January has been a bit of a brutal start to the year for me (if it has been for you too, then I send you virtual hugs!), and it’s safe to say that reading was a real comfort. Especially these stonkers…
To really appreciate A Restless Truth by Freya Marske in all its glory, you need to go read A Marvellous Light first. But don’t worry, this will be TIME WELL SPENT. These fantasy novels are both heartfelt and fun, and the second in the series won’t disappoint fans of the first. Set on a cruise liner, this story is part nautical mystery, part coming of age, and part magical quest. If you want to read some truly beautiful writing and surround yourself with abundant queer joy, then this is the one for you.
In the Blink of an Eye is Jo Callaghan’s debut novel and the first in a series that you should go get your hands on RIGHT HECKING NOW. This is police procedural seamlessly merged with AI based sci-fi – and it had me hooked from the first page. The characters will grab you – from the hardy but heartbroken widow fighting to be taken seriously in the force to the emotionless yet compelling AI who she reluctantly partners with. This had me guessing until the final page, and I can’t wait for the next one!
Exes and O’s by Amy Lea is pure romantic fun. The voice in this novel grabbed me straight away – I was grinning before I turned the first page. There’s a book loving main character, fire fighter love interest, Cheetos galore, and a slow burn love story that will leave you feeling warm inside. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood, this romcom is super low angst and guaranteed to brighten your day.
As always, read them all and we can be chums 😊
I’ve started a bookstagram! Join me for even more shouting about books – you can find it here.
Five of the books I read in November were AMAZING and one of them was UTTER SHITE. I just won’t talk about the shite one, and you can do the math…
Ocean’s Echo is Everina Maxwell’s second novel, and it’s just as glorious as the first. Both of her spacey love stories are set in the same universe, but they’re totally standalone. What you get in both of them is an epic setting, adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat, and romance that will make you swoon. These are perfect for those who like sci-fi, but don’t want too heaping a dollop of science-y talk.
Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell is a collection of short stories. Now, these are not normally my cup of tea, but I trusted Rainbow enough to give it a go. MY TRUST WAS NOT MISPLACED. These tiny tales are glorious – and the only problem with them is that I want them ALL to be extended into full length novels. They are all beautiful, but Simon Snow fans will be extra happy with the return of Simon and Baz in a super low angst Christmas story.
Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade is the romcom that you didn’t know you were waiting for. From the very first line (and what a first line it is!) I was hooked, and I didn’t want this story to end. There’s glorious fat rep and a slow burn that will make your heart soar. Olivia writes some of the best banter going, and her latest novel doesn’t disappoint. Great for fans of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood who want a heroine (and hero) who isn’t a pointy stick person.
Wolfsong is another example of why TJ Klune should be crowned BEST AUTHOR EVER. I’m not sure how anyone who reads any of his books could despite this. Wolfsong spans over ten years, following a love story that develops from friendship to enemies and into spicy spice times. I was holding my breath at several moments, all the while buoyed along by some of the most beautiful writing I’ve encountered in a long time. Great for fans of Fredrik Backman and Teen Wolf.
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman displays the best use of flashbacks I have seen in a LONG time. There are two love stories happening here – one when the characters are on the cusp of greatness, and one after greatness has chewed them both up and spat them out. I was glued to the page, and couldn’t wait for the slowest of slow burns to finally ignite. This one is great for fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon and lovers of chilly romances.
As always, read them all (except THAT one) and we can be chums 😊
I’ve started a bookstagram! Join me for even more shouting about books – you can find it here.
I’ve been reading a fair few romcoms lately (both as an editor and for funsies), so I thought I would do a thread about how to make sure that your main character pops right off the page and lodges themselves right in your readers’ hearts.
A little disclaimer: previous clients – please don’t worry that I’m talking about you. I will NEVER reference specific stories and I only share topics that I find myself returning to on several occasions.
Main characters in romcoms are the foundation on which the novel stands. This is true in other genres as well, but in romcoms we NEED to fall in love with the main character, because they encompass so much of the story. Crime, sci-fi, historical… these all have external forces driving the story along. We might want to see someone face justice, be scared of aliens, or weirdly attracted to Henry VIII despite his murderous tendencies – so in all of these stories the main character doesn’t have to do as much heavy lifting. They need to be interesting, we need to care about them, but in a romcom – the main character is EVERYTHING. They hold the story in their hands, so we have to like and believe in those hands rather a lot.
