How to Beat Imposter Syndrome
Sep 05, 2025
Have you ever caught yourself thinking…
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“I’m not smart enough to do this.”
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“My writing isn’t good enough.”
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“If people knew the truth, they’d realize I don’t belong here.”
If so, welcome to the club. Roughly 70% of people experience imposter syndrome at some point in their lives—and for writers, that number is closer to 100%.
I know this feeling well. When I arrived at MIT for grad school, I was surrounded by dazzling classmates and brilliant professors whose books I had been reading in college. I was convinced I didn’t belong. At one point, I even skipped a presentation I was supposed to give at a national conference because I was convinced my paper wasn’t good enough. It took me years to overcome the feeling that I was an imposter. Eventually, though, I realized that the problem wasn’t me needing to be different. It was me needing to feel differently about myself.
To hear the gory details of my story, check out this episode of the podcast:
https://getyourwritingdone.buzzsprout.com/1106219/episodes/14839717-dealing-with-imposter-syndrome
The good news? You don’t have to wait years like I did to shake off imposter syndrome. Here are some strategies that can help:
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Treat it like a cold. Feeling like an imposter sucks, but it isn’t fatal—it’s uncomfortable, but temporary. Like a cold, it WILL pass.
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Do the work. Fear thrives in uncertainty. Every time you sit down to write, you give yourself evidence that you do belong. Progress is the antidote to doubt.
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Talk about it. When you bottle up your fear, it grows. When you acknowledge it publicly, it shrinks. Tell any group of writers you’re struggling with imposter syndrome and I guarantee you will hear their stories. When you do, the fear will start to lose its grip.
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Engage the community. The more time you spend with other writers doing “writing things,” the more comfortable you will be. Eventually, you will inhabit the identity of “writer” without even realizing it.
Imposter syndrome can rob you of opportunities, drain your energy, and even stop talented people from sharing their voices and ideas with the world. But it doesn’t have to win. The next time that little voice whispers that you don’t belong, remember: showing up and doing the work is proof enough.
Thanks for the writing you do, and thanks for reading mine. I'll see you next Friday.
Happy writing,
Trevor