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Claudia Befu's avatar

Somehow I got a notification now that I was

mentioned in this post but I see that it’s from June. Anyhow, you’ll be a published author soon, congratulations πŸ₯‚! No need to feel any imposter syndrome. Hope everything else is fine. You’re such a productive person, I better go crawl back under my rock. πŸ˜…

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𝐂𝐁 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧's avatar

I did some updates on formats for older posts now that I've figured out what the heck I want (for now) my newsletters to look like and I *think* that triggered a re-notification of tags... πŸ™„

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K.L. Rockwell's avatar

Yup things can definitely suck sometimes. And imposter syndrome is so real. Many of your words in this post resonate with me. However, I am a firm believer that you can’t have light without the darkness. And creatives are positioned to put their darkest moments out into the world to help shine a lamp for others. So keep hitting the post/publish button and shine on!!

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𝐂𝐁 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧's avatar

I love the sentiment of a creative’s work shining light for others to see. That idea of not being alone, not being the only one. That light to show others stuck in the darkest a possible path out (even if their journey is different, seeing the *hope* of a way out). Thanks!

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Lori K's avatar

Here to blow up your comment section because I just can’t resist a double dog dare. Lol

On days where I have doubts, I just don’t hit the publish button. I know I am not a writer and I’m okay with that on most days. I still like to write and that’s enough to keep me going. I don’t do it for the money because I know that’s a far fetched idea. I don’t do it to be recognized for being a writer because i know I’m not a writer. I certainly don’t do it for followers/subscribers. I write because it’s therapeutic for me. Being a recovering people pleaser means listening to the whispers of what brings me a little bit of joy. And then pursuing it until it no longer brings me a little bit of joy.

Thank you for sharing your heart.

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𝐂𝐁 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧's avatar

Sorry to take so long to find your comment! I am realizing that the Substack notifications are not nearly as reliable as I had assumed! Glad I’m trolling my own older posts to see the interactions. And it certainly sounds like you are a writer, for therapeutic reason or other, it just has to resonate with you (for you?) to have worth. And if shared, others will find it too!

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Olivia McCarthy's avatar

Grief is so hard and lonely. So sorry for your loss. And yeah sure your SiL is a widow now but you lost someone too. (Today is actually my dad’s 3 year anniversary of his passing and there’s a LOT of garbage that happened with family afterwards). It’s just heavy. Grief is the worst and processing it is awful.

Also-I’ve talked to so many authors recently who feel the imposter syndrome/insecurity you mention. I’m not sure what the algorithms are doing to us but it’s not good. Perhaps we collectively all need a nap and a cup of tea and a copy of the book that made us first fall in love with reading and writing?

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𝐂𝐁 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧's avatar

Thank you for your kind words. And I like your idea of how to get our mojo back! What was the book that sparked your love? Mine was Anne of Green Gables. That was the first time I wanted to read, wanted to follow a life and journey of characters in a world that was foreign to me.

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Jenna B. Neece's avatar

Thanks for the mention, my friend! ❀️

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𝐂𝐁 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧's avatar

Hope you are spending some time out of the living room and laundry room today!

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Corey Smith's avatar

Thanks for the mention … I guess. But I never said imposter syndrome wasn’t a real thing. I implied not everybody who thinks they’re suffering from imposter syndrome actually is. Insecurity and imposter syndrome are not the same thing. Some people latch on to disorders without knowing the depths of their symptoms. Or some just want to gain attention. Of course, it’s all subjective. My words are speculation, a guess … I guess. What do I know?

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𝐂𝐁 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧's avatar

You are correctβ€”insecurities might be the better term for me to use as I have yet to find/have success that would attribute to my feelings of not measuring up to expectations (my own or others). Your essay did make me think about the conversations people are having about β€œare you a writer” in a different way, so thank you for that!

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Corey Smith's avatar

I wasn’t saying you have insecurities, only that some people might confuse insecurity with imposter syndrome.

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