Feeling like a Fraud

I’m in the process of publishing two books. One is a fiction novel I finished writing a year ago. I’m hoping to have it traditionally published and have been submitting the manuscript to publishers. The other is a memoir about my time solo navigating a big lap around Australia. I have a goal to self publish that one by the end of the year.

There are times when I am extremely motivated and have one hundred percent confidence that my books have value and they deserved to be sitting amongst all those great stories out there. Other times, though, I feel like a complete and utter fraud.

Who am I to write and publish a book.

I am a new writer. I started writing my novel about six years ago, and at that stage it was just something to do during my morning routine because I hated journalling. I wrote stories instead. The more I wrote though, the better I got until stories turned into chapters that turned into an entire novel! I’m a much better writer than I was six years ago, but some days I wonder if I’m good enough to be chasing the title of published author.

I was texting a friend the other day and we were talking about something pretty simple. The way he responded to one message was completely poetic. He used words that would have never entered my vocabulary. Here we have one person feasting on all the delicious words available to every single one of us and choosing to use them in an ordinary text, And me – who struggles to take a simple bite when I’m the one pulling together an actual book.

Is this a sign that I’m just not cut out to be a writer?

In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy.’ The more we focus on what everyone else is doing, the quicker we lose sight of our own talents and accomplishments.

Maybe I’m not as great with words as my friend, but maybe the words I have at this time will speak to someone who really needs to hear them.

A person going to the gym doesn’t expect to be at their peak physical fitness after just one session. It takes time to build stamina, muscle and strength. The same goes for anything you want to pursue. Don’t compare your skills with people who seem to be ahead in your game. Try to see them as inspiration instead. And if you can’t let go of comparison, try competing against the one person who can leave you better off – Yourself. It’s a fairer fight and competing against your past self will motivate you to become better than you were before.

The six year ago me was a terrible writer. She would have never thought about publishing a blog and had nowhere near enough skills to write a whole novel. But over time, she got there. 

The best way to feeling less like a fraud is to keep doing the thing you want to be doing and just get better at it. Work the muscle that builds the skill.

Whenever you get discouraged with how you’re progressing, think about what you were like when you first started. If you’re a creative you can even look back on some of your first works. Look to the people who are highly skilled in your area when you need inspiration and only choose to compete with someone who puts up a fair fight (that’s you).