“Confessions of a Pen: Unraveling the Hidden Battle with Writer Imposter Syndrome”
Have you ever caught yourself feeling like a total fraud just because you call yourself a writer? If so, you’re not alone! Many of us grapple with the nagging weight of imposter syndrome, especially when it comes to sharing our passion for writing with the world. In “The Hills and Valleys of Writing Confidence,” the author takes us on a personal journey through their fluctuating self-worth in the literary realm, tackling the moments of sheer joy when creativity flows freely versus the stark valleys of doubt that can stem from societal expectations and fear of judgment. It’s a relatable tale that curates a rich tapestry of emotions, memories, and the courageous act of embracing one’s identity as a writer. Through candid reflection, they remind us that the essence of writing isn’t about accolades but about the act itself. Dive into this evocative exploration and discover ways to regain your writing confidence — after all, what if calling yourself a writer was the first step towards truly becoming one? LEARN MORE.
The Short Of It
The hills and valleys of writing confidence
For much of my adult life, I’ve been embarrassed to tell people I’m a writer. Not because I’m embarrassed by the fact that I write or even by what I write. Rather, I struggle to feel I deserve the title. It’s a classic case of imposter syndrome…
It wasn’t always this way
I was a nerdy teen. Good grades. Shy. Read a lot. And maybe the nerdiest thing of all (at that time), I wrote fanfiction.
A true fact about nerdy teens is that they relish finding fellow nerdy teens who share their interests. In school, I found comradery with other teen girls who liked reading, who introduced me to fanfiction (if being readers rather than writers themselves), and who wrote — whether journal entries or angsty poetry or their own aspirations at fiction in spiral-bound notebooks. Together, we even got our high school to hold a creative writing class and produced a school-wide literary journal.
Admitting you wrote and finding other teens who wrote was like finding out you were in a secret little club together. There were no expectations of greatness, of profit, of publication. Writing was something you did, and that was what made you a writer.
Zoom ahead to my undergraduate college years, where — well-advised or not — I majored in creative writing. I was entrenched in a writing community, professors and fellow students alike. Creative writing was all we talked about, lived, and breathed.
But again, there was no embarrassment in calling yourself a writer amongst like-minded folks who were all at relatively the same part of the learning curve of their writing journey. As long as you were part of the major, you were part of the club.
But then it all changed
After graduation, I struggled with writing in a way I hadn’t when I was young. In high school, I wrote (primarily fanfiction but also original fiction and poetry) without abandon or shame. Being a newly minted college grad, I felt stuck between feeling like I was supposed to be writing something important (my magnum opus, the Great American Novel, important literary…
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