“I’ll post my writing tomorrow.”

That’s the lie that holds 80% of aspiring writers back.

The fear of posting content is understandable, but justifying it with phrases like, “I’ll start tomorrow,” “What if no one likes this?” “This isn’t good enough” holds you back from achieving your goals.

When I speak with new writers, I see 3 main problems.

1. Fear of criticism
2. Lack of direction
3. Comparing yourself to others

Do you know what all 3 problems have in common?

They’re all based on fear.

Most aspiring writers dream of quitting their 9-5 job and traveling the world, writing from a villa in Fiji or overlooking Dubai, but if you don’t overcome the beginning challenges, unfortunately, you won’t get close.

I’ve been writing since I was 10, including fan fiction, short stories, gaming publications, YouTube scripts, and ghostwriting in various industries. I’ve posted content on every platform, and guess what? I struggled with this exact problem for years.

When I first started sharing my work, some people laughed at me. That held me back.

Eventually, I stopped caring. I found the people who support my worked and let go of the critics.

It took a long time to overcome that fear, but now I’m not scared of posting content. I don’t worry about the negativity. People still leave hateful comments, but those people are just projecting their own struggles and insecurities.

I view content and writing as a way to document my progression and help others solve the same problems I’ve faced. Fear held me back for a long time, and it’s the only thing holding you back.

So today, we’re going to talk about my 3-step process for overcoming this fear and starting your writing journey immediately.

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The 7 Day Content Challenge

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Most people struggle to get started, so here’s what you’re going to do to break that fear in one week.

Write and post something that matters to you every day for 7 days straight.

Don’t worry about what everyone else thinks. Just write about something that grabbed your attention each day.

The platform doesn’t matter.

If you want to write long-form content, use Medium.

If you want to write short thoughts, write on X or Threads.

If you want to make videos, post short ones on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube.

You probably won’t get any views and it’s not about that, it’s about building a habit of creating something every day and sharing it with the world.

Each time you hit post, you’re rewiring your brain to no longer associate sharing your work with fear.

At the end of each day, track your emotional journey. On the first day, you’ll probably be nervous and try to talk yourself out of it, but by the 7th day, I bet you’ll post without thinking.

Here’s how I overcame my fear. I stopped caring about anything except creating. The only difference now is that I’m writing in public instead of keeping it to myself.

I wrote thousands of pages of fan fiction but never shared any of it. I was concerned with what others would think. Then I started sharing short stories with friends; a few laughed, but some thought it was cool.

I’ve realized people don’t care as much as I thought and the world won’t end if I post something imperfect.

The best part of this challenge is overcoming that fear when no one is paying attention, so when it’s time to focus on building your audience and business, you aren’t afraid of others’ opinions.

You’ll post without hesitation and move on to the next project.

This is the skill that separates professional writers from dreamers.

After this challenge, proceed to step 2.

Choosing what to write about long-term.

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Choosing Your Topics

The first step to growing an audience is to determine what you want to write about.

Most writers mistakenly choose topics based on what’s trending or what might make money.

That’s a recipe for burnout.

Sustainable writing careers are built at the intersection of three crucial questions.

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Question 1: What is your lived experience?

Your lived experience is based on one question.

1. What challenges have you faced and conquered that you can teach to someone else?

I view content as a public journal and I’ve realized there are millions of people facing the same problems.

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Question 2: What are your genuine interests?

Make two lists.

1. List every topic you could talk about for hours.
2. List every book, author, and creator that inspires you.

Quality content comes from curiosity and authenticity.

If you can talk or learn about it forever, you should be sharing it with the world.

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Question 3: What’s In Demand?

I’m not talking about trends that fade in and out.

I’m referring to timeless niches.

The content you consume daily.

If you’re searching for it, so are others.

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The Intersection Of Answers

After answering those two questions, write down 5-7 subtopics under each.

There will be overlap between each pillar, that is how you find your niche.

For example, if you’ve overcome procrastination (experience), love psychology (genuine interest), and see constant demand for productivity solutions (demand)—you’ve found a powerful niche and your corner of the content market.

Now that you’ve identified your content pillars, it’s time to position yourself as an expert in your niche.

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Learn To Build Authority

A big misconception is that you have to be the smartest person in the room to be considered an expert.

That’s not true.

Positioning yourself as an expert means identifying your target audience’s pain points and presenting the solutions you’ve found in your life.

There are 3 Elements of Authority Content.

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Step 1: Identify Your Target Audience.

A common beginner mistake is trying to create content that appeals to everyone.

