There’s a good chance that I’ve led a sheltered life, have very low standards, or both, but in my opinion the degree to which someone suffers from imposter syndrome is inversely related to how good they really are.
If I now go on to say that I suffer terribly from imposter syndrome, you might think I’ve set this up to make myself seem humble while boasting disgracefully. But I haven’t. I know I can write well, even though I always hesitate before clicking “Publish”, because of external proof. To wit:
Editors are prepared to pay me to write for them.
Publishers have been happy to pay me to write books for them.
Many people read my blog posts.
A lot of people subscribe to my newsletters.
Loads of people tell me they enjoy reading my stuff.
If you have imposter syndrome and are a relatively new writer with not many, or no, credits in the form of published material, try the following:
Keep on submitting articles for publication, or at the very least start a blog. Remember, the difference between you and other people is that you are actually doing the writing, not just thinking about doing it some time in the future.
Join a writing group or form one yourself with other (would-be) writers you might know, in order to obtain honest criticism. (Frankly, there’s no point asking family or friends most of the time: they either don’t know what makes a piece of writing good or bad, or do know but don’t wish to hurt your feelings if they don’t like it.)
Sign up to a creative writing class, for the same reason.
Ignore that inner voice that tells you you’re no good at writing. Maybe you’re actually not — but there’s only one way to find out!
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