How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome as a Writer
Discover in this post …
how even award-winning authors struggle with imposter syndrome.
why external accomplishments won't make those feelings disappear.
seven practical steps to build confidence and keep moving forward with your writing.
Who's the Real Imposter?
On the evening of June 22, 2026, ten writers and I sat huddled around a U-formation of tables, facing the award-winning author and poet Christina Marrocco.
We were attending the annual Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat in Racine, Wisconsin, on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan. Christina perched casually on a table across from us, looking each of us in the eye and welcoming us to her session, titled “Writer: Take Care of Thyself.”
Many of the other Bookcamp staff members and attendees were off writing in other rooms, socializing, or taking a few spare moments for themselves. After all, they’d been in sessions all day—wasn’t it time for a break?
But I knew this topic wasn’t one to miss. Sure, sessions on craft are always popular, but if we ignore the way we’re thinking about ourselves as writers, we're overlooking one of the biggest factors affecting our progress. Plus, Christina’s one of those people who spreads this calming aura wherever she goes. You feel like she’s looking into your soul when she makes eye contact with you, and every word out of her mouth is laced with wisdom.
Before long, the writers around me were opening up about their fears, doubts, and dreams. And it didn’t take long to discover that what a person had accomplished in their writing had little to do with the way they viewed their own talents.
Deborah King, for example, assistant director of Bookcamp, shared that she suffers from raging imposter syndrome. No matter how often people tell her they like her books, and no matter how many awards she collects, she feels like people are simply being nice to her and telling her what she wants to hear.
She doesn’t feel like she actually deserves the praise. (Let’s be clear: She does. All three of her books have won awards. Most recently, they won in five categories in the 2024 Page Turner awards. Glory Unbound was taught in a Lit class along with the works of Toni Morrison and Richard Wright at Houston Christian University.)
Deborah’s author website also states this about her:
"Born and raised in Chicago, she has managed to achieve all of her childhood dreams—artist, teacher, baker, photographer, model, truck-driver, writer—and still lives in the area with her husband and two youngest children. According to her daughter, she has 'literally aced her life!'"
Wait, you might be thinking. You’re telling me that even an award-winning author doesn’t feel good about her writing? She has accomplished her dreams and still feels a sense of crushing imposter syndrome? Then what hope is there for me?
Plenty of hope—but we’ll get there in a minute.
Toward the end of Christina’s session, she asked everyone who dealt with imposter syndrome as a writer to raise a hand. Almost every single person in the room did.
“Interesting,” Christina said. “So everyone here feels like they don’t belong? This is a room full of people who feel like everyone else fits in and they’re the imposter?”
She let the point sink in, and several of the writers smiled at how ridiculous it sounded when put that way.
The feeling itself isn’t ridiculous, though—it’s normal. And the fact that winning awards and gaining recognition in the writing community can’t shake that sense of crushing imposter syndrome? Well, in my mind, that’s good news.
Because it means earning awards isn’t the path toward eliminating that feeling of unworthiness. Neither is getting a degree in creative writing or having a certain number of books under your belt or hearing from readers that they enjoy your work.
Imposter syndrome won’t be defeated through other people’s approval or a collection of accolades or credentials. Outer accomplishments won’t slay the beast. But you can! In fact, you are the only one who can lessen the paralyzing feeling of inadequacy as you move forward in your writing.
How exactly do you do this? Christina's session at Bookcamp reminded me of the approach I come back to again and again when coaching writers through these feelings. Take notes—I’m going to show you my favorite strategy for overcoming imposter syndrome in seven steps below.
1 - Acknowledge It.
The first step in your battle against imposter syndrome is to name what you’re feeling. If you’re dealing with this insecurity on any level, don’t pretend it’s not there. Trying to ignore it will build up your fears in your mind and give them power over you.
So bring awareness to what you’re feeling. No need to write anything down yet. Just name it in your mind.
2 - Clarify It.
Once you’ve acknowledged that you sometimes feel inadequate in your writing, get clear on your specific thoughts and fears. What thoughts recur as you move through the stages of the writing process?
Jot down the patterns you notice in your planner or journal. Don’t skip this crucial step.
3 - Normalize It.
By definition, imposter syndrome makes us feel alone. Think about Deborah King and the roomful of writers I mentioned in Christina Marrocco’s evening session. Almost every writer, published or unpublished, deals with this feeling.
Remind yourself that you are far from alone—you actually fit right in. Tell yourself that your favorite authors probably felt (or currently feel) just like you do.
4 - Objectify It.
Pretend you’re someone other than yourself. What would you tell a writer friend? Would you let them believe their thoughts about themselves?
Write down what you would say if a close friend told you they were feeling deeply inadequate as a writer. Stepping outside yourself can give you a new perspective on your writing journey.
5 - Reframe It.
In Step 2 above, you journaled about the specific thoughts and feelings that keep coming up for you. Reread what you wrote and ask yourself, What thought do I want to focus on instead? Your feelings will change throughout the days, weeks, and months ahead, but you get to set the expectation and direction of where you’d like to go.
For example, instead of “I’m not good enough,” maybe you want to tell yourself, “It’s not a matter of being ‘good enough.’ To meet my goals, all I need to do is keep writing and learning.” Jot down this new thought in your planner or journal. See how you’ve shifted the focus to something within your control?
6 - Remind Yourself of Risks.
When we think about risks as a writer, we often focus on the negative. What if we looked at both sides instead?
Ask yourself, “What might happen to me as a writer if I keep going? What might happen if I don’t keep going? Which action brings me closer to the person I want to become?”
7 - Direct Your Focus.
It’s easy to let life circumstances overwhelm us and alter the course of our writing, but when we focus on the many items that are within our control (such as our daily habits, our interactions and networking with other writers, etc.), forward motion starts to seem more doable.
Make an action plan for your writing, something you can accomplish daily, weekly, or monthly, then build consistency and stick with it!
To what extent does imposter syndrome affect your writing? Do you struggle with feeling inadequate despite your accomplishments? Or are you trying to become more accomplished because you’ve convinced yourself that earning awards and recognition is what you need to feel better about yourself as a writer? I hope this post encourages you to take control of your own thoughts and actions. You don’t need recognition from others to feel a different way about yourself. If the ideas above have changed the way you view your writing and your sense of self-worth, I would love for you to email me at [email protected] and let me know!
Do you want to learn how to write a story that makes your target readers stand up and cheer? If you’d like support from A to Z (from brainstorming to drafting to revising to publication), book a Discovery Call with me to see if you’re a good fit to join my book coaching program,Fantasy Footsteps: Road to Publication. And if you haven’t done so already, grab your Free Guide on how to hook readers from your story’s start!
