I posted this poem a little less than a year ago, but as I seem to battle impostor syndrome every Monday (if not more often), I'm sharing it again. Let's not raise a glass to the monster in our heads.
I know these demons well. I take some comfort in the fact that we all have them. This piece hits.
Let me say it here, though it won’t change their mind: You are a writer. You are a poet. You are worthy. I love reading your poems. And I know I’m not alone. Actually, you help me feel less alone!
Mike, thank you so much. I see your comment is two days old but I’m just reading it now because, surprise surprise, my monster has been trying to scare me off my Substack 🙄. I love reading your poetry too. I’m so happy that we’ve got such a robust community here, ready to expose our monsters as the liars they are.
Thank you, LeeAnn! That means a lot to me. I think it’s just getting over that little voice that says meanly, “Until you’re published, you’re not a poet!” Yet I never think of other poets that way at all.
I don’t know how you do it! I raised one child, and that was tough, although rewarding, and she’s doing OK. However, I still don’t seem to have enough time in the day to accomplish normal tasks, and things keep breaking here, too. Still trying to dry out a wet basement and get the stink out of my house! I guess we just have to soldier on and do the best we can. Writing is a good outlet for our frustrations as well as our joys!
Oh man, wet basements are so hard to air out 😭. Maybe a good thing to establish is that I don’t do it…there are so many things I have taken shortcuts on since I became a mom, and there is still so much to do. I think we are all wondering where the time goes.
Ah the imposter monster, I recognise those cruel words but let me say this, you are a poet, and a writer and you're a damn good one too!! I love your poetry, it always inspires me and your words are beautiful, so next time that little monster starts telling you that you're not worthy, you tell it where to get off and keep writing!!! 💜
Lisa, thank you so much!!! I feel like your monster and mine have similarly mean voices (you are so stinking hard on yourself). Let’s link our arms and kick the monsters out together!
No sorry needed; I had no idea that there was an American versus British spelling! And now that l’m looking deeper into google, the “or” ending is way more common. I had no idea! Off to change it. Thank you!
My Inner English Major is pretty embarrassed that I never knew how to spell “impostor” until now! But seriously, I really appreciate people pointing out spelling errors (*shakes fist at “Pages” for not catching this*).
Oh wow, it hit home! This piece is a wonderful prompt for writing a poem as a conversation between my two parts. I’ll let it sit and see what emerges to the surface. 🌸
Don’t we all fight this notion? I tell myself at least once a day that I’m done with this and that I can stop and go back to collecting stamps—but it hasn’t seemed to work.
I assume we all do! I think some of us are just better at hiding it than others. But I think your readers would be disappointed if you abandoned poetry (you can still collect stamps on the side?! 😁).
So much of this! Been here for over half a year and I still get butterflies over little things around sharing my work that I thought I would be over by now! Even when a line stands out to someone the imposter monster in the back of my head just wants to go 'they're just trying to be nice'. Your subtitle really hits at it with: "Let's not raise a glass to the monster in our heads." Yes! I'll starve out the imposter monster if I have to.
Oh Daniel! I’m sorry about your monster as well. That whole “They’re just trying to be nice” line plays in my head too. Sometimes I don’t even read comments for a day+ because I’m so nervous about it.
Oof. The voices in our heads. Thanks for sharing, M.A. (Thought I'd try it out.😉) Reading this poem is a strange blend of feeling comfort in the fact that other people experience these thoughts, too, but also wishing none of us had to.
I find imposter syndrome speaks up only after I've done something. Like, "Oh, so you're pretending you knew how to do that." or "This obviously could have been better. There is definitely someone who knows how to do this better." But, I'm working with not letting imposter syndrome drive, as Liz Gilbert says. They can come along for the ride, but they can't drive. :)
Not letting it drive—yes, that is so important. My monster was definitely in the driver’s seat for so many years, to the point that I could barely write a few lines without being shouted down. Is that from “Big Magic”? (also, I’m sorry you also have a monster; I guess we all do).
Ha! I would never remember either 😁. I’ve seen Big Magic recommended a few times so I was curious. I’ve got SO MANY books on writing in my dragon horde that I haven’t even opened yet; I definitely shouldn’t add a new one (yet).
There's the critic and then there's the wanna be critic dressed up in mean and attention getting rags trying to disable the beauty and flow of your gift.....it has been uncovered and is melting away! Yay!!!!
You ARE writing. You GET to write. And you get to say the monster's whole lame shtick back to it, preferably in a Bugs Bunny voice. Like other monsters we're facing these days, it hates being made fun of.
I’m laughing imagining me mocking the monster when it says awful things to me. I am so thankful that I GET to write—it’s such a privilege and a joy; I don’t want it snaked away from me by someone in my head.
I know these demons well. I take some comfort in the fact that we all have them. This piece hits.
Let me say it here, though it won’t change their mind: You are a writer. You are a poet. You are worthy. I love reading your poems. And I know I’m not alone. Actually, you help me feel less alone!
Mike, thank you so much. I see your comment is two days old but I’m just reading it now because, surprise surprise, my monster has been trying to scare me off my Substack 🙄. I love reading your poetry too. I’m so happy that we’ve got such a robust community here, ready to expose our monsters as the liars they are.
I’m with Mike. You are most definitely a poet!
Thank you, LeeAnn! That means a lot to me. I think it’s just getting over that little voice that says meanly, “Until you’re published, you’re not a poet!” Yet I never think of other poets that way at all.
I have that voice too; it likes to tell me I’m a fraud and anything I accomplish somehow doesn’t count. But really we write poetry; we’re poets!
💛💛💛
I'm with Mike and LeeAnn!
No need to say more.
💛💛💛 Thank you. It’s that dang monster who does not agree 😉.
