Keys to Combat: Imposter Syndrome

Mattie May | Staff Writer

So you think you’re a writer?  But, you don’t write every day. You don’t even remember the last time you poked your document. Perhaps you’ve never published anything. Maybe your writing isn’t that good, and the one person you showed is saying they like your idea just to be nice. And from there, you spiral into further questions and doubts about whether you deserve the title “Writer.” 

We’ve all had our share of doubts about whether or not we can consider ourselves writers, but what are some ways we can combat the lies about us truly being the writer we claim to be? 

I was around fifteen or sixteen when I first started calling myself a Writer. I remember having a conversation with an artist friend of mine on how we refer to ourselves within our forms of “art.” Something happened inside when I started referring to myself as a writer. Since then, I’ve grown significantly in my writing ability, however, I still think of my younger self as the blossoming writer. 

Our problem as creatives is that it is increasingly easy to compare ourselves to other creatives who may or may not be worthy of our comparison. Even with a degree and as a self-published author, I still question if I’m worthy to bear the title of “author” or “writer.” Like many artists, we tend to be our own worst critics, but there’s a balance to figuring out a healthy amount of comparison to push ourselves forward to do better and an unhealthy amount resulting in us becoming discouraged that we aren’t where we want to be. Here are three keys I use to combat Imposter Syndrome: 

Every writer is on their own path

My path of starting to write and eventually self-publishing and later getting a degree is very different from many of the authors I follow. They may have started young or around the same time that I did, or even before, and yet they sell more books and have more overall experience writing and publishing than I do with my degree. 

The beauty of writing is that there is no “5 step process” to becoming a good writer and making money from your craft. Whether you write poetry, non-fiction, fanfiction, or never plan to publish you’re still a writer. Regardless of what your writing path looks like, you can still call yourself a writer. 

Being a writer doesn’t have to include publishing (or a degree) 

Publishing might be the dream, but you are definitely a writer without having ever published a single piece of your work. Does having your name on a book or on a website—like The Pub—help with experience and building your platform? Yes, it does. But, as long as you are writing, you are a writer. 

You also don’t need to have been a writing or English major to call yourself a writer. I started calling myself a writer long before college was a thought in my mind. It was because I was a writer that I wanted to pursue a higher education in writing. I know plenty of great writers who never went to college, or who majored in something completely different from writing. 

You don’t have to write every day 

For a long time I didn’t write every day, or even every month. I have had my share of creative dry spells and struggled to push past them. Just because you are in a creative dry spell or you are creatively burnt out, doesn’t make you any less of a writer. 

In the year immediately following the publication of my debut novel I was filled with a sort of creative energy that wore off and was completely depleted before the year ended. I spent months having no idea of what to write and struggling to put any words on the page. 

As some of the life factors that had contributed to my burnout abated I was able to slowly start putting words on the page again. It started small with a poem, or a couple flash fiction pieces. It seemed great, but I struggled after writing even something short to bring up my creative energy again. 

I also didn’t write much for fun at school. Sometimes writing every day is a season, and as we all know, seasons change, and what we did consistently for one doesn’t always carry over to the next. It’s okay to have a season of rest and still call yourself a Writer. 

However you do have to write. Making a Pinterest board, or watching writing videos, or following other writers doesn’t make you a writer. You will eventually have to put pen to paper or fingers to your keyboard and write. 

As creatives, it’s normal to struggle with doubting our abilities. However, we cannot let those doubts control us and stop us from sharing our writing with the world. Find a good editor or trusted writing mentor and choose to trust them when they say you’re not only a writer, but a good one. Sometimes lies are easier to listen to, but the truth will set you and your story free. 

What are some ways you have dealt with Imposter Syndrome? What tips or tricks do you use to overcome it and keep writing?