by Smrithi Senthilnathan
We know that there are countless wonderful artists in the world and more than two hundred of them follow us on instagram, however so many of them do not submit their pieces to us. When we delved deeper into why, we found that a lot of writers do not have faith in their writing and are scared of the rejection that accompanies submitting to a literary magazine. Today’s post is about how you can develop faith in your own writing, and take pride in your work. While this post is mainly geared towards writers, it is applicable for any kind of artist - after all we all have experienced imposter syndrome at one point of our lives. So continue reading, and then after that submit your pieces to us. We can’t wait to read your wonderful works :)
Why do you write?
Ask yourself this question. Why do you write? Is is to tell a story? Is it because you love and enjoy it? Is it because you want to become a famous author? Whatever the reason, knowing why you write will help you tackle imposter syndrome. If you love writing, why do you care whether your writing is good or bad? The only thing that matters is that you love it. If you think you’re never going to do anything with your writing, remember that all of your favorite authors and any artist across the world has been in the same position that you are in right now. You are not alone. We will get through this together.
Read your past writing
Whenever I feel like my writing sucks, I go back and read old pieces. When I wrote them, I thought they were the best pieces of writing ever but reading them now, I don’t know what I even saw in them. However the fact that my old pieces suck gives me faith in my current writing. I’m able to see the improvement and progress I’ve made. I can clearly see how far I’ve come. And the fact that I’m able to identify mistakes in my old writing shows that I’ve matured in terms of writing and now know where exactly I went wrong before. Rewriting my old pieces know makes me feel happy because I can unleash my inner perfectionist, and I’m improving myself.
Identify and analyze
Simply saying ‘I’m a bad writer’ isn’t going to get you anywhere. You need to sit down and analyze what exactly you don’t like about your writing - is it the prose? dialogue style? characters? Find out what exactly you dislike about your currently writing, and what you would like your ideal style to be like. If you can find someone who writes in your ideal style- well and good! Ask them for advice on how they write the way they do, and try to emulate that style in your own writing. Ask yourself why you dislike your style and like another style, and then try to incorporate that into your own writing. Of course I don’t mean to plagiarize someone else’s writing but instead take inspiration from their style and try to adopt it into your own writing.
Ask others for feedback
Getting feedback is another great way to improve your self-confidence! Remember that writing is a very subjective craft and everybody interprets it differently. You may think it’s bad but someone else might love it. If you ask people you’re close to to review your writing, they will definitely point out all the things they love about the piece, while also offering you constructive criticism on how to improve. The more you solicit feedback from others, the more they’ll inflate your ego by telling you what they love about your piece, and the more you’ll improve because they’ll give you constructive criticism about how to improve your writing. Always remember to take people’s feedback with a grain of salt though because what appeals to one person may not appeal to others. It can be difficult to get over your fear and actually send your work to others for feedback but remember that these are your friends and they only want to help you. I would suggest initially only sending your work to your most trusted friends - those whose opinions you trust and those who genuinely want to help you.
Read negative Goodreads reviews
Goodreads is a wonderful place for readers to share their opinions on various books. Reading negative reviews (1 or 2 star reviews) of popular books will help you identify what readers like and don’t like to see in popular media. It will give you faith in your own writing - if so many people hate this book but it still managed to become this popular, your book also has a chance of making it big. You can also read good reviews of books in your genre on Goodreads to figure out what readers look for and expect from that particular genre to refine your writing. Remember: every book has its own audience and your book will find a place in the hearts of people across the world. If people don’t like your work, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. Rather, you haven’t found the right audience for your book yet. After all there may be haters for your favorite book, and there may also be people who love a book you detested. Always keep that in mind when someone tells you they don’t like your book.
Consume self-affirming media
Inspirational videos, TED talks, quotes on Pinterest, and other sources of motivation are a great way to increase your self-confidence. Check out this post for a list of TED talks and podcasts that you can make use of. The NaNoWriMo website also has a massive database of pep talks from famous writers. All of these are meant to motivate you and realize your writing dreams. You can save quotes on Pinterest and print them and stick them all around your writing space. It’s been psychologically proved that you’re more productive in a space that is receptive to your needs than a bland one. So go find that motivation and remind yourself of it!
Attend writing classes and sign up for courses
There are a lot of free resources online if you want to learn about the craft of writing. In the same post I mentioned above, there’s a lot of podcasts that help you with writing. You can also find free courses on Coursera and edX. By watching these courses and learning from experienced writers, you not only improve your writing but also your self confidence goes up. You start to think ‘I’ve learned from [insert famous person] and I’m using their tips, there’s no way my writing can be bad now!’. It wasn’t bad before and it certainly isn’t bad now but psychologically you think it will be better after you take these courses. But you also need to remember that every author’s method is different and what worked for them might not work for you.
Submit to lit mags and contests
Yes I know that rejections sting but there is nothing better than the validation and serotonin hike you get when you get accepted to a literary magazine or win a contest. It may be scary to submit but trust me, you’re taking a step in the right direction. Maybe you can start by submitting to magazines dedicated to your agenda, for example our magazine Rewrite The Stars Review is dedicated to uplifting youth voices and we’re currently open for the theme ‘Kindle The Flame’! Since we’re all about uplifting young and unpublished voices, we’re more likely to publish your piece than an established magazine open to anyone from around the world. Start small, slowly build your way up, and eventually you’ll have enough confidence to try your hand at international competitions and prestigious publications.
Write.
Honestly at the end of the day there’s no better way to improve than to just write. Reread your favorite pieces and remember that you are a wonderful writer. Keep writing no matter what and constantly absorb information on how to improve. Read writing tips, watch videos, alter your style, and always be open to advice. That being said, don’t take criticism from someone you won’t go to for advice. Your writing is marvelous simply because it is yours: nobody can ever put these words together the way you can. So take pride in your writing and don’t let imposter syndrome put you down. Yes it may feel like it sucks but that only means there’s scope for improvement. Improve. Learn the craft of it. Better yourself. And before you know it, you’re a New York Times Bestselling Author. Go figure :)
To learn more about this author, check out @theunwrittenstories101 on instagram.
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