There are three things that I think make the main character of a romcom someone we root for in the same way we do for a best friend:
EVERYTHING ELSE THAT’S GOING ON
Despite the main focus in a romcom being the romance, it cannot be the only thing going on. The main character in particular needs to have a rich life – they need to have aims and goals that are totally independent from finding love.
These aims can be a source of joy (since they bring them together with the love interest in some way) or conflict (as they pull the lovers apart), but they need to be present and consistent throughout the story.
A great author to check out if you want to see this in action is Ali Hazelwood. Her main characters are so full of their own purposes, but it doesn’t detract from her stories – it enriches them.
2. YOUR MAIN CHARACTER NEEDS A PERSONALITY
I’m not a massive fan of those personality questionnaires you answer on behalf of your characters, but in a romcom your main character does need to have a distinct and well-constructed personality, as this is what will draw readers into the story.
Are they bubbly? Grumpy? Bubbly all the time apart from when they are hungry, when they turn into a monster? Are they able to make small talk? If not, do they stand in silence? Do they ask weirdly deep questions? Are they a cat person? A dog person? A fish person? Did they grow up in a single parent household? Have they experienced illness in a close relative? Did they grow up in a city or a village? Did they get good grades at school? Are they very studious now? Would they get fooled by a conspiracy theory? Do they believe the best in people? If not, what made them so cautious?
These are just some of the questions that you could answer to build up the personality of your main character, and out of these building blocks flows both the romance and comedy.
Romance and chemistry grows out of a well-formed main character because readers will want to see them specifically find love. Your main character hates mice? But now he’s met a lab technician and she helps him to see all the good mice can do in the scientific community.
Terrible example, but true and compelling romance rises from the personality of your main character (and their love interest – don’t forget to make sure they do some legwork too)
And the comedy is a natural fallout of the same thing. Your main character is grumpy and clumsy, so readers will take delight in reading about all the times their jolly love interest catches them before they fall down stairs or into a woodchipper.
The love interest needs to be fully fleshed as well – and think about how their personality can contradict and complement your main character. You don’t want them to gel too well and essentially be twins separated at birth, but they need to have a certain amount of common ground so that it’s believable that they fall in love.
One author whose characters practically claw their way off the page because they are so chock-full of irresistible personality that spawns a novel’s worth of romance and comedy is Emily Henry – Book Lovers is my absolute fave.
3. REMEMBER DIVERSITY
Very sadly, romance is an area where diversity has been largely overlooked. Until very recently, if I story had just one character who wasn’t white, slim, able-bodied, English speaking, middle or upper class, well-educated, Christian (or agnostic), and heterosexual, it was heralded as fresh and edgy.
Whether you’re a romance author or write in a totally different genre, diversity is absolutely something you should be thinking about.
Including a wide range of different characters in our stories is important. It’s the difference between someone seeing themself (or at least part of themself) on the page or never really feeling like they are the kind of person stories are written about.
Firstly, make a list of all your characters and their defining characteristics. Alarm bells should begin ringing in your head if under race, sexual orientation, class status, or any of the categories listed above you’re doing a lot of copy and pasting.
And then the real work begins, because diversity cannot be token. These characteristics define how your characters see themselves and the world. It’s not enough to just tell the reader that someone is fat or uses a walking aid or is on Universal Credit; you need to show how this affects them through their attitudes and behaviours.
I know there can be some nervousness around writing what or who you know. However, the alternative is that you populate your novels with people exactly like yourself. I don’t know about you, but that would make my novels very dull.
Where you don’t know something; go find it out. Where you’re not sure; do your research. If you want to make sure you’ve been kind and fair in your representation of someone who differs from you; employ sensitivity readers.
One author who includes a wide range of diverse characters in her novels in such a natural and creative way is Olivia Dade – I’m reading Ship Wrecked right now and it is glorious
I hope this thread has been helpful! If you need help with any part of this, then please get in touch – I love helping other writers make their stories shine. I have a wide range of editorial services – find out more here.
Only four books read this month (the slump continues!) BUT they were all RATHER GOOD…
The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik is the conclusion to the Scholomance trilogy, so you really need to go off and read the first two before this one. But that will be TIME WELL SPENT. These books are glorious – the storytelling is so unique and the epically grumpy main character is one you won’t be able to help loving. It’s got wizards, horrible monsters, discussions of institutionalised unfairness… what more could you want?
