You Are Not a Fraud: How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

I’ve been in a funk lately.

I probably should have expected it. This always seems to happen when I spend time around those I consider writing giants. Heroes, maybe. And I recently attended the Texas Library Association’s annual conference, where I joined other authors promoting our new books, meeting librarians, signing Advance Reader Copies, and celebrating reading.

It should be a happy time. What better place exists than where writers and readers talk books?

But a voice chased me everywhere, dogged in its pursuit. It said, You don’t belong here, you know.

At first I talked back. I do, though, I told the voice. I’m an author, too. And I have stories that are worth telling and reading.

But the voice was persistent. Is persistent. And cunning. It spoke more insistently. Look around, it said. They’re all WAY ahead of you. You’re a nobody. No one knows about your books. No one even cares.

You can only talk back for so long before the voice starts gaining ground. Before you start agreeing. Yeah, I thought. These authors are way more successful than I am. What do I have to offer anyone?

Maybe you’re familiar with this voice. Most writers are.

A friend recently suggested she and I team up and submit some proposals for teaching at conferences, and my first thought was, I don’t have anything to teach, though. When I started writing for Writer Unboxed—and even now, before I began this essay—the voice whispered, What do you have to contribute that’s worth listening to?

Nothing, I thought. Absolutely nothing.

Imposter syndrome is a villain of practically every writer on earth. So you’re not alone. I’m not alone.

That doesn’t always help.

Learning more about it can sometimes help a little.

Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon that attacks sufferers with feelings of self doubt and inadequacy and includes a persistent dread of being exposed as a fraud, despite all the evidence in our professional lives that proves we’re not. Usually it’s a somewhat temporary state the comes and goes. Sometimes it can be persistent (if it has been for you, don’t be ashamed or afraid to get professional help).

It’s usually debilitating to our creativity.

Imposter syndrome can manifest as perfectionism and overachievement—to prove to ourselves and others that we’re “good enough.” It often produces a fear of failure that inhibits our risk-taking or keeps us from putting ourselves out there or speaking up for what we want or need. We downplay our success or attribute it to luck instead of our skills and abilities and the great effort we’ve put into our craft. Subconsciously we think our success was just luck or the right timing.

I believed this about my agent for a long time—I didn’t really deserve an agent, I thought. I just caught her at the right time, when she was looking for a novel in verse and I had one of those. Even after we’ve sold seven books together I still find myself thinking, It was just luck. And it’ll run out any minute now.

At what point does it become more than just luck? Don’t ask imposter syndrome that. It will say, Never.

Creative activity is subject to what the brain is saying at any time. And our brains are not always nice.

You might hear judgments like I hear. Or things like:

They’re all gonna see right through you.

You’re not fooling anyone—they know you’re a fake.

You shouldn’t be here.

Some of us have the types of personalities that fall right into perfectionism and anxiety and self doubt. Imposter syndrome has a field day with us. And it’s the only one having fun.

So what can we do about imposter syndrome? Well, it probably won’t ever completely go away, but with the right tools we can learn to live with it and drown out its negative voice. Maybe turn down the volume a little.

Here’s how:

Acknowledge your feelings and understand that they’re normal.

Every writer feels like a fraud at some point in their lives—and not necessarily at the beginning of their writing lives. It can strike us at any point. As we’re launching our seventh book into the world. When we’re standing on a stage about to accept an award. In the privacy of our room, writing on the next book.

We’ll probably experience it multiple times. But it comes and goes—so know that it will pass. Accepting our feelings without judgment can lessen their power over us, which can, in turn, pull us out of imposter syndrome.

Focus on your accomplishments and the positive things in your writing life.

You’ve finished a book, you’ve published a book, you’ve mastered plot twists, a reader loved your book, you sent a new manuscript to your critique group—there’s so much to celebrate in the writing life.

Make a list of all your accomplishments in a journal or a document on your computer or on a sheet of paper you tack to your cork board so you can clearly see it or take it out any time you need to be reminded how extraordinary you are.

Focus on the positive feedback instead of getting stuck on the negative. I know it’s easier said than done. Everybody has an opinion about our writing. And sometimes those opinions can throw us into an imposter syndrome loop.

Keep some of the positive opinions you’ve gotten in a folder on your computer, and take them out to read whenever you feel your confidence sliding. It never hurts to celebrate what people love about your writing.

We often forget how much we’ve done and how far we’ve come. Go back to the very first draft of the first story or piece you wrote as a “serious” writer. Haven’t you come a long way?

Challenge your negative thoughts.

This is something I learned in therapy and practice on a regular basis. When the negative thoughts come around, turn them around to a positive. You can even say “Stop!” loudly in your mind, to stop the onslaught of negative voices.

If the voice accusing you says, You’re an imposter and everyone knows it, turn it around and say, I’m exactly where I need to be, and turn that into an affirmation or mantra you repeat over and over in your mind until you start to believe it. The mind is powerful. It can make or break us. Use it to help you feel capable and confident.

Don’t stop learning and growing.

While we will never learn enough to make those imposter thoughts go away completely, keep growing in your craft. Practice makes progress. Every book or piece we write is another we have in the arsenal to say, See? I know what I’m doing—most of the time. (I added the qualifier because of my own imposter syndrome—take it away!)

Learn from your mistakes, and don’t seek perfection, only continuous growth.

Practice self-compassion.

Everyone experiences failure. Be kind to yourself when you do. Don’t beat yourself up. Remember that rejection happens to everybody. Take breaks when you need them. Take a step back. Go on a walk, do yoga, nap. Read, if you don’t think you’ll compare. Watch one of your favorite shows. Take some moments to yourself to say, I’m worth the time to recuperate and heal.

Find your people.

Sharing your feelings and struggles can help eliminate the pain and isolation that often accompany imposter syndrome. Having a network of writers you meet with and talk to regularly is extremely helpful. We’re made for human connection.

Other writers understand us in ways people who aren’t writers can’t. Join local organizations. Look for ways to connect. Sure, writing is a mostly solitary pursuit. But we need each other.

Seek therapy.

Sometimes we can’t get out of our funks on our own. It can be helpful to see a therapist if we’re privileged enough to have the money and access. Don’t feel ashamed that you need help; we all need help at different points in our lives. Therapy is a tool we can use to become more of who we are.

Imposter syndrome strikes us all—but it doesn’t have to break us. Hold on tight to your dream and your love for what you do and your hope that the future has great things waiting for you.

And hear this: You deserve to be here. Keep taking up space. Keep using your voice and your pen.

The world needs us all.

When do you experience imposter syndrome? What are some tips and tricks you have for overcoming it? What advice would you give to others who are experiencing imposter syndrome?

Rachel Toalson

Rachel Toalson writes lots of books. For lots of people–kids, teens, adults, fiction lovers, poetry lovers, essay lovers. People who adore realistic stories or magical realism or fantasy or tales that keep them up at night or make them laugh out loud. She writes the books she most wants to read, which is the best way to entertain herself and her kids and get a little peace and quiet in her excessively loud home. She’s the author of the middle grade books, The Colors of the Rain, which won the Arnold Adoff Poetry Honor Award in 2018, The Woods, and The First Magnificent Summer, among many others. She lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband and six children.

www.racheltoalson.com/