Building confidence is a challenge for many writers. Whether you struggle with impostor syndrome, perfectionism, fear of judgment, or overwhelm, at some point, all writers stumble and question their abilities. But did you know that working with an editor can help boost your confidence as a writer? It’s true; we’re not stocking up on red pens, waiting to rip your work to pieces. The right editor is actually on your side, helping you grow not just your writing skills but your self-assurance too.

Write and Revise with Confidence

Not sure if that scene is working for your manuscript? Are you worried about the flow of your article or the impact of your words? All these issues can shake your confidence, especially when you’re stumped on how to make improvements. And if you’re like me, the longer you struggle with a piece, the worse you feel about it and the more you question your skills.

Once impostor syndrome gets in your head, your self-assurance takes a nosedive. Coming back from that can be hard.

Friends, this is just one reason why it’s so important to have an editor on your support team. When you’re struggling with doubts about your writing, contact your editor. I’ve given my fair share of pep talks to authors who just needed a bit of encouragement to get back on track. Editors like me help you work through issues with structure, tone, and clarity. We help enhance your voice and polish your text. With professional guidance and revisions, you can eliminate doubts and hesitations about your work and move forward in the publishing process with assurance.

Confidently Grow Your Writing Skills

We want readers—even our editors—to appreciate and connect with our work. And that means that receiving feedback and constructive criticism can be discouraging sometimes, especially when major revisions are in order. I’ve been there, friends.

But remember that feedback is an opportunity for us to grow our writing skills.

My clients receive an editorial letter from me for each of our projects. Depending on the size of the project, the review can range from a few paragraphs to a few pages. I use the letter to highlight key areas that work well or need special attention, and this helps my writers in two ways:

Improving the Current Project

With my customized feedback about style and recurring errors, you know exactly what to focus on to strengthen your project. The letter provides you with a big-picture look at and explanation of the revisions, and the edits in the file are your real-world examples. By the time you review the letter and work through the revisions, you’ll feel confident that your project is ready for the next step.

Focusing Craft Development

Writing is a broad subject, so saying that we want to be better writers doesn’t mean much. There’s just too much ground to cover, and writers can get overwhelmed by choices when it comes to professional development.

But when you have professional, customized feedback on your writing, you can use that to set SMART goals.

Specific goals provide you with clear direction, allow for progress tracking, and help you stay motivated because you have a defined target to aim for. When you set your goals for the year or quarter, think about the last feedback you received from your editor. What recurring issues did they note? Conscious language? Grammar? Dummy subjects? Passive voice?

Focus on one or two of those specific areas, incorporating them into your writing goals and professional development plans. You’ll avoid overwhelm and improve your craft so your confidence in your writing skills can grow too.

How Editing Reduces Stress and Builds Confidence

Do you get that feeling of anxiety before you hit the send button on an email or post something to your website? You’re not alone. Psychology Today acknowledges that writing is a form of emotional risk-taking.

But when you team up with a professional editor, you receive more than revisions; you’ll see psychological benefits too:

• Reduced self-doubt: The way our brains are wired makes it hard for us to catch errors in our own writing. That’s one reason we feel anxious about sharing our writing—no matter how many times we go over our own work, we probably won’t catch all the issues. An editor is an objective third party who reviews your content with fresh eyes and a new perspective. That means you can count on us for honest feedback and thorough revisions and feel confident about your work.

• Improved motivation and accountability: Research shows that when you share your goal with someone, you have a 65 percent chance of success. And when you have a specific accountability date—like deadlines for submitting your writing project to your editor—your chances of reaching your goal can increase by up to 95 percent.

• Less stress: It’s easy to get caught up in researching, revising, and trying to make our writing perfect. Striving for perfection is a lot of pressure to put on ourselves, though. We can’t know everything about our subjects, style guides, or software. That’s why partnering with others is so important. As an editor, I specialize in working with style guides and editing tools. When my clients aren’t sure how to handle a style point, they don’t need to stress over figuring it out. They flag the issue and trust me to advise them. That’s confidence.

Partnerships Provide Confidence

Want to know a secret? The brightest and most dedicated writers struggle with self-assurance—even when they’re academics and editors. That’s why Christina Ebersohl-Van Scyoc reached out to me about proofreading her master’s thesis.

“I am a master’s candidate in my final year of study. I have published essays and articles, and spent years as an assistant editor for a musicology journal. I sent BulletProof Writing my thesis to look over before submitting it for defense and was absolutely astounded with what they found—continuity errors, nuances that could be adjusted, citation corrections, etc. The process was so easy, and the turnaround was incredibly efficient. And now my thesis is stunning and probably the best product I have ever produced. I feel so much more confident going into my defense.”
 —Christina Ebersohl-Van Scyoc

Our partnership made such a difference for Christina that we’ve collaborated several times to work on additional projects, including her dissertation this month!

Team Up with Confidence

Confidence doesn’t just happen for writers. It’s a trait we have to work on, but we can tackle it together! What do you need help with? Fighting overwhelm and impostor syndrome? Improving your writing skills? Revising your current project? Whatever it is, contact me! I’d love to learn more about your project and partner with you. We’re stronger and more confident together. Let’s make your writing bulletproof!