Hey everyone,
I’m in pitching heaven this week, with story ideas flying all over the place, tabs open for further research, and tons of interesting tidbits that I’m excited to include in my stories.
I’ve spent the last couple of years focusing on content and business writing, and it’s a real treat to return to journalism and get into the rhythm of it all. This time, I’m leading a group of writers through my program 30 Days, 30 Queries (which you get at no additional cost if you’re a member of Wordling Plus.)
But I’m not just leading the group. I’m doing it with them. I’m sharing my highs, my lows, the number of pitches I send each day (and to whom), and the assignments and rejections that are trickling in.
I’m reminded once again that mental game is far more important than natural ability in this career.
I really can’t stress this enough.
When I came into this business over twenty years ago, I was a 19-year-old college student. I knew so many writers back then who had much more natural talent than I did. I envied them. But my mental game was always strong and so I never once considered this a bottleneck to my success.
See, I was an Indian college student wanting to write for top US publications from India. I knew how the world worked. Of course I’d have to work harder than my American peers for the same assignments. Of course I’d be taken less seriously. Of course I would have to prove myself over and over again.
I never thought of it as a lack of privilege or racism. I was an inexperienced writer from an unfamiliar country. It made sense to me that I would have to work harder to gain an American or British editor’s trust.
My career was my responsibility and if I wanted to make it, I knew I would have to be better and more reliable than my peers. It really was that simple. My natural talent didn’t exceed theirs, not by a long shot, but my mental game did. My persistence did. My ability to show up longer and work harder than everyone else did. I built up relentless belief in myself and took personal responsibility for every failure and rejection, even when I’d done my very best.
As a result, I improved very quickly. And it paid off. Editors started telling me my pitches were the best they’d ever seen. My reporting started winning awards. Recognizing stories became instinctive. Writing pitches became easy. Being based in India became an incredible advantage, not a limitation.
No one believes me when I say this, but 90% of my students have more natural ability than I did when I started. I had to share some of my early bylines with my editors because while I’d done the reporting, I wouldn’t always get the easy-going style of the American press right. I never saw this as anything but an opportunity to learn. I’d obsessively compare what I’d submitted to what was published so I could see how to do things better.
I know for a fact that freelancing can be taught and journalistic ability nurtured because I taught myself. I nurtured it in myself.
But I was willing to put my ego aside repeatedly and simply show up to do the work.
And often, that’s the most important skill.
Cheers,
Natasha