I have been waiting to read Dark Rise by C. S. Pacat for a LONG time, and it was worth the wait. This book is such a fresh take on the ‘chosen one’ trope. It’s got long-lost magic, men who are also unicorns, and the awakening of dark forces. This one is the first in a trilogy, so sets up the world and conflict really well. I can’t wait for the next one!
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir was actually a re-read. I’m not a science nerd and I’m not big on maths, but I absolutely LOVE this book. It’s hard to talk about it without throwing out great whopping spoilers, but the humour is lush, the main characters will steal your heart, and the adventure will have you gasping until the last page.
The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman is the third in the Thursday Murder Club series – and it was so lovely to dip into this world again. By this point, I feel like I’m friends with all the elderly cronies and love hanging out with them while they solve crimes. I laughed out loud so many times with this one – there is such a warmth to Osman’s writing that shines through on every page.
As always, read them all and we can be chums 😊
I’ve started a bookstagram! Join me for even more shouting about books – you can find it here.
Although I love autumn and my writing has gotten a burst of inspiration, September was a very slow reading month! Despite that, I read two absolute corkers…
Devil’s Mark by Lark Taylor is SUCH a fun read. This is a love story about two people who never thought they would get a happy ever after stumbling across one another and then NEVER letting go. It’s got ridiculous siblings and many cuddles (and some humping!), plus some of the best anxiety rep I’ve ever read. Normally I find anxious characters hard to read, but it’s handled with such authenticity and gentleness. AND this is the start of a series, so there will be loads of chances to dip back into this world.
All the Feels by Olivia Dade was a reread, and it was no less fun and sexy and just all-round brilliant the second time. If you like your romcoms to have great story arcs for both partners, then this is a must-read for you. The set-up is quick (I’m reading a lot of romcoms that drag the beginning out for far too long) and the banter is GLORIOUS. Plus there is fat rep which unashamedly celebrates a bigger body and ADHD rep that is heartfelt and hilarious.
As always, read them all and we can be chums 😊
I’ve started a bookstagram! Join me for even more shouting about books – you can find it here.
August was a whole glorious month of for me, so in addition to the ten books listed here I also read a stonking 12 books on Kindle Unlimited. Time well spent! Here are my faves…
I adored Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood. Fans of The Love Hypothesis will not be disappointed. There is science galore, plus MANY laugh-out-loud moments, characters you’ll fall head over heels for, and spicy moments that require an industrial sized fan. I loved it so much, I’ve already pre-ordered Love Theoretically.
The Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon was another romcom that blew me away. The main character of this novel is realistically flawed, and I swooned at the fat rep with the love interest. The spicey moments in this one were brilliant – as was the frank and joyous female masturbation. Great for fans for Emily Henry and Mhairi McFarlane.
I will continue thinking about The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi for a looong time. It was unputdownable, to the extent that I will need to read it again soon as in my haste to know what would happen I didn’t allow myself to slow down and totally enjoy it. This one has definite Knight’s Tale vibes, but queer and with way more intrigue. Oh, and the enemies to lovers is a slow burn that will fill your heart with JOY.
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers may well be my favourite book ever. I love everything about it – the writing (magnificent), setting (space!), characters (and found family), pacing (never ploddy but with time for you to wrap your head around everything that’s happening), the exploration of what humans would be like if they were taken down a peg or two. There is a thread of gentle kindness running through this story that I wish I could luxuriate in forever. This was my fourth read of this book, and I will come back to it again when I need some comfort.
I also want to give a shout-out for Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall. Banter and silliness in abundance – read this if you need a smile forcibly placed on your face.
As always, read them all and we can be chums 😊
I’ve started a bookstagram! Join me for even more shouting about books – you can find it here.
I am currently a STONKING ten books ahead of schedule for my challenge of reading 100 books this year. Madness! This has been helped by downloading a month’s trial of Kindle Unlimited where I’ve read loads of fun stories. I shall be asking for a e-reader for Christmas but in the meantime, I’ve read some absolute beauties…
First Time for Everything by Henry Fry has one of the BEST opening chapters I have read in a very long time. I was making so many involuntary noises (of both pain and mirth) that I had to explain to my husband that I was reading about a DETAILED visit to a sexual health clinic. This book has so many laugh out loud moments and a flawed main character that it’s impossible not to fall in love with. Read if you want a dose of queer joy!
