
Now, I’m no doctor… But if you’re a fellow writer, I’m willing to bet you suffer a certain syndrome.
Let’s start with a few questions:
- When a client accepts your terms and rates for a project, do you think, “I can’t believe they fell for it!”?
- Do you attribute most, if not all, of your blogging success to luck?
- Do you constantly fear being exposed as a fraud—even though you have the expertise to back up your claims?
- No matter how accomplished you become, do you feel you still need to “pay your dues” or that you don’t deserve the recognition (or pay!) you receive?
Uh-huh. Yep.
Looks like you have Impostor Syndrome.
“I Have What?”
Don’t worry. Impostor Syndrome isn’t fatal.
Well… Not in the physical sense anyway. It could be fatal to your career.
According to Wikipedia‘s collective genius, “Despite external evidence of their competence, those with [impostor] syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved. Proof of success is dismissed as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be.”

Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, this poses a major problem to writers. One of the first lessons we learn when we “go pro” is the importance of marketing: of being able to convince others of our worth.
But how can we convince others unless we can convince ourselves?
Short answer: we can’t.
“How Bleak! What Chance Does An Aspiring Writer Have?”
First things first: Stop calling yourself an “aspiring” writer.
Do you write?
Yes?
Then you’re a writer.
Just. A. Writer.
Go ahead. Take a deep breath. Let it out.
Now say it.
“I’m a writer.”
Great! Calling yourself a writer is a HUGE first step.
But did you believe yourself when you said it?
It’s okay if you didn’t. It can take time. (It took me nearly a decade!)
You know what helps? The big secret to kicking your syndrome in the butt?
Practice.
And keeping proof on-hand for those moments when your brain turns against you.
For example, I like to look at the clips I have up on Contently. The website catalogs any by-lined articles I’ve written online and not only shares the number of clips there are, but how many total words I’ve written. (Ask yourself: “Would I have written so many thousands of words if I weren’t a writer?” Of course not!).
And then, since I work primarily as a ghostwriter, I like to whisper to myself, “And those are just the ones with my name on them! There are so many others…”
That usually does the trick for me.
Some other ways you can prove your non-impostor status to your naysaying brain:
- Go back and look over any testimonials you’ve collected from former clients. Clearly they didn’t think you were an impostor! It would be an insult to those fine people if you said otherwise.
- Add up the money you’ve received from said fine people. If your mind won’t believe the words, maybe it’ll believe the numbers. Money talks, as the saying goes, and your money is screaming, “You’re a writer!”
- Compare where you are now with where you were a year ago. Confession time: I always get horribly depressed around the holidays (for a number of reasons, but the main one being that freelance writing sales tend to droop in December). With this in mind, I always write a letter to my future self to open the following year during my “trouble months.” I like to share what I’m up to at that moment in time, career-wise in particular. And, without fail—at least so far!—I’m always doing better by the time I read it the following year. Try it! I’d be willing to bet that your writing career has improved as well. 🙂
“But Where Should I Start Right Now?”
Keep calling yourself a writer. Keep being a writer.
And, in the meantime, work on your elevator pitch.
An elevator pitch is a short speech about who you are and what you do—a speech that can be delivered to your audience in the time it takes to ride an elevator.
The best part?
You can create yours now in 3 easy steps!
- State who you are.
- Share what you do.
- Tell who you do it for.
In my case: “My name is Lauren Tharp. I’m a freelance writer for hire. I create unique online content for small business owners and advise fellow writers on how to succeed at freelancing.”
For you it might be: “My name is Blabbity Blah. I’m a professional blogger. I specialize in writing articles for dog groomers.” Or maybe, “My name is Blippity Bloo. I’m an online author. I create e-books targeted to help entrepreneurs make at least $100,000 per year.”
Keep it simple. Keep it true. Keep practicing.
The more you believe yourself, the more your clients will believe in you as well.
You’re a freelance blogger. Go to work!
Image: exfordy
I’m so excited to be here! I’ve been a longtime lurker & admirer of BAFB.com and it is such an honor to be a guest poster. Thank you for having me! 🙂
This is too true! I was fortunate enough to intuitively recognize Impostor Syndrome in myself when I was much younger, but I still hear so many other people succumbing to the same faulty thinking. I’ll have to show them this article next time I hear one of my friends say “I want to be an artist” or “I’m an aspiring writer” when they have in fact been producing valid work for years or even decades.