Me too. We just keep writing anyway. (And tell the B to shut up.) (Politely cuz we're Christan ladies.)
.
“Tell the B to shut up” is cracking me up, Mary!
Glad I could help! 🤣
😁
You’re not an imposter. You’ve been busy.
Thank you, Carole 💛. It’s so easy to get down on oneself for just having stuff to do 😵💫.
I don’t know how you do it! I raised one child, and that was tough, although rewarding, and she’s doing OK. However, I still don’t seem to have enough time in the day to accomplish normal tasks, and things keep breaking here, too. Still trying to dry out a wet basement and get the stink out of my house! I guess we just have to soldier on and do the best we can. Writing is a good outlet for our frustrations as well as our joys!
Oh man, wet basements are so hard to air out 😭. Maybe a good thing to establish is that I don’t do it…there are so many things I have taken shortcuts on since I became a mom, and there is still so much to do. I think we are all wondering where the time goes.
Ah the imposter monster, I recognise those cruel words but let me say this, you are a poet, and a writer and you're a damn good one too!! I love your poetry, it always inspires me and your words are beautiful, so next time that little monster starts telling you that you're not worthy, you tell it where to get off and keep writing!!! 💜
Lisa, thank you so much!!! I feel like your monster and mine have similarly mean voices (you are so stinking hard on yourself). Let’s link our arms and kick the monsters out together!
Absolutely, we've got this!! 💜
Ahhh Margaret. There’s so much to say about this piece. My inner people-pleaser is squirming. So convicting!
Thank you, Rosa! I am constantly fighting my rabid inner people-pleaser; it’s so hard to do!
I am so sorry to bother you but “impostor” isn’t spelled with an e.
No sorry needed; I had no idea that there was an American versus British spelling! And now that l’m looking deeper into google, the “or” ending is way more common. I had no idea! Off to change it. Thank you!
You’re welcome. Sometimes my Inner English Major gets out & must be given attention. 🥸
My Inner English Major is pretty embarrassed that I never knew how to spell “impostor” until now! But seriously, I really appreciate people pointing out spelling errors (*shakes fist at “Pages” for not catching this*).
Oh wow, it hit home! This piece is a wonderful prompt for writing a poem as a conversation between my two parts. I’ll let it sit and see what emerges to the surface. 🌸
Thank you! I am prompt-crazy so it’s an honor to have you make my poem into one 😊. I’d love to see what you come up with if you feel like sharing.
Ooh, I like your term for it: ‘prompt-crazy’!
I’ll let you know as soon as it lands. The idea is still in my belly, cooking, not yet fully ready. :)
😊
Don’t we all fight this notion? I tell myself at least once a day that I’m done with this and that I can stop and go back to collecting stamps—but it hasn’t seemed to work.
I assume we all do! I think some of us are just better at hiding it than others. But I think your readers would be disappointed if you abandoned poetry (you can still collect stamps on the side?! 😁).
So much of this! Been here for over half a year and I still get butterflies over little things around sharing my work that I thought I would be over by now! Even when a line stands out to someone the imposter monster in the back of my head just wants to go 'they're just trying to be nice'. Your subtitle really hits at it with: "Let's not raise a glass to the monster in our heads." Yes! I'll starve out the imposter monster if I have to.
Oh Daniel! I’m sorry about your monster as well. That whole “They’re just trying to be nice” line plays in my head too. Sometimes I don’t even read comments for a day+ because I’m so nervous about it.
Oof. The voices in our heads. Thanks for sharing, M.A. (Thought I'd try it out.😉) Reading this poem is a strange blend of feeling comfort in the fact that other people experience these thoughts, too, but also wishing none of us had to.
I find imposter syndrome speaks up only after I've done something. Like, "Oh, so you're pretending you knew how to do that." or "This obviously could have been better. There is definitely someone who knows how to do this better." But, I'm working with not letting imposter syndrome drive, as Liz Gilbert says. They can come along for the ride, but they can't drive. :)
Not letting it drive—yes, that is so important. My monster was definitely in the driver’s seat for so many years, to the point that I could barely write a few lines without being shouted down. Is that from “Big Magic”? (also, I’m sorry you also have a monster; I guess we all do).
It might be from Big Magic, but I heard her talk about it on a podcast quite a while back. (No memory of which podcast it actually was 😂).
Ha! I would never remember either 😁. I’ve seen Big Magic recommended a few times so I was curious. I’ve got SO MANY books on writing in my dragon horde that I haven’t even opened yet; I definitely shouldn’t add a new one (yet).
My TBR pile was only ever a ‘pile’ years ago. It is definitely a TBR bookcase now. 😂
So accurate 😁
There's the critic and then there's the wanna be critic dressed up in mean and attention getting rags trying to disable the beauty and flow of your gift.....it has been uncovered and is melting away! Yay!!!!
I like the idea of the monster disguising itself as a rational critic and trying to fool me into thinking it’s right 😁
I think you've just invented Impoeter Syndrome, I'd like to apply for lifetime membership please.
Denied! There are no Impoeters here!
😉
This poem rules. I love the dialogue element. Keep going!!
Thank you, Lizzy! 😊 Your use of the word “rules” makes me nostalgically happy.
What Lisa said! (Why rewrite perfection)
Aw shucks!!! Thank you, Tamsin! 😊
Margaret, I so resonate with this! And in my mind you are most definitely a writer, a poet!
Thank you so much, Kym 💛.
Oh, that monster and its awful voice.
You ARE writing. You GET to write. And you get to say the monster's whole lame shtick back to it, preferably in a Bugs Bunny voice. Like other monsters we're facing these days, it hates being made fun of.
I’m laughing imagining me mocking the monster when it says awful things to me. I am so thankful that I GET to write—it’s such a privilege and a joy; I don’t want it snaked away from me by someone in my head.