The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune has cemented this author as one of my firm favourites. This is the first in a series that I am currently DEVOURING. It’s YA at its finest – silly and heartfelt with a whole heaping of fast-paced plot. There is cool super powers and clueless teenagers and brilliant ADHD rep. I reckon fans of Rainbow Rowell would like this one.
The Half Life of Valery K is the latest offering from Natasha Pulley, and I am yet to read one of her novels and not fall head over heels in love with every one of her characters. This book is very science-y, which is not normally my bag but it’s accessible and fun. If you want a gloriously written story about forbidden love, Russian secrets, and octopuses, then this is the one for you.
And although I didn’t read it this month, I want to give a little shout out toDevil’s Mark by Lark Taylor. I had such fun editing this spicy story earlier in the year, and it’s wonderful to see how it’s been embraced by readers since it’s publication on the 20th of this month.
As always, read them all and we can be chums 😊
I’ve started a bookstagram! Join me for even more shouting about books – you can find it here.
Apparently I was a reading swot during June. I read a whopping 13 books – which I think is my record since I started these reading blogs! It was difficult to whittle it down, but here are my faves…
I was giddy to be invited to the launch party for Twice Hexed by Julia Tuffs, and fans of Hexed will not be disappointed by this latest instalment. More period magic, more island fun, more mystical misunderstandings. This young adult fantasy is perfect for readers of Kate Western and Lucy Cuthew.
It was almost impossible to put down The Castaways by Lucy Clarke. I genuinely sat back after reading this book and said ‘heck’ to myself several times. If you liked LOST but hated the ending, this has all the plane crash vibes you need with a conclusion that won’t have you grinding your teeth. There’s also sisterly love and really sensitive infertility representation, and it will honestly grip you until the last page.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune blew me away. I would have liked it to be double the length so that I could spend more time with the beautiful characters. This book is simply gorgeous. The magical world is so creative and unique, and you’ll fall a little bit in love with every person/magical being you encounter. I really can’t recommend this one enough, and it’s a must-read for fans of Fredrick Backman and Becky Chambers.
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell kicks off what is most likely my favourite trilogy of all time. This was my fourth or fifth re-read of this book, and the only moment of discontent I experienced was when it ended. There’s magic, love (both romance and friendships), a broken chosen one, and when you’ve finished it there are TWO more stories to dive into. There’s also fire and sour cherry scones and boarding school fun and dragons and pining and kissing and PLEASE READ IT. I love it so much!
The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley was another re-read. This is a book that it’s hard to fully appreciate without returning to it. The writing is not only beautiful but the plot and world are so precisely crafted. Even though I knew how it would end, I was no less glued to the page during this second reading. Read this if you enjoy nautical tales, time-travel shenanigans, and heart-breaking characters.
As always, read them all and we can be chums 😊
I’ve started a bookstagram! Join me for even more shouting about books – you can find it here.
May had it all – adventures in space, scheming fairies, and love stories galore! Here are my faves…
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell cemented my view that I really do love things set way in the future and in a galaxy far, far away. This setting gives authors the freedom to change facets of society that are outdated and unkind – I particularly love how gender is handled in this book. There’s forced marriage, mysterious murders, and getting lost in the snow – plus some weird alien creatures! If you rated The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, then you’ll love this.
The Problem with Fae by Emma Bradley is the second in the Arcanium series, and it doesn’t disappoint! More magic, more pesky fairies, and more adventures. This is a great YA story for teens who don’t want loads of angst or overly romantic plot lines – it’s all about friendship, fun, and stopping the bad guys. I can’t wait for the next one!
Gay Club! by Simon James Green is one that not only his stanch fans will love, but I’m sure it will draw in loads of new readers because WHO CAN RESIST THAT COVER?! Following a group of teens as they grapple with the joys and difficulties of being LGBTQ+ in todays schools and world, this book will have you both laughing and tearing up in equal measure.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry is a new firm fave. I always know I’m going to enjoy her books, and this one blew me away. I love stories that feature bookish characters, and this one is FULL of them. Plus you get some beautiful writing, steamy spice, and cute small town vibes. If you are a rom-com fan, then you need to get your hands on this.
Impostor syndrome is the little voice in our heads saying, ‘Are you really good enough? Have you got enough experience to do that? Do you even know what you’re talking about? Surely there is someone out there who is better at this than you? Shouldn’t you go learn some more skills before you attempt this?’
Such fun.