LOVE your author name. Haha. I can tell you were really paying attention! 😉
I’m so glad you liked the article. And it’s awesome that you were able to kick Impostor Syndrome in the butt. I hope that your friends will be able to someday as well. (And I’d be honored if my article were a part of the process!)
Thanks for reading/commenting!
I’ve called myself a fraud more times than I’d care to admit. I had no idea that we have a name for it!
I love your tips about overcoming Impostor Syndrome. I do #1 (going back to my testimonials) all the time. I also take it a step further by sharing it with others. For instance, if I receive an email from a happy client, I’d take a screen shot and post it to Facebook. 🙂
Haha. My goodness! LOVE your author name, Francesca. 😉
Testimonials are the BEST, aren’t they? I’m actually doing an article about how to get (and present) testimonials on my website on September 6th. T is for Testimonials! (It’s a part of The Freelance Writer’s ABCs series I’m doing right now on my blog). http://littlezotz.com/category/the-freelance-writers-abcs
I’d be wary of posting private client e-mails in a public place like Facebook without the original author’s permission… I once said something along the lines of “So-and-so said my work on blah blah was great today!” and So-and-so got into a total snit about it and had me take it down. (Because she was a real so-and-so, if ya know what I mean…)
Long story short: I always get permission before posting testimonials of any kind now. haha.
Thank you so much for reading/commenting!
Yep, I definitely see your point. That’s why I make sure to white out any names and information, and I keep share those photos strictly with with friends.
BTW, I’d love to read your upcoming post about testimonials, Lauren. I just subscribed to your blog to make sure I don’t miss it. 🙂
Haha very good. Don’t want you getting in trouble! 😉 I’m glad you’re taking precautions. (Though, honestly, I figured you probably were. I’m familiar with your work & level of professionalism!)
And I’m so happy to have you as a subscriber. Great to have you on board!
Now Francesca, it’s funny that you are replying because I’m thinking of how your LinkedIn post re: Press Releases just might save my butt. I’m thinking that I need to get over my imposter syndrome. I just need to step forth and follow your directions. I’m going to your blog to find your contact info, by the way so expect an email from me.
Now Lauren, you’ve definitely hit a nerve and it comes down to this. If we want to make money, we have to take a deep breath and get over ourselves. On the other hand, I understand the feeling of not being satisfied. This feeling is good because it keeps us sharp.
But then again, at SOME POINT, the evidence of our work needs to reassure us. At SOME POINT, we need to feel like we are good enough or why do this? We’re not being fair to ourselves to labor in a career field that we don’t feel we are good enough for.
Yep. It’s fine to feel the fear…but we also have to push through it and do the work anyway. 😉
So many writers feel like they have to pay their “dues” before they can start calling themselves writers. But when will their “dues” finally be paid off? After they win an award? After they make $$$ in earnings? After they get published at their favorite magazine? NEVER?!
Like you said, we need to “get over ourselves” and just accept that we are what we are: Writers.
Many term it humility if someone call himself an aspiring writer or blogger; but I think this is confusion about oneself and one must be clear in statement of his objectives to be confident enought to move ahead smoothly
Humility is a wonderful trait to have in day-to-day life, but not in business, eh? 😉
I agree: Being honest with yourself–and others–about your objective is a great way to move forward successfully.
Thanks for reading!
This is a very good eye opener for writers, Lauren.
I’m a licensed engineer and worked for different companies for 16 years. So, when I decided to be full-time web writer, everybody was shocked. Most of my friends did not even know that I love to write.
My friends only stopped calling me as an “aspiring” writer when they learned that I was starting to get paid as a part time writer/blogger.
Now that my online portfolio have testimonials from some of my satisfied clients. People who did not believe me then are now recommending my services to their friends.
And yes, you’re absolutely right. Whatever career path one chooses, he should not stop believing on what he can do. Once a client don’t feel the confidence in him, there’s no way that he will be hired.
I hear you, Angel!
When my mother-in-law heard that I was giving up my day job to become a writer full-time, she kept saying “Oh, well… when you get a REAL job…”
That went on for quite a while. Until, one day, she asked me what I was making. When I replied, her eyes widened and she said, “That’s more than I make!”
She never told me to get a “real” job ever again. lol.
