{"id":1059,"date":"2018-09-24T21:26:25","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T01:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/dremadeoraich\/?p=1059"},"modified":"2018-09-24T22:34:18","modified_gmt":"2018-09-25T02:34:18","slug":"helpful-ways-to-best-your-worst-enemy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/24\/helpful-ways-to-best-your-worst-enemy\/","title":{"rendered":"Helpful Ways to Best Your Worst Enemy"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p> $\"\"$ You\u2019ve written a novel, a handful (or a boatload) of short stories, flash pieces or essays. You\u2019ve queried, suffered rejection, and maybe been published. You\u2019ve enlisted beta readers and participated in critique workshops. Others (not just your mom) have complimented your work. So why do you still sometimes feel like a fraud?\n

Turns out Imposter Syndrome is actually a thing, a recognized condition common in creative fields, especially among those who\u2019ve already had success. It\u2019s the feeling that sooner or later, everyone around you is going to figure out you\u2019re not that good. They\u2019re going to discover that you aren\u2019t who they thought you were (a great writer), and they\u2019ll hate\/ridicule you for fooling them.<\/p>\n

Imposter Syndrome is a case of being one\u2019s own worst enemy because that fear undermines the creative process.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d felt this myself for years without ever knowing others did too until the last year. In that time, I\u2019ve heard writers say it a lot, both in my online community and my realspace community. Its effects also touch celebrated best-selling authors like Maya Angelou, Neil Gaiman and a host of others, so at least the rest of us can find hope in knowing we are in good company.<\/p>\n

Numerous websites offer advice on dealing with Imposter Syndrome. The Writers Hub<\/a> offers five strategies that might help, one of which is to work with others\u2014critique groups and beta readers, things I\u2019ve recommended here before. I know this always helps me to renew my confidence and will to keep writing. These groups become a critical support network that offer reality checks and assist in maintaining balance and focus.<\/p>\n

The Writing Cooperative<\/a> talks about \u201cImposter Thoughts,\u201d including \u201cYou\u2019ll never be as good as (insert vaunted author).\u201d Ever felt that way? I know I have. Then I remember that my critique class instructor noted in one class that she could see in my work the influence of Frank Herbert and Ursula LeGuin. Granted, she wasn\u2019t saying my work was as good<\/em> as these Big Names. Still\u2026 Ho-Lee Cow! I danced a spontaneous jig right there in class. That kind of feedback is so<\/em> uplifting!<\/p>\n

Mel Wicks says, on Smart Blogger<\/a>, that one trick to beat the \u201cImp\u201d is to keep yourself busy. Don\u2019t sit $\"\"$ around waiting for success or failure. Jump right into the next project. This has been my S.O.P. Otherwise, I drive myself nuts (short drive, I know) obsessing over whether my work made a good impression on Agent\/Editor of the Week\/Month (wherever I last submitted). Distraction is a useful skill. Make it an art.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve mentioned in prior posts, I entered Pitch Wars<\/a> back in late August. Now, almost a month later, none of the mentors I sent to have requested my full manuscript. Michael Mammay, author of Planetside<\/a> and one of the mentors to whom I submitted, commented on Twitter a couple of weeks ago that he imagined mentee hopefuls were \u201cstarting to see the handwriting on the wall.\u201d While I\u2019m sure he didn\u2019t intend it in this way, his words sucked all the wind from my sails and shot down my lingering hopes for landing a menteeship. Yet he went on to say in further comments something even more memorable and encouraging: Don\u2019t self reject.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve not seen it included in any of the Imposter Syndrome articles, but I wonder if \u201cself-rejection\u201d and the Imp are related. Self-rejection is when you assume your work is sub-par and therefore don\u2019t submit it anywhere. It\u2019s when you give up before you have the chance to succeed. I can see it reflected in symptoms of the Imp\u2019s presence, wherein a writer doesn\u2019t follow through on a project, never completing it because it will \u201cnever be good enough to be published.\u201d I can so<\/em> relate. A recent personal experience brought this home to me in a very vivid way.<\/p>\n

I penned a short story last year about a Mayan woman and her daughters living in the cloud forest of Guatemala. The tale is short, capturing the harsh reality of their lives and how they cope. A surreal element winds throughout the narrative, which I won\u2019t reveal here (I want you to read it one of these days!) but which made me think it might be a decent fit for a particular national contest. So I entered it.<\/p>\n

A couple of weeks later, I began to believe it would never win, that it wasn\u2019t really a good fit and I\u2019d wasted my time. No big deal, I thought. It didn\u2019t cost anything to enter, and in the meantime I had plenty of other projects to tend. The winners were supposed to be announced (I thought) in mid-September. I could wait that long to submit it elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Mid-September came and I went to the contest\u2019s site to see if the winners had been announced. I would swear<\/em> I saw names listed for the third quarter, so I assumed mine did not win and I submitted it to a magazine. Twenty minutes later, I searched through my e-mails for something totally unrelated and found a message I\u2019d missed from a week before that said my story made it past the first round of judging and had been passed on to the head judges.<\/p>\n

Oh the shock!
\nOh the thrill!
\nOh the rush to withdraw it from consideration at the magazine where I\u2019d submitted!<\/p>\n

Because of this experience, I\u2019ve kept Mr. Mammay\u2019s words in my head. It\u2019s easier said than done, as even he might admit, but it\u2019s worth the effort. So I keep working on other projects while reminding myself that Pitch Wars ain\u2019t over, and the contest winners haven\u2019t yet been named.<\/p>\n

After all, until we open Schroedinger\u2019s box, the cat\u2019s both alive and<\/em> dead. Right?<\/p>\n

Doggie Disguise photo by Braydon Anderson.<\/a>
\nHandshake photo by RawPixel<\/a>.
\nPhotos courtesy of Unsplash<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"