Most people believe you need a large audience to be successful, and that’s simply not true.

The key to success as a writer is identifying a specific audience and creating content aimed at solving their pain points.

Ask these questions.

1. Where is your ideal reader in their journey?
2. What problems keep them up at night?
3. What have they tried that didn’t work?
4. What’s their ideal outcome?

When I create content, I’m not writing for a broad audience; I’m targeting people who:

1. Have expertise in an area but don’t know how to express it.
2. Want to turn their knowledge into income.
3. Want to build an audience while creating content they love.

Being specific builds trust with your readers or viewers.

That brings us to the second element of authentic content.

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Step 2: Be Empathetic

Most writers only share solutions, which is important, but a crucial piece of authenticity comes from sharing your failures, not just your success.

When I started writing online, I tried to sound like every other business writer. My content fell flat.

I learned from fiction writing that people want to see the hero’s journey from start to finish. So, now I apply those rules to my writing today.

They want to see their struggles along the way.

I discuss “what not to do” as much as “here’s the solution.”

This creates stories, a character arc, and a way for people to connect with your content.

Building trust means empathizing with your audience and showing you understand their struggles and know the solutions because you’ve been in their position.

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Step 3: Creating Clear Solutions

You can have the best content in the world, but if it’s not packaged correctly, people will click away.

People want a clear step-by-step process, not word count.

This article is an example of that. At the beginning, I told you there’s a 3-step process to go from being afraid to post to becoming a content wizard.

This creates an easy-to-follow story.

A well-written story starts with a clear problem, presents steps to overcome it, and ends with a clear destination.

Here are three specific strategies for creating a compelling story.

1. Reverse engineer what you consume. What makes it valuable? How is it structured?
2. Create your own angle. Where can you add specifics from your experience? What’s no one else saying? What methods didn’t work for you?
3. Test and document your results. Create a theory, test it, track the outcomes, and share the process and results.

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Combining a specific audience, empathetic storytelling, and clear solutions creates content that positions you as an authority without the need for fancy credentials or decades of experience.

Remember, being an expert doesn’t mean being perfect.

It’s about being a few steps ahead of your audience and being vulnerable about what you’ve learned and where you’ve failed.

There’s one more problem to address.

This comes after you’ve overcome your fear of posting and found your direction.

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The Comparison Trap

A major hurdle for beginning creators is the tendency to compare yourself to the biggest names in your niche.

For me, it would be easy to compare myself to Dan Koe, Ali Abdaal, or Jay Clouse. They’re some of the biggest names in the creator education niche

They’ve built massive audiences and thriving businesses in the space.

But, falling into that trap is a recipe for disaster.

Everyone starts somewhere, and when they started, they were bad at it.

Here’s an exercise, go to your favorite YouTuber’s channel and find their first video.

What you’ll realize is that they didn’t start out as polished writers who knew how to package their content and attract an audience.

They were once a beginner like you.

The only difference between you and them is their thousands of hours of practice.

The difference isn’t talent—it’s persistence. They kept showing up when others quit.

You’re seeing the result of years of work.

Never compare your situation to someone else’s highlight reel. View creators ahead of you as inspiration, not discouragement.

Instead, compare yourself to who you were last week, last month, or last year.

Share that experience, document your journey in public, and know your audience.

Follow these steps and stay consistent, and you’ll succeed.

It might not be tomorrow, but if you show up and create one piece of content weekly for the next 12 months, I guarantee your life will change.

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The Secret To Authentic Content

We’ve covered three essential steps to overcome that fear holding you back.

Face your fear of posting with the 7-day content challenge.

Find your direction; you don’t need to have it nailed down today, but keep it in mind as you get comfortable posting.

Break free from comparisons. Comparing yourself to others isn’t productive; it keeps you stuck.

Remember that villa in Fiji or penthouse in Dubai? Those dreams are attainable, you just have to put in the work to get there.

Your first piece of content starts today.

Not someday.

Not when you feel ready.

Grab your phone, write something on X, and hit post.

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By the way, if you’re serious about starting your writing journey, I’ve built something special for you, my Ultimate Content Creation Template.

This is built on Kortex, my preferred second brain for writing, and is the result of 20 years of writing experience.

This template is designed to help you turn one idea into a newsletter that serves as a pillar for YouTube, social media, and short-form video content.

It’s available on my website and you can use the coupon code “ERA20” for 20% off.

Click the first link below.

And if you need help getting started with your content creation journey, I’m here to help.

Send me an email at brock@brockerathompson.com and I’ll be in touch.

Happy Writing.