One of the quickest ways to shut up naysayers? Get PAID. 😉
And looking over old checks/payments from clients is, as I said in the article, a great to shut up SELF naysaying as well.
So glad that you liked the article. And that your friends have stopped calling you an “aspiring” writer. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
What a great topic, Lauren.
I think this is something any humble professional in any field has to deal with. Humility is a wonderful thing – unless you have so much of it that it keeps you from growing. Also – thanks for the Contently link. I’d never been there before and now I have a page.
Very useful all around 🙂
Hi, Gary!
Thanks for reading/commenting! 🙂
I’m so glad you found the article useful. And I didn’t find out about Contently until fairly recently myself, but I love it. It’s so FUN! And I’ve actually gotten a few inquiries from it (it’s a nice little portfolio piece!).
And, you’re right–so many professions deal with this. Especially those that are based in creativity, I think. My significant other is an artist and he goes through this as well.
As you said, no one likes a braggart, but, if we’re SO humble that we don’t grow/keep moving forward then we’ll never get anywhere. So here’s to moving forward! *raises glass*
I really loved what you wrote, especially if you write you are a writer. And that keep practicing thing. It really builds your confidence if you practice regularly. I have reached from crap stage by not so crap stage by just practicing. Now my thought process is more aligned with the way that I want to put my words forth.
That’s wonderful, Debmalya!
Though I would work on describing yourself/your writing a LITTLE more positively than “not-so-crap.” 😉
Keep practicing!
You know, I feel there are stages of the Impostor Syndrome. It’s always there – but there are levels of paranoia. After a few years of freelancing, I was perfectly comfortable with myself and my work. I was quite proud of it in fact.
But every time someone would compliment my writing, I’d freeze.
Now I save every compliment I get in a swipe file and every time I feel a case a Impostor Syndrome rearing it’s ugly head, I go through the file. The more I add to the file the easier it is becoming to convince myself that it is not a fluke.
My first internal reaction would be “Oh god, that amazing piece of writing was just a fluke!”
Then I’d sit down to work on my next project… and be unable to write a single word.
Just realized that my cursor jumped while I was typing. The last two sentences were supposed to go before “Now I save every compliment…” bit.
Cursor jumps are the worst! And autocorrect. Modern technology has made my sentences look weird more than once. No worries. 😉
I’ve always had trouble accepting compliments too. About ANYthing… Fortunately, when I was in my early twenties, I had a close friend lose their temper with me over this–“Lauren! If someone compliments you, just say ‘THANK YOU’ and shut the hell up. Even if you don’t believe it! @#$%!!!”–and that helped to break me of my “Oh, I’m really not THAT great…” habit. lol.
Say thank you. Save the compliment to look at later. Great strategy, Samar!
And I love the author name you chose for your comments. 😉
Great story about your mother-in-law, Lauren.
Funny how those closest to us can’t argue with
what’s already been done…:-)
Like you, I do things first and share them later with family.
Especially when it comes to discussing money, my writing
career or what I should do with my life.
No more asking for advice before the fact. You’d be shocked
how often those who “love” us the most will console you to
your face and celebrate your setbacks behind your back…
Sharing what you’ve done lets you win twice: once when you
do it, and again when family members give you that insanely
jealous look on their faces wishing that they were you. That
kind of body language is an unpaid visceral benefit that can’t
be quantified or overstated. It’s part of the “glicken” writers
enjoy the most, and it keeps us motivated to charge forward…
Very nicely done, Lauren. This is the first time I’ve
read your work. I hope Sophie invites you back! 🙂
Hi, Michael!
Yep. I like to keep my creative/writing projects to myself. 😉 Actually, I wrote a bit about that in my A is for ACTION! blog post this week: http://littlezotz.com/2013/08/a-is-for-action If you have some free time, please feel free to check it out! I’d love to see if you relate to/use any of the other tips I mention on there.
And I’m so glad you liked my post. I’m actually on here quite a lot as I’m the BAFB Official Community Helper! 😀 However, this was my first time on BAFB as a guest poster. Ahhhh…feels good.
Welcome to the “other side”, Lauren!
Glad to see that you’re enjoying the
feeling that guest posting creates.
The first step is always the hardest. The quality of your
maiden guest post clearly demonstrates that you are
well on your way to success. And since you’re working
with Sophie, I’m sure she’ll help you stay on track.
I did take a look at the other blog post you wrote.
