Do I have what it takes?

Photo by: geishaboy500

The second chapter in The Freelance Writer’s Handbook is called Do You Have What it Takes?

The headings are as follows:

• Surviving Early Starvation
  This doesn’t worry me. I have rental income on my house in Dublin, together with some savings.
• Are You Really Nosy and Hopeless at Keeping Secrets?
  I am really nosy, although I’m also good at keeping secrets. I love to know everything that’s going on, but I don’t necessarily have to let everyone know. Hopefully this will be good enough.
• Learning to Bear Rejection
  This is something that I’m very prepared for in the writing world, but something that I know I will find a challenge.
• Do You Have a Will of Iron?
  I wouldn’t say I do. But at the same time there isn’t much that I want to do that I don’t achieve. I decided to go to give up my job to do a TEFL course and move to Costa Rica, and nothing was going to stop me. And while in Costa Rica I worked for 2 years, then moved to the coast to write, and then spent 3 months travelling around Central America, all as I had planned.
• Do You Enjoy Your Own Company?
  I’m very comfortable with my own company. I loved living totally on my own for the three months in Santa Teresa.
• Can You See Sense in Chaos?
  I do have an ability to make sense of things in chaotic situations.
• Are You Good at Persevering?
  Similar to the answer to a will of iron above, I don’t have fears here.
• Could You Sell Ice to Eskimos?
  This is my big weak spot. I’m not a good marketer, or a good seller. Already people are telling me who I should approach, cajole or bully. It’s something that’s not innate and I know I’m going to have to work hard at it. I know that I need to develop my writing and my confidence in my writing before this can improve.
• Are You a Good Listener?
  I think this is one of my strengths. I love listening and I think I’m good at it.

So my own assessment is broadly positive. I have a big problem marketing myself, and I think for the moment I need to improve the quality of my writing, and build my own confidence first before I can really tackle this.

I really think that this is going to work for me, but I know from experience that I have to do it my way, even if it’s a bit slower.