How Writers Can Overcome Imposter Syndrome

A comma does not go there. One would think you would know basic grammar like that. How many words did you write today? Real writers write far more than that. You know, your friend’s cousin’s best friend knew a girl who wrote a blog and accidentally got rich from it. She used the money to start an orphanage for Ugandan refugees. Recently, though, she bought an island. I hear that she’s there writing her book. She signed with one of the Big Five because, you know, she’s a real writer.

Shut it, Critic. S-H-U-T. I-T. 

Shush. 

Whew, I thought that nitpicker would never pipe down. How on earth do you deal with that Negative Nelly yapping in your head nonstop? You know what you have, right? Imposter Syndrome. Yep. It’s a thing with freelance writers- a lot of people, actually. But don’t let that internal critic dampen your sparkle. In this article, we’ll show you how to overcome writer imposter syndrome.

What Is Imposter Syndrome? 

Psychology Today, in an article aptly titled “How Writers Are a Perfect Target for Imposter Syndrome,” defines the vexing disorder as thus: Sufferers “feel that they aren’t as competent or intelligent as others might think — and that soon enough, people will discover the truth.”

If imposter syndrome is a hangry grizzly bear waking from hibernation on a cold March morning, then writers are the slippery, silvery salmon swimming upriver, hoping for a chance to send their babies into the big, wide world before being devoured by the largest carnivore in the U.S., their babies in this case being exquisite prose and not caviar. 

The fact that salmon run in late fall, not March, doesn’t matter. Imposter syndrome doesn’t make sense either, and yet it’s scary as heck. If you’re a freelance writer with imposter syndrome, you may experience the following. 

• Difficulty accepting praise.

• Yet needing praise to feel validated.

• The tendency to procrastinate.

• Being prone to self-sabotaging behaviors.

• Being unable to own your success.

• Chronic underachieving.

• Continuous self-doubt.

• And on and on…

Why Does Imposter Syndrome Inflict Writers?

There are a lot of reasons writers are prone to imposter syndrome, and being a tortured genius ain’t one of them. 

There’s a mythology in the public consciousness when it comes to being a writer. Being a writer conjures up larger-than-life figures. Think Hemingway, Twain, Faulkner! Because our school-aged run-ins with writers were encounters with god-like figures, we feel like we can’t measure up. 

When people ask what you do (or want to do), and you say, “freelance writer,” it gets weird. People look at you with a green-tinged pining that, quite frankly, makes you feel uncomfortable. Everybody thinks they want to make a living writing. That is, until they try it. Then, they realize it’s hard work. 

And when you come face-to-face with the difficulties of making money writing, you become a prime candidate for imposter syndrome, no matter how many A’s you received in English Lit. 

How to Overcome Writer Imposter Syndrome?

You don’t need to suffer from imposter syndrome. The following tips are how writers can overcome imposter syndrome so that they can successfully earn money writing. 

Realize That Feeling Like an Imposter Doesn’t Make You an Imposter

Imposter syndrome is common. One article in the Journal of Mental Health and Clinical Psychology reports that up to 82% of people experience imposter syndrome. With those kinds of numbers, you’re hardly alone.

Even John Steinbeck once wrote in his journal, “I’m not a writer. I’ve been fooling myself and other people.”

Tell your inner critic to shush. Because commoners and god-like writers alike suffer from imposter syndrome. 

Think and Do Like a Non-Imposter

You’ve heard, “Fake it till you make it.” It means forging ahead and behaving the way a confident writer would behave. 

The secret is that you’re not trying to fool the people around you. The key to “faking it till you make it” is that you’re rewriting your brain into believing that you’re the real deal. You think and do the things that real freelance writers do, and before you know it, you believe you’re a real writer. 

Realize That Your Emotions Are the Last to Change

Emotions are the toughest part of being stricken with imposter syndrome. Shame, anxiety, self-doubt, and more crawl under your skin like a thousand alien spiders. The pain of imposter syndrome often drives us to self-sabotage, procrastinate, and underachieve. 

Keep faking it till you make it anyway. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Do that enough, and (we promise) you will find that you don’t feel like an imposter anymore. You will overcome imposter syndrome. 

In the meantime, here are some practical tips to help you keep going:

• Keep an “ego file” into which you place all of the nice things people say about your writing.

• End each workday with a list of things you did well.

• Use affirmations. 

• Develop a mindfulness habit. 

• Identify your self-sabotaging habits and develop ways to avoid them. 

• Give yourself grace and permission to not be perfect.

Don’t Let Imposter Syndrome Keep You From Earning Money Writing

Don’t let the Negative Nelly in your head sabotage your freelance writing dreams. Imposter syndrome is a commonplace nuisance, though it feels like a carnivorous animal coming for you. But feeling like an imposter doesn’t make you an imposter. 

The best way for writers to overcome imposter syndrome is by writing and doing the things that freelance writers do. It’s hard to face the difficult emotions that go along with imposter syndrome. But if you keep moving forward, you will overcome imposter syndrome and find freelance writing success. 

Imposter syndrome doesn’t need to delay your freelance writing career. Get started with The Pajama Writer’s helpful guides today.