If One is Nervous About Writing
Advice from a writing Professor
I’ve seen it happen many times: a senior leader hesitates to share their hard-won knowledge, worrying it’s not ‘perfect’ or won’t resonate. Years later, those same ideas appear in someone else’s article, briefing, or even doctrine—but by then, the Army has already lost precious time. Their failure to write didn’t just silence their voice; it delayed the whole Army.
Publishing can feel intimidating. It invites judgment, risks misinterpretation, and takes time. But it’s also one of the most effective ways to influence the Army’s collective thinking and mentor the next generation of leaders. As a professor of writing, I’ve seen how senior leaders transform doubt into confidence by embracing the writing process and understanding the unique value of their voice.
Below, I expand on a few ways to get a grip on your nerves—and to feel out whether your apprehensions are founded. In short: talk about your writing widely, hone and work through a process, think of your writing as part of an ongoing conversation, make time to write regularly to improve your thinking/writing, and seek out those professionals who can help.
1. Talk about what you’re writing with anyone willing to listen.
When your family gets tired of hearing you talk about a topic you’re passionate about, turn to friends. Buy them lunch and then chat at them about your writing as they eat. This is about you hearing what you think aloud and watching what the faces of your listeners are doing while you talk.
Articulating what you think can help you feel more confident too—that your writing is valuable and adds to the conversation on the topic. When considering writing, some worry about retaliation or a negative reception. If you are taking a dissenting position, talking with others can help uncover counter-arguments to your point and relevant information to ground your argument in evidence.
Whenever you talk about the topic, you’ll add in a bit more based on additional thinking, previous conversations, and things you’ve read. Take notes, but talking it through is vital.
2. Own a process that you can use and adapt.
It’s too easy to think of writing as text that gets written, and then it’s over. Writing something that matters means committing to a process that takes time. There are lots of good references in this area like the Command and General Staff College’s Student Text 22-2, Army War College Communicative Arts Directive, and “How to Write an Article.” A basic process includes brainstorming; a few cycles of drafting, feedback, and revision; proofreading, and working with an editor to publish.
Own the process to be sure YOU are comfortable with what you’re doing as a writer. A process eliminates hasty writing—one of the greatest enemies of clarity and concision.
3. Your writing is not about perfection; it’s about being part of a conversation.
Perfectionism will stop you from writing anything at all. When you write for the Army’s journals, you join a longstanding conversation. No one’s ideas are perfect. The Army’s AirLand Battle evolved through dozens of critiques of Active Defense (and AirLand Battle itself!) FM 3-0 evolved from Multi-Domain Battle to Multi-Domain Operations and then into doctrine.
Having many voices in a conversation is healthy. Let perfection go and join the conversation. Your thinking may be proven right or wrong over time, but always, if you contributed to a conversation that pushed growth and developed understanding, everyone won.
4. Write regularly with purpose.
We all write constantly, but that writing is less effective than we think.
If you want to be a published writer, you must write with purpose. I recommend carrying a small notebook or starting a Google Doc that you can write in whenever you think about something awesome or intriguing.
Later, you can review what you’ve written. See how you are thinking, what you are thinking about, and look for nuggets of beautiful prose that might inspire you to write something longer. Also, identify errors you consistently make—then correct those (ask for help from colleagues or friends).
This kind of regular, purposeful writing is a way to learn what you want to say, why you want to say it, who needs to see it, and how you say it as you work toward a final published product.
5. Seek Those Who Can Help
When you attend a War College (or any professional education), look for the writing consultants who can help you hone the above tips and add others to your repertoire to help you publish your hard-won knowledge and opinions.
Success isn’t just about you becoming successful, it’s about mentoring the next generation. A quick way to get your ideas to more than just a few people is to publish. Dig into the Military Review special edition on writing, learn about how you can work toward publication and build a community of like-minded writers in which you can help each other flourish. The Army, the country, needs you to publish.
Dr. Elizabeth D. Woodworth is a Professor of Writing at the US Army War College (USAWC) in the Applied Communication and Learning Lab. She started working as a writing consultant in 1987 and began teaching writing in 1992. She’s been a tenured Honors English Professor and published widely since 1988. In Spring 2025, she’ll be teaching an elective on publication for senior leaders at the USAWC in support of the Harding Project.