I related to all of your tips, but the most important
one is to simply start writing. After that, everything
else falls into place…
Looking forward to reading more of your work in
the future, Lauren. Enjoy the weekend! 🙂
Thank you very much. This wasn’t my first guest post (today actually marks the 3rd anniversary of opening up my own business–LittleZotz Writing–and making writing my sole source of income), but it WAS my first post for BAFB. 🙂
Sophie is definitely one cool lady. I’ve been enjoying working with her immensely.
Glad you enjoyed A is for Action! Next week I’m posting F – J in The Freelance Writer’s ABCs series. August 2013 is shaping up to be a great month!
Great post, Lauren. I’m glad you pointed out, “If you write, you’re a writer.” I know so many writers who say they want to be a “real” writer, and I know so many people who want to write but have yet to understand all they have to do is sit at a computer or pick up a pen and start writing.
I’m glad that you discuss this topic. I relate even though I didn’t know it was so common that there’s a name for it. lol.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi, Leslie!
When I first read about Impostor Syndrome a few years ago I went “OMG! This is ME!” Hahaha. And then I worked my butt off trying to put a stop to it. 😉
My definition of what it takes to call yourself a writer is a very simple one–and doesn’t define what it takes to be a GOOD writer–but I think it’s accurate. And, like banishing impostor syndrome, practice makes perfect when it comes to “good” writing. (Which, if the writer is following my definition, they’ll get a lot of! Learning by doing, as the saying goes).
By the way, I loved your article on learning from past mistakes.
Lauren, everything you said in the post applies to me. I even thought of using the name “Scaredie Kat,” but I was too much of an impostor to risk any potential client finding me out BEFORE they hired me. Is that typical, or what?!? From now on, I’m just going for it and telling everybody that I, Ronn Jerard, am a writer. And darn proud of it. Thank you, Lauren.
Hi, Ronn!
First up: Thank you for liking LittleZotz Writing on Facebook. 🙂
Second: I think it’s very typical to be afraid of what potential clients will think of you, and your level of professionalism. Even when writing becomes your business, it’s still a very personal form of creativity–we have to bare our soul a bit in each piece we write (even when it’s something highly technical)–and it can make you feel very vulnerable to put yourself “out there” in that capacity.
And when you’re depending on your writing to pay your bills, you’re putting even MORE on the line, and that can definitely increase the anxiety. That overwhelming feeling of “I really NEED to impress this person…but what if I’m not good enough (yet)?”
TOTALLY normal.
But it’s something we have to set aside if we want to be successful.
So keep being DARN PROUD to be a writer! It’s definitely something to be proud of. 🙂
I was just reading about this the other day. I really hope to get over this soon!
I’m sure someone with “dogged persistence” won’t have any trouble getting over their Impostor Syndrome. 😉
Well crafted, Lauren. I’m glad you picked a topic not all bloggers would want to talk about, but certainly would help if they will. Personally, based on the the many articles about writers feeling like a fake, this wondenful piece stands out. Thank you for coming out with this one.
I know you would apreciate if I can add some thoughts about how we can defeat this syndrome, right? Here’s one from me — self doubts arise when we don’t really KNOW who we are. No matter what field we belong to, no matter what we do, we must decide to believe in ourself. It’s a decision we have to make. After that, it’s all maintenance. We must affirm ourselves (daily, if need be), we ARE what we have decided to be.
That said, I would declare with strong conviction; more to myself, admittedly — writer, go, write. It’s your CALLING.
Well done, Lauren. I’m proud we have worked together. Looking forward to more projects.:)
Daily affirmations can definitely help. I have a few reminders tacked up around my office to help remind me when I need a “boost.” My favorite being “Do you want it a LOT or just a little?” (Success is often a matter of how much you really WANT it).
Thanks for commenting, Anthony!
Incredible tips, Lauren! For writers, entrepreneurs — any kind of go-getters who don’t have a clear definition of “success” in their unique paths, this is solid advice. I LOVE the idea of writing a letter to my future self; what a clever way to overcome those desperate days of feeling like a fraud!
Thank you so much, Dana! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
And you should definitely give writing a letter to your future self a try! It’s a lot of fun and, so long as we keep moving forward, the results are always positive. I can’t remember *exactly* what I wrote to myself last year (I’ll find out in a few months!), but I already know I’m in a MUCH better place–both personally and professionally–than I was when I wrote it.
