Please welcome Peggianne Wright as she joins us today as our Guest Blogger.
My
heart flutters at an almost immeasurable speed, my stomach does summersaults
and is tied in knots all at the same time, my fingers tremble as they hover
over the keyboard. There's a voice inside my head taunting me with a maniacal
laugh saying, "Who do you think you are?".
Imposter syndrome.
We've all, at one point or another in our writing careers, suffered the anguish and self-doubt inspired by listening to the wrong voice in our minds. Allowing space for the negativity to creep in and grow. It's always been a mystery to me why, in our human nature, we're more apt to believe the negative than the positive?
As a writer hovering somewhere between advanced beginner and competent, I find I am in need of learning and relearning the habits required to push self-doubt and overthinking out of my head. And, in the process of doing this, avoid the temptation of sinful pride. Whew, that sure can be a fine line.
Scripture
tells us that God created each of us for our unique purpose (Jeremiah 29:11)
and He alone is in control (Job 42:2). If we endeavour to fill our minds with
the right thoughts, the words flowing from our pens and keyboards will not be
ours to claim, but the Father's, who has given us the manuscript. It is then,
that we can beat down and smother that negative voice, knowing that our work is
God-inspired and His to give credit.
Preparation to Propel the Enemy
Just as an athlete must prepare for a competition by stretching or a musician by tuning their instrument, so too should we as scribes do some pre-writing conditioning. Create a routine that includes the following steps and practice it before (or after, or during) each and every writing session.
Prayer
is more powerful than most of us realize. So, even before we open our laptop or
pick up that ballpoint, let us stop and give thanks for our God-given talent.
Ask God for His direction and pray that whatever writing we're about to do be
of His will. Pray that what we're about to write honours Him and points our
readers to Him. On my glass desktop I have written, directly beside my laptop,
in bold block letters with erasable white marker "PRAY FIRST".
We must allow our faith and the Holy Spirit to guide us. "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans" (Romans 8:26 NIV). Always remember that the Father wants us to be successful in whatever we do and faithfully guides us if we're listening closely. The Apostle Paul counselled his congregation, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13 NIV), reminding them (and us) that in all we do, we will be guided on our path by the Holy Spirit.
Bless others always. Fellow scribes are all experiencing the same feelings. We must take time to keep each other in our prayers as well. Just as the military needs to "have each others' backs", so too must we, as members of God's army, support each other. "Let each of us please his neighbour for his good, to build him up." (Romans 15:2 NIV)
We are all authentically original. So, in those times when that nasty voice murmurs those taunts, I have learned to immediately stop and call on the Lord for His intervention. After all, He alone has led me on my writing journey and I call it an honour, privilege, and duty to point others to Him through my craft.
"But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you." (2 Timothy 3:14 NLT)
Thank you, Peggianne, for joining us here on the blog today. Imposter syndrome is something I know I deal with, and most other writers do, as well. You've offered a great reminder to focus on the identity we find in our relationship with Jesus. I especially appreciate your words "We must allow our faith and the Holy Spirit to guide us."
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words Lorrie. Even as I wrote this piece, I had my doubts. But, thankfully, as I mentioned, the large PRAY FIRST note is always at my elbow.
DeleteEarly in my own writing journey, I dealt with those negative voices. Thankfully I am learning to ignore them and remember that He has given me the call to write. Something shifted on the inside when I started calling myself a writer.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Peggianne, for sharing your own writing journey today. We're so glad for your encouraging presence here on the blog today.
Thank you Brenda. It was an honour to be invited.
DeleteI have a terrible time with bad voices in the night. It helps to listen to a preacher until I go back to sleep but I wish the voice didn’t come in the first place!
ReplyDeleteI often listen to the NIV version of the Bible on the Bible app. The narrator's voice is so comforting and soothing. Count it a victory each time you drive the negative voice away! Blessings.
DeleteDear Peggianne, thank you for contributing to our blog. Yes. I am familiar with the dreaded imposter syndrome and negative voices. Like Brenda I am learning to take no heed to these voices. I began arguing with the voices, but learned they are lousy listeners. I now ignore them as much as possible. I think they hate being ignore. :) Thank you again, for this encouraging post.
ReplyDeleteIt was an honour and pleasure Alan, to be invited. Once we find ways to drown out those voices, nothing can stop from sharing the Good News.
DeleteThank you Peggianne. I love the idea of doing some pre-writing conditioning as scribes. I recall reading about one well-established author's routine. He would light a candle and wear a certain set of glasses, as well as pray before setting himself down to write.
ReplyDelete