and exercise the mental muscles you want to strengthen. With time, writing will begin to feel more natural and less stressful.

• Get professional feedback. While not always possible, when you can, ask an editor for the specifics of why they changed your draft. Getting this feedback from those who have interacted directly with your writing and have more experience than you is an invaluable way to improve future work. A patient editor is a Godsend. If that's not an option, you can always hire one-to-one feedback from an editor who can help you work on a specific area of focus (I offer a four-week private intensive for this purpose!)

• Devote yourself to writing training. You'll build confidence and skills within a writing workshop, workbook, or training course like the one below. This is great because you won't just learn the theory, but you'll also put your skills into practice.

The truth is: Writing isn't easy. You have to work at it.

Will you make time for it so you can get ahead at work?

Write more in 2025.

We’re approaching year-end (really only five weeks to go!)...Can you believe it?

If you’re like me, this home stretch is a time for slowing down, thinking about the year ahead, and setting goals.

Will you accomplish all of them? Maybe not. Likely not.

I mean, I’d like to get better at painting, speaking Spanish, and trying new recipes, but if I’m being honest, I’ll be happy if I scratch the surface on any of those activities.

One thing I’d like to ask you to think about today, though, is your personal relationship with writing.

We live in a world where AI-powered writing tools have made it easier than ever to avoid working on improving your writing abilities and to simply outsource that work to the ol’ bots.

But where’s the art in that?

Where’s the humanity?

Where does it leave space for you to crystallize your personal thoughts and feelings into concrete words and sentences you can then share with others so you can be better understood?

The answer is…it really doesn’t.

I think now, more than ever, we need humans to create (and share!) things that are uniquely human. We need to lean into the rote tasks of writing things unassisted and using our imaginations to tell stories (both fiction and non-fiction.)

Because, yes: Technology is great. It’s useful and certainly has a place and time.

But for 2025, I want to encourage you to write more. Maybe even take this to the extreme and do it with pen and paper.

You can still spend a few hours every evening scrolling social media (let’s be honest, we’re not going to stop) and still make space in your day for 20-30 minutes of writing.

The result and impact of that activity has real dividends: You’ll learn more about yourself--and if you share your writing publicly, you may even find a pocket of folks who are excited to read what you have to say.

Writing isn’t an easy thing. For a lot of people, it’s fraught with self-doubt, it feels too challenging to be fun, or maybe it’s something we simply don’t believe we’re good at.

But you know what? Anything worth doing is hard.

I also want to offer to help. If this is something you’re interested in really investing in for 2025 and beyond, I’ve opened back up my one-to-one writing coaching offering.

There’s a four-week option for those who want a writing accountability partner and an editor to offer tips and guidance, but I’m also willing to do a one-time meeting if you just want to troubleshoot and talk through some of your writing-related stumbling blocks. (Just reply to this email if you’re curious about that option.)

Or, if you just want some quick lessons and a more self-directed route, consider my eBook, which comes with a workbook component.

Here’s the bottom line: If you do nothing other than start journaling, that’s a win.

Make writing a priority. It’s a net positive and a skill that you’ll never regret developing.