This little voice crops up at odd times. Obviously, every time we do something new or step outside our comfort zones, especially if this move is in some way public. But it can also crop up midway through a project we’ve been acing, at the end of a speech we’ve worked on for ages, when you’re passed the slip of paper at a graduation ceremony that LITERALLY TELLS YOU THAT YOU’VE DONE SOMETHING YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF.
Sigh.
Even now, I can feel this little voice creeping in as I write this blog post. ‘Anna, who are you to talk about impostor syndrome? Leave that to the more experienced writers, leave it to someone who knows way more about psychology and creativity. You don’t really know what you’re talking about, do you?’
But this is exactly the reason I feel like maybe it’s okay for me to talk about impostor syndrome – because I feel it ALL THE TIME. Every time I reach for my laptop, every time I finish a writing session, every time I think of a new idea – this little voice pipes up. Sometimes it’s not too loud and I can bat it away, but sometimes it’s grabbed a megaphone and will not shut the heck up.
IT DIDN’T WANT ME TO START
I took a long time to start writing – you can read a bit more about that here. I always wanted to write but could never seem to get off the starting block. I had ideas but always felt like I didn’t have the skill to execute them.
There were two main things impostor syndrome was shouting at me – ‘you’re not good enough’ and ‘your writing is awful.’
They’re interlinked, but slightly different. Feeling that I, myself, was not good enough, was a pretty standard feeling for me before I started writing about 10ish years ago. I had super low self-esteem for a number of reasons, but I’d just started to go to counselling to try to quiet the negative self-talk in my head.
That gave me pause when I thought about trying to write down my ideas and ‘you’re not good enough’ began running in a loop in my head. I was chucking out the old beliefs I’d had about myself, and maybe writing down the stories in my head was another way I could prove to myself that I could do something.
But after I cleared the road block of feeling inadequate as a human being, there was still ‘your writing is awful’ waiting in the wings. Dang.
One thing I did A LOT those days was write for about an hour, really enjoy myself, and then when I finished, I’d read what I’d written. BIG MISTAKE. I honestly think that everything I write is hideous unless I’ve given it a bit of space. I’m in awe of people who edit as they go, like they aren’t constantly wailing and rending their clothes over how awful what they’ve written is.
I need time to let my writing become separate from me, and then I can come back to it and make it better. But back then, I didn’t know this could happen. I read my first stumbling attempts immediately and was so disheartened by how far they were from the glory I had in my head.
I’m an avid reader, and one thing I was doing was comparing my shitty first drafts to the finished works of authors I was so totally in awe of. I wanted my writing to be like Joanne Harris’s – effortlessly magical and captivating – when actually it was just so absolutely hideous that I couldn’t bear to do anything but delete it straight away.
‘Your writing is awful’ held me back for a long time. I felt like I had to write something perfect or nothing at all.
It was actually Joanne Harris who took the power out of this poisonous whisper. She said in an interview something like, ‘write the story that’s in your heart.’ And I thought to myself, I can do that. I couldn’t write something wonderful and perfect, but I could write something true that came from the very core of me.
I started writing, and I haven’t looked back. Occasionally, these two whispers still rear their heads but I’ve been doing this for too long now, have utterly fallen in love with the process of creating stories, that I can’t listen to them. I’m not going to give up something that brings me so much joy and freedom.
This would be my advice for you if you’re struggling to silence impostor syndrome for long enough to get started – just try. Don’t tell anyone about it, but take ten minutes a day and write something down. Pick the idea you’re most excited about, and give yourself permission for that first draft to be awful. Let yourself play and fall in love with writing, until the idea of not writing is far more awful than writing something bad could ever be.
IT DIDN’T WANT ME TO CARRY ON
This is another version of impostor syndrome that (for now!) I’ve largely banished but which I used to find really tough to shut down. This time, the little voice was saying, ‘Writing? Now? Aren’t there loads more important things you should be doing? Writing is a waste of time.’
I struggled, for a long time, to take my writing seriously. I grabbed moments to do it around doing other things, rather than prioritising it because putting writing ahead of other things felt so… selfish? Self-indulgent? Like a waste?
I honestly had no preconceptions that my writing was going to lead anywhere, particularly for the first couple of years, so the idea of prioritising it felt silly. It was something I was doing just for me, something that was probably too bad to ever try to send it out into the world, so making time for it felt wildly self-centred.
