Imposter Syndrome: How To Put The Beast Back In Its Lair,

As a writer, imposter syndrome is such a hard obstacle to overcome. It doesn't just impact new writers, but writers that have been honing their craft for decades. Imposter syndrome can affect anyone from any profession, but in this instance, we are going to focus on how it affects us as writers.

You will be hard-pressed to find a writer that hasn't dealt with a feeling of inadequacy either as a writer or within their writing entirely. How do we as writers overcome this?

You Are Not Alone.

The fraudulent feeling that paralyzes us as we sit down to begin a new project or continue on with one we've been looking at for a month is not uniquely relevant to us. It is an emotion/feeling that has been terrorizing writers since the beginning of time. One primary way to begin your journey of overcoming this syndrome is by remembering you are not alone. We are all there with you, suffering in tandem.

I have written eleven book, but each time I think, 'Uh oh, they're going to find out now. I've run a game on everybody, and they're going to find me out.' Maya Angelou

I still have a little imposter syndrome.... It doesn't go away, that feeling that you shouldn't take me seriously. What do I know? I share that with you because we all have doubts in our abilities, about our power and what that power is. Michelle Obama

The greatest obstacle for me has been the voice in my head that I call my obnoxious roommate. I wish someone would invent a tape recorder that we could attach to our brains to record everything we tell ourselves. We would realize how important it is to stop this negative self-talk. It means pushing back against our obnoxious roommate with a dose of wisdom. Arianna Huffington

Now when I receive recognition for my acting, I feel incredibly uncomfortable. I tend to turn in on myself. I feel like an imposter. Any moment, someone’s going to find out I’m a total fraud, and that I don’t deserve any of what I’ve achieved. Emma Watson

Publication Doesn't Make You A Writer.

One of our biggest downfalls as writers is the need for validation. Now, not to negate the opinions and approval from our audience because that is an important piece of why we write. However, there is a way to harness that to empower instead of destroy.

We as writers have to learn the power of self-validation, to understand that what we take away from the writing process is the point, rather than the reception of our work or the rewards that may or may not come.

Self-knowledge of this need for validation can also stop us from making decisions that may harm us in the long run. For example, an author who takes an average publishing advance of $10,000 for their book may have given up their intellectual property asset for the life of copyright and may never see another dollar from it. All because they wanted an agent to tell them they are a good writer, and they crave the validation of a publishing deal.For indie authors, validation comes from sales and reviews from a growing readership. This need can turn into a constant rechecking for the latest reviews, with days ruined by a one-star review and obsessing over what could have been different. The Creative Penn

If outside validation is your only source of nourishment, you will be hungry for the rest of your life. Unknown

Do Not Aspire.

Do you consider yourself an "aspiring writer"? If so, stop.

Have you ever written anything? A blog post, a journal entry, a short story, a song, a novella, a book; if so, YOU ARE A WRITER. There is no more "aspiring" to be anything. You are what you have intended yourself to become. Embrace it and own it. YOU ARE A WRITER.

Being a writer means dreaming with your eyes open and sharing what you see. Unknown

Allow Yourself To Be Horrible.

Give yourself permission to suck. There is going to be a time when you write something or draft an idea that is absolutely horrible. Even so, that is okay. Give yourself the freedom to critique and build a table from that pile of scrap wood. Put in some extra screws for stability, sand away the scuffs, and paint it. You will be surprised at some of the things you will craft out of something you felt was terrible. Rome wasn't built in a day. Nothing great ever was.

Focus on progress, not perfection. Bill Phillips

Most Important Of All: Don't Stop Writing.

Do not allow anything, especially your own feelings of self-doubt, to keep you from doing what you truly love to do. The only way to become better is to become a more experienced writer.

The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get. John C. Maxwell

It doesn't get easier. You just get stronger. Unknown