"Imposter Syndrome as an Indie Author"

(Photo courtesy of Pinterest)

Hello Good Readers.

Imposter syndrome is everywhere. Whether you’re an indie author, an actress, a singer, or something else entirely. At some point we all face that ugly feeling of not belonging while we do the thing we love.

As an indie author, it sinks its teeth into late-night writing sessions and ordinary days. We start wondering if our books are even good enough, or worthy enough, to sit on shelves next to everyone else’s. And somewhere in there we begin to feel like a shadowed person pretending to be something we’re not.

At least that’s been my experience. I’ve struggled my whole life with fitting in somewhere. I found my passion riding horses, worked EMS, and now I’m a full-time author, but I’ve still had days when I felt like I didn’t belong. like I was doing something I wasn’t good at and had no business doing. Lately I’ve started recognizing that for what it is: the ugly monster in my head telling me lies. Because I can get good at things I decide to put the work into. Somewhere out there, someone is waiting to read my stories. I do belong doing what I love.

Will it ever fully go away? Probably not. It’s something we have to learn to name, ignore when we can, and keep writing through anyway. Bad days are going to happen and they’re going to suck. Just don’t measure your journey against other authors’. Theirs will look different from yours. Keep your head up, take the breaks you need, and give yourself grace. You can be an amazing author, and one day an inspiration to someone else who’s just starting out.

With Love,

J. D. Victery