The Insecure Writer’s Support Group ~ No#52
If you are dropping in from the A to Z Challenge circuit, then click HERE for my E POST.
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time.
The April co-hosts are: Megan Morgan, Chris Votey, Viola Fury, Christine Rains, Madeline Mora-Summonte, L.G. Keltner, Rachna Chhabria, and Patricia Lynne! Don’t forget to visit them and thank them for co-hosting!
Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG.
You can join the IWSG Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/
You can join the IWSG Critique Circle: https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSGCC/
You can sign up for our newsletter: : http://eepurl.com/bM8oHL
Today the topic on my mind is – Imposter Syndrome.
It goes hand-in-hand with the psychology of “Fake It Till You Make It.” What is it all about? A strong belief in yourself that allows you to persist in the face of failure and to keep trying, no matter what your level of fear. It’s a self-empowerment technique.
When starting out, no one knows everything.
It’s all about taking a chance.
Step out into the unknown.
Put your writing out there.
But it’s also about honing your craft.
Writing regularly.
In the words of Paulo Coelho – “You must be the person you never had the courage to be. Gradually, you will discover that you are that person, but until you can see this clearly, you must pretend and invent.”
Is Imposter Syndrome a necessary part of the writer’s process/journey? What do you think?
(I have to divide my time between visiting IWSG posts and A to Z Challenge posts. If you don’t see me at your place, please don’t think I’ve forgotten about you. I’ll try my best to visit as many people as possible.)
Hi Michelle – as I’ve had to withdraw from the A-Z .. I need your Fake It Til You Make It .. message … life deals us wobblies, but others’ are so often dealt worse ones as I found out yesterday … and Coelho’s quote is apt too .. enjoy April – cheers Hilary
I once interviewed a very wise man who said the most important thing a person needs to succeed is an unshakeable belief in themselves.
I’m still working on that. 🙂
Im struggling with putting my writing out there. Sadly.
I’ve always said fake it until you make it. Enthusiasm doesn’t just happen either. You have to pretend to be excited and pretty soon, you will be.
I think most of us feel that way, and it does go in cycles too.
YES! Totally necessary. I had the same experience with home schooling. It wasn’t until I’d been doing it for 7 years that I considered myself a validated home schooling parent.
I live by this. It gave me the confidence to self-publish 🙂
“Fake it till you make it” is one of my daughter’s favorite phrases. She’s pretty darn successful so I guess it works. I can do it, but it’s only skin deep. Then, I crumble. Sigh.
Fake it til you make it is pretty much what I’ve been (am still) doing. I feel like a big fat phony sometimes but I pretend like I got it all under control. If only people knew the truth!
Either fake it or be too naive to realize you don’t have it!
I wrote about this a few months ago and it seems like it’s part of the writer’s lifestyle. We’re always doubting ourselves. Maybe that’s the mark of a ‘true’ writer?
I love the FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE motto. It’s served me very well. Hi Michelle!
I struggle with the ‘fake it till you make it’ idea. I think confidence is important, and seeing what one might become is valuable, but there is something dishonest about faking anything. I know that isn’t the point, but I struggle with disingenuous things, and this feels that way.
There is nothing weak about admitting we are not where we want to be, but we have the potential to get there. Push through, get better, that seems more honest.
Then again, maybe I’m full of crap and making a jagged peak from this molehill.
I was an IT professional for over 30 years and no matter how high I rose (VP level at one point), I kept waiting for someone to discover I was a fake. Yup…it’s real, the imposter syndrome.
Faking it until I make is my life, and it’s both draining and the only way to get it all out there. Otherwise I’d stay in the background and watch the world go by. It’s hard, no question, will I survive the journey? Only time will tell.
Funny thing is, in my former professional life when I made Executive Director, it wasn’t at all what I thought it would be. Hmm . . .
Yup, I believe in honing my craft. I keep writing and if I do that, I’m abiding by the concept of practice makes perfect.
Good luck with your double duty visiting!!!!
I definitely believe in the Fake it until you make it routine – in many areas. I’ve used it myself to learn to speak in public, to mingle at social settings, and definitely in getting brave enough to seek out crit buddies and beta readers!
Hi, Michelle,
Interesting post. I had never really thought about this, but it’s true in many pf life’s situations. We must believe it for it to truly be.
I do feel like I’m faking it lots of time but I keep going.
Susan Says
I suppose imposter syndrome and faking it until you make it go hand in hand. If you do the second then you are bound to feel like an imposter. The trick is to not let those feelings deter you and keep going.