Is Imposter Syndrome Impacting Your Writing Career?

The term imposter syndrome is bandied about a lot, often in a light-hearted way, but in reality, imposter syndrome is no joke; it can be debilitating, causing severe anxiety, and in many coaching clients I see it can lead to writer’s block or drawers (or hard drives!) full of unpublished work.

So what actually is imposter syndrome?

Oxford dictionary defines it as: ‘the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.’ It was first identified in 1978 and is often said to affect women more than men.

Why do writers seem to suffer from imposter syndrome in particular?

Well, it could be argued that everyone suffers from it at some point in their lives. The idea that we have achieved something due to luck rather than skill or effort isn’t uncommon. How many times have you told someone you think they’d suit a role well or would be a perfect fit for something – or they have to you – and they’ve scoffed, ‘Who me? Are you joking?’

Writers can be particularly susceptible, partly because the act of writing and sharing our words, thoughts, ideas and worlds with the public allows us to become vulnerable. The very act of publishing is asking to be criticised – it takes great confidence and strength to do that without feeling any self-doubt or inadequacy. This is exacerbated by social media and the perception that our peers are achieving more, selling more books, getting better reviews, have more followers, the list goes on.

What does imposter syndrome look like in writers and what can I do about it?

Imposter syndrome can result in perfectionism or the feeling that the ‘draft’ is never complete. ‘I’ll just do one more proofread…’ I meet people who’ve been working on books for years, even decades, with multiple versions tucked away, none of which have been deemed ‘good enough’ to publish.

We have a huge canon of amazing literature and generations of successful authors to compare ourselves to. If we hold ourselves to very high standards – hello, perfectionists! – and compare ourselves to Jane Austen or Virginia Woolf, the likelihood is that we’ll cling to that manuscript rather than risk other people doing the same.

The best way to deal with this particular problem is to stop comparing ourselves to others. Easier said than done, I hear you say! It may seem impossible, and if that’s the case then we should at least compare like for like. Check out what/how your peers are doing, rather than looking at the NYT bestsellers list. Create a community. Connections with other authors, and seeing behind the social media positivity screen, can be a mighty antidote to imposter syndrome, allowing you to see that others are in the same self-conscious boat, and you are all feeling the fear and doing it anyway! Having a friend who knows what it’s like to get a negative review, or to scrap two thousand words after a round of edits, is going to ease that pain and help increase your confidence massively.

How coaching can help banish imposter syndrome

Help to change your mindset. This isn’t always easily done, especially if you’ve been overly critical of yourself for years or have had a critical parent or partner, but little things can make a difference. Coaching helps you set realistic goals. Lots of short-term goals that will help you to get to your long-term goal. It encourages you to celebrate every win along the way, even the tiny things: choosing a title, writing a really good paragraph, getting a good review. Teaches you to start to talk to yourself positively about your writing even if it doesn’t come naturally to you.

If you have written a book, seriously, give yourself the kudos you deserve. Whether it is going to win awards or not, completing a manuscript is a huge achievement – many people never finish or even start the book they’ve always wanted to write.

Learn how to receive feedback. Getting feedback from an editor, a qualified beta reader, or a writing coach can be invaluable. The more you get the better you will become at receiving both positive and negative feedback, and a true professional will know how to give both types with care. The validation we feel when praised by a teacher or mentor figure is a powerful thing and can increase confidence significantly. Hearing your coach call out your negative thoughts can illuminate areas of low confidence you are unaware of.

A little imposter syndrome can actually be a good thing, pushing you to be better at what you’re doing, which allows your confidence to grow, but if it is stopping you from doing what you love, stopping you from getting the feedback you need, getting in the way of your potential success, or causing you anxiety, insomnia or worse, then you should think about getting some help. General counselling or coaching can be great for increasing confidence and changing mindset if it is impacting your life as a whole.

If you are interested in finding out how writing coaching can help you overcome imposter syndrome and much more besides, get in touch today to book an introductory session – your (future) readers will thank you!