Signs You’ve Got Imposter Syndrome

Sometimes we think we have healthy mindsets when we have actually just normalized our feelings of self-doubt. You might have imposter syndrome if you engage in any of these habits.

• Procrastination
• Missing deadlines,
• If you have any resistance in sending projects to beta readers
• Moving things around without improving your novel

You’re Not Alone

Imposter syndrome affects even the most accomplished writers. Talk to any writer, and they’ll likely tell you they went through the same mindset at some point in their career (or that they’re still experiencing it now).

Self-doubt is a normal part of the creative process. I would be more concerned if you were so confident in your writing that you were blind to your flaws. Having an inner critic is good and essential for self-editing. It’s all about training your inner critic to find a balance.

The best part of the writing community is that it’s super supportive. We’ve all had writer’s block and are willing to offer up advice to get through the tough times. If you can be vocal about your self-doubts as well, then you can help another writer in overcoming imposter syndrome.

If you are going through beta reading, you will face rejection. However, rejection does not mean your writing is bad. When a beta reader gives a negative critique of your book, don’t panic. Consider their demographics and how their life experiences might have formed that opinion. Do they typically read in your genre? Do they always hate certain tropes? Does your story resurface trauma for them? Instead of believing you’re a bad writer and giving up, recognize that you can’t make everyone happy and salvage the part of the critique you can apply to your writing.

One achievement that a lot of writers overlook is that they wrote a book from start to finish. How many people can say that? So many talk about being writers but never actually put their ideas down on paper. Many write half their book and give up because it’s too hard.

But guess what, you wrote that story! You persevered! Even if you have a sloppy first draft, you still did something that tons of people can’t say they did. If you can do that, you can definitely self-edit and polish it (and you’ve got my book editing services to help you out!). Recognizing this accomplishment is one of the vital steps in overcoming imposter syndrome.

Use Positive Affirmation

In relation to being proud of yourself for writing a story start to finish, you can defeat imposter syndrome through positive affirmation. It’s easy to focus on our writing flaws (for example, I stink at writing setting), but let me ask: What do you love about your writing style? Do you think your dialogue has a good bite to it? Are you excellent at describing appearance without it sounding too mechanical? Perhaps you’re proud of your thorough world-building!

Now that you’ve thought about it, get a piece of paper and write down what you’re good at (yes, I’m serious. Writing down your strengths will convince you that they’re real!). This is what you need to focus on when you’re feeling down about your writing skills. Of course, this doesn’t excuse fixing your writing flaws, but sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is remind yourself what you’re good at.

Set Goals

Since you’ve already got that piece of paper out, it’s time to set some goals. Deadlines will force you to push past your imposter syndrome to finish writing your book in time. When you’ve got deadlines approaching, you don’t have time to doubt yourself! Set a deadline to finish edits by and select the day you want to publish!

Think of Who Might Need to Hear Your Message

If overcoming imposter syndrome is still preventing you from sharing your writing with others, imagine what would happen if you didn’t publish your story. Someone who needs to hear that story will never know about it. They will never be impacted by your characters or themes. Your story may change their lives or perspectives, but if you keep it to yourself, you will never know how it could have impacted others.

Meet Me, the Editor!

There is absolutely nothing to fear in sending your work to me. I’ve been critiquing creative stories for eight years, so I’ve read everything from high-quality writing to jumbled voice-dictated text.

Here’s what to expect if you hire my book editing services. I will not judge your book even if there’s room for improvement. I don’t seek to tear apart your writing; rather, I provide professional suggestions that bring your book closer to publication. Don’t be scared by all the red markups you see! It doesn’t mean your writing is bad! I’m a writer, too, who has endured four years of rigorous writing workshops, so I understand the fear behind sharing your work with others. I’ll be polite in my feedback!