Imposter Syndrome

Feeling worthless after reading someone else’s work is just a sign you’ve been idolizing what you cannot / do not write. It happened to me, subbing to Strange Horizons. The quality of their publications was beyond what I might ever achieve. It was then that I realized I needed to stop running myself down. I needed to up my strengths —transformativeness, political-philosophical sci-fi. People would read me for my intellectual goodies, not for my skill, turning the pen.

And when I latched on to a good story, I realized I could often apply a certain boyish maybe, distinctive style to it. I could write for YA (teens). Not needing to be technically great / the greatest is an important trait of a good writer. It’s all about delivering your story to your market.

How to improve your skill? There are many ways to hide an unsteady hand. My way is to reveal the plot early but not fully. After that lead, I sit back and direct with ease. I also apply delays, ommitions. Sometimes to write better, one may bypass, then move on, explaining later. I don’t mean to dictate, but just to show there are ways to get over our weaknesses. Are we not going to tell the story?