Fancied something different to the usual seasonal stuff… I think this image is quite stunning don’t you?
Anyway all it leaves me to say is I hope you have a fun time, whatever you may be doing, where ever you are and who ever you are with (or not as the case maybe). I find this time of year the most difficult and so we’ve escaped to the Spanish coast in our van with Nellie and Scooby Doo… and will return when the whole affair is over.
Until later,
According to Wikipedia (and many similar sources) imposter syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon, impostorism, fraud syndrome or the impostor experience) is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”.
It happens in all walks of life and I’ve been hearing the term whispered within the writing community more frequently in the past few years. It actually wasn’t defined until 1978 by a couple of psychologists, so it’s a relatively new phenomena but one which can be crippling all the same.
It usually grips me in the middle of a project or when I’ve received nonconstructive criticism on a piece of writing (which to be fair doesn’t happen that often, but when it does happen it is really damaging). What it does remind me is to ensure I continue to be objective when reviewing other writers work, and that doesn’t mean saying everything is great if it isn’t. The key is in how the message is delivered not what the message is.
Anyway, here are some tactics I use to kick it in to touch when it strikes…
Reflect on more positive feedback – It’s too easy to concentrate on the negative stuff. I remind myself of all the good things said about my writing, how constructive feedback changed it for the better and remind myself that many of these people don’t know me personally. They don’t have to be positive! It’s one of the reasons I don’t like the review system for authors and writers. It is so subjective. And sometimes writers can be the worst of all critics.
“It would be wrong to think that you’re always right and correct and perfect and brilliant. Self-doubt is the thing that drives you to try to improve yourself.”
—Helen Mirren
Remind myself I’m not alone – I know many writer friends go through this at some point in their writing career and probably as regularly as me! And I remind myself who I am writing for at the end of the day. Me. First and Foremost.
“I’m just Michelle Robinson, that little girl on the south side who went to public school’.”
—Michelle Obama
Stop comparing myself to others – instead celebrate their success and achievements as much as my own. Writing can be a lonely world and developing connections with other authors who understand how you are feeling, is critical. It’s taken me a long time to appreciate this.
“Never compare yourself to others. Only compare the person you are today to the person you were the day before.”
―
Keep writing – my first reaction is always just that, reactive! I tell myself, often aloud or to the animals, that I’m rubbish and I should stop wasting my time and give up. Often, talking things through with my husband helps put me back on the right track and I never feel like this for long. I just can’t not write, it’s in my soul. And once I do start writing, I’m lost back in the worlds I create with the characters I’d like to meet. No better place to be.
“I have written 11 books but each time I think ‘Uh-oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.’”
—Maya Angelou
Have you ever suffered from this crippling syndrome? If so, how did you manage it, let me know and if you are right now, then shout out so we can support you 🙂
Last month I only had one goal:
😎Participate in National Write a Novel in a Month Challenge – and I clocked up over 56k words (yes, fifty six thousand words). My plan at the start was to write 2k a day for 6 days, having Sundays off – they are usually my PJ and off screen days – and I obviously wrote a little more than my target. The first half of the month I wrote longhand, with a pencil and notebook. A staved middle finger on my writing hand made that a little difficult as well as a pulled back muscle! I reverted to transcribing scenes and character development via the keyboard. I’m still working on transcribing and still have a lot of decisions to make, as things changed, as always, as the story fell out of my head.
How did you get on?
For the month of December I’m going to be realistic. We go away in our van on 15th December to spend the festive season and the New Year in Spain and I don’t plan on doing much, other than walking with the dogs, cycling and sight seeing. 🙂 So for the next two weeks my goals are:
Let me know what you’re planning to work on and what plans you have over the silly season – you may have guessed I don’t particularly enjoy this time of the year 🙄
I’ve had my nose stuck in NaNoWriMo for this month so have been desperately trying to ignore all distractions… but here are three things that I tripped across during November…
A List – A Complete Glossary of Terms for Fantasy Writers. Whether it’s complete or not I don’t know but it sure has been useful reading and one list that I’m sure I’ll come back to!
A Word – thought it would be a bit of fun to think about words that I could add to my vocabulary toolbox. Though with caution, I hate having to look up words mid read so you need to give some clues to the reader. This month the word is MORDANT – biting or sarcastic in word or manner
A Blog Post – you know last month I shared some random generators? Well Jami Gold has gone one step further and dedicated whole post to them. Great for when things get tough and sticky.
No, it’s not the cat, but it’s a good way to get your attention. 😉
This is the current choice of cover for the publication of my first fantasy novella, Wolf Moon. I do have others but a decision has to be made and as I’m knee deep in NaNoWriMo words at the moment working on my second fantasy series, I had to post something…
I changed my mind twice in the space of creating this post! But I believe this one represents the story most. Thoughts, comments are welcome and now I must bury myself in the words once more… Ciao!
It’s been busy reading month in many ways… I’m trying to make up for this month, where it’s unlikely I’ll be getting engrossed in other people’s stories. I’ll be watching The Dark Materials instead 😉
The Faerie Games By Michelle Madow – with more than a nod to Hunger Games and Harry Potter, this had me hooked after a shaky start. I knew it felt familiar but didn’t quite get it then. Love the simple style and the nods to some things based in reality which helps to ground things for the reader. Selena, the wannabe fairy really takes up the challenge. She has written loads and I will definitely read more.
Wolf Moon (Violet of Ravenwood) by J.M Taylor – I chose to read this story because it has the same title, Wolf Moon, as my first fantasy novella! I hadn’t known that of course and as mine is a series I probably need to define it as such. But this was a great easy read and written in first person, which is the Point of View I’m hoping to use for my next project 🙂 Looking forward to the next book in the series, but have just downloaded another book from this author, so that’s a good sign!
The Familiars by Stacey Halls – Just loved this tale. Came across it from an episode of Pointless would you believe? It’s a tale of women and witchcraft and is beautifully written. I really connected with the main character, Fleetwood (what a great name!) and her midwife, Alice Gray. Set in the time when women gifted with the skills of nature and childbirth were seen as evil, by the patriarchal society, it provided intriguing insight. And written in the first person, so we see everything through Fleetwood.
Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1) by Jay Kristoff – This is one of the books that I put down before I finished. I usually try and persevere for at least a third of the book. The biggest problem were the footnotes which were so distracting. They weren’t additional clarification but part of the story so why not write them in the text? It was soooo annoying and this is a book with rave reviews and star ratings which can only back up my views about reviews. Very subjective. The story might have been a good one but I’ll never know and life is too short too waste.
Secrets of the Mechanical Heart by J M Taylor – yes, a second book by this author this month. It’s short and sweet, I’m sure the story could have been longer but it was well written and intriguing. I’m sure that there will be more with this character, Amelia and the legacy left to her by her father of using machines to help animals and humans… kind of steam punk, I think. Really enjoyed the lightness of it.
What have you been reading? Should I add it to my TBR list?
