For more than three years, imposter syndrome never bothered me in any area of life. And then I wrote the Avenging Heir, and I swear writing that book almost broke me.
So let me go back to the beginning of my writing journey. When I started, I had no idea what I was doing, but I figured it out. Looking back on it now, the hardest part is starting, and honestly, it's a lot easier when you are your only critic. Through some general stubbornness and determination; I was able to get through it.
I released my first book, and while I was unknown, I was thrilled with the amount of people that read my first book. It was actually better than I had ever hoped. But after a while, the expectations in my own head grew. And then I saw other authors doing things that I wasn't doing. Important looking things. Some of these examples include, but are not limited to:
Doing writing sprints and producing like 50k words in a month (impressive, but just not sustainable for me)
Requesting proofs of their books and comparing pantone colours
Merch
Beta Readers
And the list goes on. So much so that I started wondering, "Am I doing this all wrong?" And for me, even worse (because you can fix a mistake), I started wondering, "Am I not doing enough?"
I think the second question was worse for me.
For someone that is relatively confident in all walks of life, it wasn't long before I became a pretty confident writer, too. I established my writing style and I knew what I want to achieve with my book brand. Also, I know the story I want to tell, and I have a very clear vision in mind. So when I start writing a book, I know what my end goal looks like.
On top of all these things, I am decisive; I know what I want, and more importantly, I am a go getter. There is no difference when it comes to the stories I write. So the fact that I started questioning myself it really shook my confidence to my core.
But then I remembered, I originally started writing for myself. Sure, I hoped it would be well received, but I wanted to write just to prove I could. I needed to write this series for myself. If even one reader just reads it (which more than one has done) then I would consider it a success. Success looks different when you're writing the book instead of reading it.
So in case you needed someone to tell you this today, if you're an author, or even an aspiring one, don't compare yourself to other authors. Your journey is unique, and whatever happens, the world needs your story no matter how you get there.