Imposter syndrome stopping you from writing your book?

Imposter syndrome is a haunting spectre.

Often it creeps into minds of writers. It whispers doubts. It makes them question their abilities.

Imposter syndrome as a concept hadn’t been recognised in the olden days, but even writers like Charles Dickens and Fyodor Dostoevsky worried about the value of their work.

Toni Morrison, the Nobel prize-winning author, often questioned whether she was truly a good writer.

Munshi Premchand never left his day job (bookkeeping) because he thought his writing would never sustain his family.

Kafka instructed his friend to burn all his work after his death. He rarely published his writings while he lived.

What is imposter syndrome?

We shouldn’t confuse it with lack of confidence because that’s another thing.

People who lack confidence are not successful. Imposter syndrome usually happens among people who have attained a certain degree of success.

Imposter syndrome is the feeling that one’s success is unearned.

Writers suffering from imposter syndrome feel that any praise or recognition they receive is undeserved.

They also fear being unmasked one day and everyone finding out that they just pretend to be great; actually, they are mediocre.

Imposter syndrome is often rooted in perfectionism. Writers set the standards impossibly high. When they don’t reach those standards, they feel let down by themselves.

When the demons of my imposter syndrome raise their heads, it’s mostly when I read other writers.

“Ah! How well they have expressed themselves! What a sentence they have written!”

How do you deal with imposter syndrome?

Acknowledge it first. Don’t fight it. Understand it. If possible, share your fears with fellow writers.

You will be surprised to know that you’re not alone.

Start celebrating small victories.

Think it this way: being a B, if C is ahead of you, you are definitely ahead of A.

Want to know what has worked for me? Not seeking validation.

Really, I don’t.

I have been writing for years.

More than 500 clients have up till now paid me money.

So, if they have parted with money to show their appreciation, it means, to a certain degree, I’m a good writer.

That’s enough for me.

If you think you have imposter syndrome and because of that, you cannot write your book, take heart in the fact that the greatest of writers have had it.

Despite that, they have written book after book.

In fact, many say that imposter syndrome should be taken positively.

It keeps you humble.

It makes you strive.

It allows you to appreciate the writing of other writers.

So, don’t let imposter syndrome stop you from writing a book.

Reach out to me if you need any help writing your book.

Amrit

Ghostwriter – I can write your book.