Margie Warrell quotes in her article on the “impostor syndrome”, the award-winning novelist and poet Maya Angelou in her own words, “I have written eleven books so far, but at every moment I think to myself: Uh, they will find out, I’ve been playing them, and I will be discovered”. Angelou was an extraordinary writer, and had no problem admitting she didn’t find herself extraordinary.
This is very hard to do in our current times, as we are exposed to websites, social media and writers’ virtual communities. Obviously we use these resources to showcase the best parts of our lives: our most successful novels, award-winning stories, finished projects, readers’ support, and of course praises. Yet, we forget that we are focusing on other’s achievements and forgetting about abandoned projects, or the endless work nights, the endless revisions, and our moments of doubt.
This doesn’t mean abandoning yourself completely and self-criticize. Keeping healthy high quality standards is essential for improving our writing. Remember when we browse along creative works on websites, we must understand what other writers say as a facade, doesn’t necessarily describe what they are going through.
The trick in achieving great results is not erasing the feeling of doing, we are not good enough doing. Instead, try to remember that you are all in the same situation and that everyone feels the same way.
This is simply the best scenario, the most exciting. This way we can create something totally personal, only if we are intentionally motivated.
The question of motivation is important. In long-term projects, such as writing novels, ii is normal to go through ups and downs.
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