We writers are an anxious, self-doubting lot. We tie ourselves up in knots, expecting Pulitzer-worthy flow from our pens, have whip-cracking inner editors, self-flagellating internal monologues…
It’s very common then, for us to second guess ourselves and our accomplishments. Even successful writers can question their abilities and feel they come up short. It’s a pervasive condition that most creatives can suffer from.
It’s also an insidious saboteur.It can bring on perfection paralysis, procrastination, self-criticism. It can cripple creativity and productivity. It can also be overcome.
In his wonderful book “The Practice” on embracing and shipping creativity, Seth Godin says:
“When we embrace imposter syndrome instead of working to make it disappear, we choose the productive way forward. The imposter is proof that we’re innovating, leading, and creating.”
What Godin means is that when we are engaged in creative work such as writing, it is entirely natural to feel like a fraud who has no business putting their work out in the world. That’s because it involves doing things we have never done before. He asserts that anything that requires innovation, human interaction, and decision-making is bound to expose us to feelings of vulnerability about our craft because there are no guarantees of success.
It doesn’t matter if you’re writing your first book or your tenth. Unless you’re going for hackneyed formulaic writing, each book is like a first endeavor, a fresh subject/technique/exploration. As such, it is completely normal to doubt your abilities. Once we accept that imposter syndrome is a given part of our creative process, we can accept it and address it in a healthy manner.
5 Tips to Deal with Imposter Syndrome:
- Remember you’re not the only one who feels this way. EVERY writer, at some point or the other, has felt the way you feel. It’s natural, especially in creative work.
- Stop comparing yourself to others. You are on a different trajectory, your path is your own, your pace is unique to you.
- Your job is to begin, to trust the process, to work on your craft, and share your work with generosity. There are no guarantees of the result. And that’s ok.
- Remind yourself of your accomplishments.
- You can’t resolve imposter syndrome if you don’t recognize it within yourself. This is beyond a crisis of confidence, it’s a mindset issue. Being self-aware enough to call it what it is is the first step in dealing with it.
Keep writing! Until next time.
Fatemah Khan
Hey Zakia!
Thank you so much for saying it out aloud. It was much needed. I hope I will be able to explore myself at fullest.
Zakia R. Khwaja
Thank you for your comment, Fatemah. I wish you good writing! 🙂