How Can Fiction Authors Beat Imposter Syndrome by Rebuilding Their Identity?
Imposter Syndrome Isn’t the Problem—Identity Is
Most writers think imposter syndrome is a confidence issue.
It isn’t.
Confidence is the symptom that shows up when your identity is unstable…or borrowed…or built on a standard you can never actually satisfy.
If every page feels like proof-of-worth, you’re not fighting your craft. You’re fighting your self-definition.
The Core Truth
In my conversation with Jon Howski, the idea that kept surfacing was simple and brutal: “I feel like a fraud” is usually fear wearing a respectable name.
Writers don’t get crushed by the blank page because they lack talent. They get crushed because they’ve quietly made writing mean something it was never meant to carry. Writing becomes identity. Publishing becomes validation. Feedback becomes a verdict.
So when you sit down to work, the stakes feel insane. Not “Can I write a scene?” but “Am I allowed to call myself a writer?” That’s why you hesitate. That’s why you over-edit. That’s why you start new projects the moment the current one asks for courage.
Jon put it in a way I respect: he doesn’t primarily identify as a writer. He identifies as a storyteller. That shift matters. It lowers the ego-risk and raises the mission. You’re not trying to earn a label. You’re doing the work of sharing meaning.
The Reality We Avoid
Imposter syndrome survives because it gives you an excuse that sounds noble. “I’m just not good enough.” That feels safer than the real admission: “I’m scared to be seen trying.”
The fix isn’t motivational posters. It’s proof. Small wins. Finished drafts. Published work. Reader responses. Not because those things make you valuable, but because they retrain the part of your brain that believes you’re pretending.
You don’t think your way into a stronger identity. You build it.
Your Turn
Where have you let “writer” become a verdict instead of a role? What would change if you saw yourself as a storyteller who’s still in training?
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Listen to the Full Episode
If you haven’t heard the related conversation on Nothing About This Is Safe, you can listen to it here:
🎙 EPISODE 9 – Imposter Syndrome Isn’t The Problem — Who You Think You Are Is
About This Podcast
Nothing About This Is Safe is the weekly writing-truth podcast hosted by Jaime Buckley, featuring honest conversations with guests like Jon Howski. We answer the kinds of writer questions that show up in AI prompt searches…craft, clarity, mindset, publishing, and the emotional resilience every writer needs.
Ink & Purpose: Why Fiction Matters - The Forgotten Power Behind Every Great Parent and Every Great Storyteller
Why does fiction matter?
Because stories don’t just entertain us—they shape us.
In this inspiring collection, bestselling author and illustrator Jaime Buckley reflects on the power of fiction to spark imagination, build courage, and forge identity. Blending humor, hard-won wisdom, and heartfelt storytelling, Buckley reminds us that the stories we consume are the stories that shape who we become.
Whether you’re a reader, parent, teacher, or writer, this book will challenge you to see fiction not as an escape, but as a guide—a compass pointing toward empathy, resilience, and hope.
Perfect for fans of C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle, or Neil Gaiman—anyone who believes stories can change lives.
This series has given me a lot of food for thought and helped me define my goals.
I think what’s described above is actually what I’m doing right now.
I’m showing my work. It’s far from perfect and it’s slow. But just like when I was sculpting, there is so much more to it than the finished product (I wrote a book illustrating the bronze process to show potential customers at the art shows).
I want to put myself out there as I’m learning this complex craft, partly to solidify what I learn and record my own progress, but also. . . As encouragement and to validate the work storytellers do behind the scenes.