When Success Feels Like Fiction
Have you ever submitted a manuscript, received praise, or even published a book, only to feel like you somehow tricked everyone into thinking you’re a “real writer”? Do you hear that nagging voice shouting that you don’t belong? God damn you: impostor syndrome.
What Is Impostor Syndrome?
Impostor syndrome describes the persistent feeling that you’ve somehow fooled others into believing you’re more competent, intelligent, or talented than you “actually” are. It doesn’t matter if you are an author with ten bestselling books, a musician with ten Grammy’s or just starting out on your creative journey – everyone will suffer from dreaded imposter syndrome at some point in their career. Evidence of your abilities and successes won’t shield you, that nasty voice will still manage to find a way to convince you you’re a fraud.
But – you are NOT alone!
First identified by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978, impostor syndrome affects people across all professions and backgrounds. However, it thrives particularly well in creative fields like writing, where subjective judgment and public critique are constant companions.
There are five types of ‘Imposter’ – can you identify which one you might be?
Dr. Valerie Young, author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Imposter Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It, identified five main types of ‘imposter’ personalities and how the syndrome presents in each
The Perfectionist
– will suffer anxiety over how things are done, even if it’s being done right. One minor flaw or error will make them feel like fraud.
The Expert
– will always fear having a lack of knowledge. If just one area of the process feels difficult, the expert will feel the need to ‘conquer’ that issue before moving on. Even a minor lack of knowledge will lead to feelings of failure.
The Soloist
– will always prefer to tackle issues alone. Even when soloists find themselves in the darkest hole, they will find it hard to ask for help. The soloist believes they should be able to do everything independently; anything else is a failure.
The Natural Genius
– will feel utter frustration if they are unable to complete something to the very highest standard on the first try. If a natural genius is told they need to take time to ‘learn’ something, they will feel they have failed.
The Superhuman
– The superhuman measures their success on just how many roles they can take on all at once. Falling short in any area will bring feelings of failure. Their need to ‘please everyone’ drives their ambition, and so anything less than perfect in all areas is unacceptable.
How Impostor Syndrome Manifests for Writers
For authors, impostor syndrome shows up in various forms:
- The belief that your writing success came from luck, timing, or connections rather than talent
- Dismissing positive feedback while focusing only on criticism
- Comparing your rough drafts to others’ polished, published works
- Feeling you need one more course, workshop, or degree before you’re “qualified” to write
- Constantly moving the goalposts (“I’ll be a real writer when…”)
- Anxiety that readers will eventually “discover” you lack writing talent
But of all these issues, the most debilitating guise that impostor syndrome takes on is the one that keeps writers from sharing their work, submitting it to publishers, or even just embracing opportunities that could advance their careers. Imposter syndrome paralyses its subjects with nothing other than fear.
Why Writers Are Vulnerable
There are a million reasons why we, as writers, suffer so much more than most. First of all, the solitary nature of writing means we spend excessive time alone with our thoughts and doubts. Working within such a subjective industry also makes it incredibly difficult to measure success. Then you have the devil that is social media – we watch and compare ourselves against other writers’ achievements without considering the work that goes on behind the scenes.
Then we have the most obvious trigger point for imposter syndrome. Rejection is not just a part of this industry; it defines it. We measure ourselves on how many ‘rejections’ we get before being picked up or the number of one-star reviews our books have had rather than counting the many wins along the way. In an industry where rejection is part of daily life, it’s not difficult to see why so many of us question our validity.
The London Book Fair Effect: When Industry Hype Fuels Self-Doubt
With the London Book Fair fast approaching, social media will soon overflow with announcements of seven-figure deals, bidding wars, and overnight success stories. These highly publicised stories can be incredibly triggering for many. Don’t be angry with yourself if you are one of the ones who scream at the phone screen as you see the announcements roll in. You’d be surprised just how many do.
Seeing publishers compete for just a handful of manuscripts while yours sits in someones slush-pile creates the perfect storm of comparison and self-doubt.
The carefully curated highlights of the publishing world displayed at LBF give a distorted view of the industry. Most of us know this, but each and every one of us fall victim to the depression this time of year brings with it.
Try to remember that behind each “overnight success” lies years of rejected work, and manuscripts that may never have sold. The six-figure deals making headlines only ever represent a tiny fraction of all publishing contracts.
Practical Strategies to Overcome Writer’s Impostor Syndrome
Ok – so hopefully by now you are realising you are not the only person feeling like this – so breathe… now we know what we are dealing with, how on earth do we tackle it?
1. Document Your Journey
Keep a “success journal”. It might sound ‘childish’, but it worked when we were children with gold stars and stickers for success. Embrace the inner child in you, maybe he/she needs a little praise. We stop doing this as adults and we shouldn’t – life is just as hard to navigate when we get older, and this publishing industry feels ever harder than high-school. REWARD yourself. Every single win, no matter how small, deserves to be celebrated.
2. Recognise That Feeling Is Not Fact
Acknowledge the devil and call him by his name! When impostor feelings arise, don’t confuse them with reality, instead try saying “I recognise that I’m having these thoughts, but I am not a failure. This is just impostor syndrome talking.”
3. Turn to Your Tribe
Connect with other writers who understand your struggles. Turn to your tribe and tell them you’re having a tough day. They understand more than anyone else how you feel and can help pass a ladder to help you out of that hole. Turn to other published authors that you know – those you admire – and tell them you’re having a bad day… nine time out of ten they will sympathise, because, and here’s the rub… we have ALL been there at some point, but hearing established authors admit their own doubts can normalise reduce the power of the devil inside.
4. Focus on Process, Not Perfection
Set process-oriented goals (writing for 30 minutes a day) rather than outcome-oriented goals (finish a bestseller). Learn what you can control and what you can’t and focus only on the areas that you can influence. After all, you’re right, you will NEVER write that bestseller, not unless you banish imposter syndrome and finish the damn book
5. Practice Receiving Feedback
Learn to accept compliments and positive feedback without following up with negativity or counter-arguments. A simple “thank you” is more than enough. If someone liked your work, why would you give them all the reasons why you think it’s not good enough?
6. Enjoy the Experiance
Don’t forget, being an author is a journey, not a destination. You will contiune to learn throughout your entire career. Take pleasure in ‘learning’ your craft, and acknoweldge that you are still growing as a writer – give yourself permission to ‘not be perfect’. Instead, celebrate when you feel like you have learned something new.
The Secret Most Writers Keep
Here’s what published authors rarely admit publicly: Impostor syndrome often intensifies with each success. Each new achievement brings higher expectations and fears of disappointing others.
The truth is that most accomplished writers still battle these feelings regularly. The difference isn’t that they’ve eliminated impostor syndrome – they just learned to write through it. They learned to take the kryptonite and turn it into fuel for success.
Your doubts and fears don’t make you an impostor. Quite the opposite, they mean you care about what you are doing. Imposter syndrome simply means you hold yourself to a higher standard.
So the next time that voice whispers you’re a “fraud,” remember: REAL writers are simply those who keep writing despite their doubts. By that definition, your impostor feelings make you more authentic, not less.