But then I went on a writing retreat run by the lovely Stephanie Butland at The Garsdale Writing Retreat. I highly recommend writing retreats generally, but this one specifically is FANTASTIC. Glorious food, wonderful environment, and Stephanie is such a knowledgeable and compassionate teacher.
I met people who were willing to shell out a load of money (I was very lucky to get a creative grant) to spend a week focusing on their writing. They took it seriously, and it was the first time that I really believed I could do the same.
I came home and blocked out times in my diary for writing. I wrote for an hour most days before work, because I wanted to give it my best. I stole days from my calendar and dedicated them to falling into the stories in my head.
The idea that there are much more important things we should be doing is a hard one to quiet down. I find myself slipping into old patterns – carving off chunks of my writing time when other things crop up that I feel are more worthy uses of my time. When I notice this, I try not to beat myself up but just reshuffle my priorities again. I love writing, so it’s something I want to give time to.
If you’re struggling to prioritise your writing, I’d suggest making small changes. Make sure that the space you write in is good for you – what could you do to remove distractions? Make sure the time you’ve picked is best for you – do you have the energy and head space to write? And don’t beat yourself up if, for the moment, prioritising writing just isn’t possible. We all go through those times. It doesn’t mean that the mean voice is right, it just means that sometimes life is a bit loud and the things we really want to do have to take a back seat. They won’t always have to, and some time you’ll be able to carve out some time for writing again.
IT DOESN’T WANT ME TO FINISH
You may have noticed that I’ve been able to quiet elements of my impostor syndrome during the writing process, but that there is one thread that runs through it all – ‘Are you sure your writing is good enough?’
I could write a first draft despite this, because first drafts are allowed to be rubbish. I could keep going, because no one was going to see my writing so I could just have fun with it.
But finishing… well, when you finish a book, what do you do with it? It can sit in a drawer and still be just for you (totally valid!), but there is something in me that wants to see my book out in the world. I want my books to be read.
That means people will read my awful writing though. Gah.
I’m honestly a bit terrified at the moment. I’ve got an agent (read more about that here) and we are working on edits to get my story ready for submission, and I am totally bricking it. My impostor syndrome is being SO LOUD – I’m talking megaphones, trumpets, flashing lights. It’s doing anything it can to get my attention.
I believe, at its core, impostor syndrome is really, really trying to do a good thing. It has stupid arse ways of going about it but deep down, all this little voice is trying to do is protect us. Because putting words out into the world is freaking scary.
I can be as logical as I like, I can tell myself my book isn’t for everyone and avoid Goodreads like the plague, but I know that at some point some tool will tag me in a negative review on social media and it will break me a little bit. I know some people will take exception to creative choices I’ve made and attack me personally for it. I know that people will have so many hecking OPINIONS and sometimes they will express those opinions LOUDLY.
I want my stories to be read. It will be a joy like no other to see my book on shelves and in reader’s hands, even better if it connects with their hearts, but there is always a downside to putting any part of yourself out into the world. And impostor syndrome is trying its best to protect me from that.
But sometimes we have to be brave. I really want something, and I know that sometimes having that thing will be tough. Impostor syndrome is always going to have something it’s trying to protect us from, but we have to ask whether being protected is worth it. Would you rather hide away in total safety with your stories, or would you rather throw them out into the world and, just maybe, become someone’s favourite author?
I know I want my stories to fly. I want to write for a living, and the only way that’s going to happen is if I take impostor syndrome by the hand and tell it that I don’t need to hide away. I want my stories out in the world, with all the good and the bad that will bring.
And that’s what you need to ask yourself, if you’re struggling to take that step towards putting your story in front of other people – is it better to hide away and be safe, or do you want more? Take small steps – ask a kind friend to read sections or connect with an editor. Let yourself ease out of your comfort zone.
I don’t think my impostor syndrome will ever go away. It’s been programmed into us since we were cave people that seeking safety is of paramount importance. Our brains sometimes get confused and identify threats now as things that need to be totally avoided, but I’m not going to get eaten by a tiger if I put my stories out into the world. It might be tough sometimes, but the scariness that impostor syndrome wants me to believe is there, simply isn’t anymore.
We can be brave. We can take a deep breath, and step out. Just think of all the wonderful stories the world will gain if we do.
I hope this has been helpful! I love helping other writers make their stories shine. If you’d like me to take a look at your story, check out my editing options. And I’d love to keep you up-to-date with all my editing tips, writing adventures, and editing availability with my monthly newsletter.
Anna Britton 