Yesterday I started writing a post about red flags when submitting to publishers. It was based off of a discussion a friend and I had. I have done my research, and I can speak intelligently about it. But when I sit down to write about it, I can’t seem to push the words through my fingers. Why am I blocked? It’s my old friend Imposter Syndrome.
I’ve written about Imposter Syndrome before. And I’ve had a few skirmishes with it on and off recently. Most of those times I was able to pause and reason my way through why it was the wrong reaction to have. This time I have an idea why reasoning isn’t working for me. I don’t have a lot of hands-on experience when it comes to submitting. All my instincts and everything I read says that I am right. But I’ve only submitted three pieces to five places over the course of a year. What gives me the right to talk about it when there are so many more people out there with so much more experience?
Of course that is utter codswallop. My experiences are as equally valid, and I have learned from both other’s and my mistakes. In fact I am saying the same thing. But there is that little nagging voice in the back of my head saying that I don’t have the authority. It’s the same one that that says that I will never make it as a writer. I am working on learning to ignore that voice. With time it is becoming easier to do.