THE ANXIOUS WRITER 🌿 By Helen Redfern

The Anxious Writer Substack is for those of you who write or create but are struggling with mindset issues such as self-doubt, procrastination, overwhelm and comparison.

I know what that’s like. That was me. It still is. I lack creative confidence every time I sit at my desk.

You are not alone.

The Anxious Writer is about confidence and creativity. About writing and creating online. It’s honest and vulnerable as I share what it feels like to write online, create a book proposal, find a literary agent, create a podcast or upload to YouTube or make an income from my creativity.

It’s about having just enough confidence to take that very first, very small step towards your creative dreams. To experiment, to explore. To say, even if it’s in a small voice, I have something to share that I’d like you to read.

What to expect from The Anxious Writer?

The Anxious Writer will operate on a monthly cycle and every month I’ll be sharing:

Essays about mindset: burnout, lacking self-belief, procrastinating, failing, fearing success - there is so much to make sense of as I navigate my way through creating this Substack, writing a book, growing a writing and mentoring business and exploring and experimenting with the online creative tools at our disposal.

Recent popular posts include:

Are You Neglecting Your Writing in Favour of Growing a Following?

The Four Points That Really Inspired Me from Show Your Work by Auston Kleon

The Fear of Your Writing Being Misunderstood and Attracting Negativity

Podcasts. Solo episodes, interviews with other creatives, and Our Substack Story which I record with

Hiding Under the Desk podcast

The Non-Fiction Book Club. Starting January 2024 is The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron read-along.

I’ll be highlighting non-fiction books about the creative mindset, being online, or a woman in midlife. In conjunction with my YouTube channel, I’ll be annotating the book and highlighting the sections I especially relate to. I’ll also be highlighting documentaries and interviews that are relevant to the creative mindset.

Journal of a book proposal. The behind-the-scenes story of how I’m putting together a non-fiction book proposal and how I intend to submit it to agents.

Some of the above will be free to all subscribers. Other writing will be for paid members only - especially if the essay is more vulnerable. To get the most out of The Anxious Writer and to support this publication for just over £1 a week you can upgrade your subscription below.

There is so much to discuss. So many books to read. So many articles, podcasts and newsletters to digest. So many people out there to discover.

Come and join me and we can step into this exciting time together.

Want more?

I have a workbook called Journaling Your Goals and a masterclass about journaling for writers.

Praise for THE RED FERN

Or you can take a peek at the comments on this post.

Who is The Anxious Writer for?

It is for those of you who miss the community of Instagram, and who want to explore the online world for your writing or creativity but are wondering if there is space for you. Maybe you feel ‘too old’ (you aren’t), maybe you feel you have nothing interesting to say (I bet you have), or maybe you’re embarrassed about taking up creative space (please, don’t be).

I’ve felt all of those things and more. I’ve watched, inspired, as women younger than me confidently claim their own spaces online. They’re podcasting, writing newsletters, articles and blog posts, they’re in magazines, they’re on YouTube…It’s incredible.

And whilst that is incredibly motivating I’ve been searching for someone who is more my age, has had similar experiences or is currently going through what I’m going through. Someone who has come to creativity or writing online a little later in life and not as a teenager. Maybe after having children or having been invested in a career. Or maybe illness or caring for others has demanded your attention and energy.

Or maybe it’s because a lack of self-belief has stopped you. For over a decade (or, is that just me?)

I searched but couldn’t find anyone I could relate to. So I decided to create my own community instead and write about all these feelings, experiences and issues myself.

It’s not easy to claim your space when the online world seems so saturated. It’s not easy to put your head above the parapet and say, “hey, look at me, I have something to say, too”.

But I’m giving it a go. I’m sharing my journey: the practical, the mindset issues, and when I push it that little bit too far and struggle with burnout. It’s all here in this Substack.

A little more about me.

My name is Helen Redfern.

I’m a writer and an unconfident creative. I’ve been writing and blogging for over sixteen years but it’s only in the last few years when I’ve picked apart my unconfident mindset through writing and journaling, that I’ve started to make progress with my writing projects and my writing business. 

I was the founder of The Confident Creative Club - a membership for unconfident creatives and write on the blog helenredfernwriter.com and on Medium. You can also find me on YouTube.

I am currently writing a non-fiction book.