My Problem with Writer Imposter Syndrome

Are you an author if you haven’t published a novel? Have you ever wondered if writing sporadically still makes you an author? Let’s explore these thoughts together.

Six months into my writing journey and 40,000 words later, I still grapple with imposter syndrome. Here’s my opinion: Whether I’ve written over two thousand words in one sitting or can barely manage two hundred, I am an author. I will be an author. I have been an author since the day I put my first idea on a page.

Writing is supposed to be hard. It’s not something sane people seem to do, and I’ve found myself writing more when I’m least mentally stable and much less when I am stable. I wonder how people manage to write for jobs when, for me, it’s an emotional act. I’m just a girl with a confused sense of what she wants to do and an idea in her head that has taken the shape of a romantasy manuscript.

Welcome to my brain, where not everything always connects.

I take long breaks between writing and have grandiose ideas of becoming rich and famous; working only a few hours a week for the rest of my life; and writing novels. Does anyone else find that following the path laid out for them leads to increasing depression the longer they remain in a rigidly scheduled job? I so desperately want to convince my family that, yes, being an author full-time can be my career. I also have a designer kitten I couldn’t afford if I didn’t work. Therefore, I work. I write. And I wonder how much longer I’ll put up with feeling uncommitted to either.

My Solution?

When those thoughts bring me down and I admire the adorable satellite dishes that my kitten has for ears. I like to form a plan. Plans are comforting for me, which is ironic because I so avoided being a planner when it comes to my manuscript. Regardless, a plan gives me something to look forward to and reminds me that I can and will pay the bills which include ridiculously priced wet cat food, and I will publish my book.

I know there’s so much online about toxic positivity, so I posit this instead. “Everything in moderation.”

I can write in moderation which for me looks like bursts of inspiration and weeks of writer’s block. I can work in moderation which for me looks like working four days a week and accepting the pay cut and the budget constraints that come with it. I can have everything I want in moderation when I can’t if I go all in for one and neglect the others.

What does moderation look like for you? Does it involve giving yourself grace when you fail to meet the expectations you set for yourself? Does it look like committing to a word count or a time count or just a day count for your writing. For example, On Wednesdays we wear pink and on Fridays we will write. Even if it’s just one word. One word is better than none.

If you’re feeling like an imposter too? Let’s talk about it. Share your story below and tell me how you overcome those feelings?