Writing is a very solitary business for the most part. So there aren’t always going to be people around to tell us “great job!” or “you’re really good at this.” So we have to tell ourselves. 😉
Thanks again for commenting!
This isn’t just a writer thing either. I definitely experienced it as a writer, but it got so much worse when I moved into my current business. I work with a lot of esoteric and spiritual topics, and I counsel people on certain topics that I know a lot about due to personal experience.
But I had SO many moments where that little voice in my head piped up and was going “Who do you think you are? You don’t have a degree. You don’t have this, or that, or that other thing. You’re some sort of sham!”
And of course when I took a deep breath and walked myself through all the good I’ve already done I remind myself I’m not.
I also remind myself that I need to disregard those naysayers (I have a few in my life too – I’ve discovered some of them are NEVER happy, no matter what you do.) I know who I am, and what I do. I know I help people, as do all entrepreneurs – whether we’re writing, healing, coaching, building websites, or anything else. We’re providing something that other people need, and if we’re doing it well, then we’re not imposters. 🙂
Great post. I may link back to it from my blog with some similar thoughts . . .
It’s all about those “deep breath” moments when we remind ourselves we ARE good enough. No matter what field we’re in. 😉
If you link back to my post, feel free to share your article here. I’d love to read your thoughts!
Thanks for commenting.
Wow I didn’t know I had this syndrome it reminds me of the first writing job I got, my fiend told someone I was a great writer and got the job for me, I kept singing to myself I am a great writer and can’t let this client down, and since then I’ve never looked back. Its been 3 years now, how time flies. Thanks for your inspiring post
Congrats on hitting the 3 year mark, Aisha! 🙂 I’m going on year 4 now, so I’m only a wee bit ahead of you. It gets easier each year, doesn’t it?
Thanks for commenting!
I’m fortunate I never had this syndrome and have always believed I’m good writer.
Loved your idea of writing to your future self. I think there’s a tiny typo in the link words’ ”freelance writing sales tend to droop in December”.
This work as a good tip for some who have this syndrome but needs a domain name you own – make your e-mail address write@YOURDOMAIN.com and each time you give your e-mail address to someone, speak it out or reply to someone with it, you are consciously and subconsciously making yourself believe you’re a writer.
About the elevator pitch, is there a rule about how many words it should contain? An elevator going to just the 7th floor would take far lesser time than to the 100th floor!
Thanks for the grat post and thanks to Sophie for pointing to this post one of her prize giveaway.
Hey, Raspal!
There isn’t a typo in the link — it works fine on this end. Unless you’re referring to the actual wording of the sentence, in which case, all I can say is: No. There’s no typo. “Droop” is a real word. It means “to sink gradually downward.” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/droop
Try to keep your “elevator pitch” to three sentences. As it states in the article itself, you’re going to want to say 1.) Who you are, 2.) What you do and, 3.) Who you do it for.
Thanks for reading!
Oops!
I myself made so many typos! This dang phone %§&$# !! Can you please correct them in the above comment and then delete this one?
Thanks
Hi Littlezotz 🙂
Thanks for replying. Droop was new to me,so just wondered.
I asked because the simplest of the elevator pitch won the prize to Kingdom of Paidalaot, as you know, whose answer went thus:
”I’m Angie Mansfield, a freelance writer who specializes in blogging for the printing and construction industries.”
I was asking the no. of words. But shorter the better, I got the answer I guess. So:
I’m Raspal Seni, who specializes in blogging technical content for the layman.
Would the above be a good one?
Well, it sounds a little strange when you talk about yourself in the third person. Try changing it to:
“I’m Raspal Seni. I blog about technical content using words everyone can understand.”
Now, I’m assuming that when you said “for the layman” you were referring to using layman’s terms (words everyone can understand) – http://littlezotz.com/2013/08/l-is-for-laymans-terms If so, you’re still missing the “who you do it for” part of your pitch/speech.
Who are you writing for? Who are your readers/audience?
Or, if you’re literally writing “for the layman” (who? warehouse workers? fast food cashiers? parents?), then you might want to be more specific. And/or share WHY your writing benefits “the layman.”
Keep working on it! You’ll get it.
Ohmigoodness, how did I miss this? It’s perfect. It’s WAY better than mine, LOL. That’s an awesome first post. I love how excited you are in the comments. You have definitely come far m’lady.
Not better. Just different. 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed it!