3 Content Writing Myths New and Aspiring Coaches Need to Know
8 years ago, after a sabbatical break to recover from what felt like a quarter-life crisis, the desire to express myself through writing came alive in me.
So I started my blog, hoping that my article can somehow enrich the lives of others.
On the journey, I accidentally discovered the power of content writing in building my brand and growing an audience who resonates with my work (and who eventually says yes to my coaching offers.)
Maybe you’re a new coach who wants to write content to attract ideal clients to your coaching programs.
Maybe you’re an aspiring coach who wants to use content writing to grow your brand.
Or maybe you’re a human being with the soul of an artist and the heart of a changemaker: you want to write for creative expression and to make a difference in your world.
No matter who you are, I want to help you kick start and stay strong on your writing journey.
To do so, you’ll need to remove the following myths that can make your writing project hit a dead-end before it even begins.
MYTH #1: My story needs to be impressive to be of values
When I was 9 years old, one day I read a story in the student magazine dad bought for me once every week. I loved that story so much that I re-read it twice.
Not satisfied, one weekend afternoon, I sat at my study desk with a fountain pen in my hand. I copied the whole story, word by word, on a blank sheet of the exam paper.
I moved my pen slowly, making the letters as beautiful as I could. As if writing down the words will help the story become part of me.
That story wasn’t an epic tale of dragons and heroes. It was about a day in the life of a little girl. What she did at school, how she played, how she thought of her teachers and friends, and the things that happened in her world. The normal story was told with so much honesty and details and humor.
I felt seen, understood, validated. Important things get written down. The article showed my 9-year-old self that her life was interesting and important. Being a shy, sensitive girl, she never knew that. The writer, by using their voice, gave her a voice.
Your story doesn’t have to be impressive to be impactful.
What readers want most is to feel seen in their humanity.
We want a moment of recognition when you help us say something we feel deeply but couldn’t find the words for it. We want: “This is exactly how I feel.”
To do that, you do not need to be impressive. Please, for the love of all things, don’t try to impress us. That cuts off the line of connection we need from you.
You only need to be honest about your experience. You only need to slow down enough to notice the details of your story. And use the words you know to capture that for us.
This brings me to writing wall number 2.
MYTH #2: I need to know sophisticated words to write well.
Being a non-native English speaker, I understand this one too well.
If you’re still caught up in this myth, try reading the work of the late Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
His words are simple but they land in your bones. His honesty and conviction shine through every verse.
The opposite of that is a thesis paper.
I’m thinking of the many I submitted in university. I tried to use big important words but there was no personal truth to them. They were so boring. I feel bad now for my professors for having to plow through hundreds of thesis like that. No wonder why they were often in a bad mood.
So no, you don’t need to take up an intensive English course to expand your vocabulary.
Your current vocabulary is more than enough.
Use words that best capture what you want to say. Keep it simple.
When you’re tempted to use a flowery word that seems impressive but feels like a foreign entity in your body, don’t do it.
Stay with your authentic voice.
This brings me to myth number 3.
MYTH #3: Writing is difficult. I’m not really a “writer.”
This is one of the thickest walls. While it sounds simple, there’s much more at stake here.
For most of us, schools were our first contact with writing. Unlucky for us, traditional education ruined our relationship with writing for life if we don’t do something about it.
If I have to sum up all my experience with writing in school it’ll be an image of an exam paper marked with red letters and circles of where I didn’t say the right thing. The only way to score high was to stick very closely to the book.
This created the impression that there was only one way to write. And if left to our own device, we can never get it “right.”
There was no space for unique perspectives and unique expressions - which is something we all have in common: our uniqueness.
Most of us walk around carrying hidden “writing wound” that not only makes us shy away from expressing ourselves with the written words but also cripples our full, authentic expression.
In order to protect us from judgment, rejection, and humiliation, this wound puts a muzzle over our mouth, stifling our voice - whether on the page or on the stage.
It’s time we say “enough is enough,” and reclaim our writer’s voice. (Yes, I dared use the word “writer.” Because even if you don’t see yourself as a writer right now, you are.)
Seth Godin said: “If you can talk, you can write.”
After blogging for 8 years, publishing an instant Amazon’s best new release, and teaching writing workshops, I can tell you that writing can be as natural as breathing.
If you can breathe, you can write.
You need to reclaim your voice by healing the “writing wounds” - the childhood moments when you weren’t celebrated in your full authentic expression of the written words.
Let go of the myths and embrace these truths:
Your story doesn’t have to be impressive. It only needs to be true.
You don’t need big sophisticated words. Only the ones you already know.
Finally, let writing be like breathing. Because it is.
Reclaim your voice. You have something important to say. We need to hear it.
Trust the light within you. It’s demanding to be seen. Even if you can’t see it yet.
Stop dimming. Start shining.
That’s how we light up others.
That’s how we light up the world.
Together.
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