Other Do you ever get imposter syndrome with things you write?

[J_ne]

I was rereading something I wrote a few months ago and went, "wow, idk how I wrote that, but it's never happening again", only to do it again like a week later

 

[Malphaestus]

Yes, and not only in writing.

 

[GojiBean]

Typically I get this feeling more with music than with my writing. Half the time I listen to my old music stuff I don't even remember writing it and I think, "Wow... I wrote that? I don't think I could write anything like that today. I suck. How did I write this?!"

I think in 20+ years of roleplaying, I've only really felt a case of imposter syndrome maybe once or twice.

But I know the feeling for sure.

 

[J_ne]

Typically I get this feeling more with music than with my writing. Half the time I listen to my old music stuff I don't even remember writing it and I think, "Wow... I wrote that? I don't think I could write anything like that today. I suck. How did I write this?!"

I think in 20+ years of roleplaying, I've only really felt a case of imposter syndrome maybe once or twice.

But I know the feeling for sure.

Whether or not you feel it, I'm sure your music is wonderful.

 

[Murdergurl]

I'm not sure what imposter syndrome is. But I've sometimes written things that I've looked back on after they were polished to a shine and been like, "Dayum, that's really good. I'm never gonna top this off."

So, I save it. Sometimes I have gone back and taken these snippets and worked them into something even better.

Here's one example that was the product of multiple re-writes. It's not big, but it's one of my favorite things that I've ever written.

Spoiler: solace

A lone, blinking light was all that served to cast a dim glow across the cramped cockpit of a vagrant starship. The nearly inaudible buzz of the green diode permeated the otherwise cold silence in a slow rhythm:

On... off... on... off...

Condensation spread itself in a layer of fine droplets that clung to the inside of the ferro-glass portal of the ship. The singular, electronic flicker reflected and refracted off of each individual globule of moisture. It cast a vision not unlike a microcosm to the infinite spread of stars glinting in the perpetual, black abyss that surrounded the spacecraft. In the deep outreach of space, time lost meaning. Life lost meaning. The birth and death of entire worlds were concurrent in the same blinding moment, and the softest breath was exhaled to the dying pulse of a supernova. One could find solace in that their existence meant nothing in the grand scope of creation and destruction.

 

[J_ne]

I'm not sure what imposter syndrome is. But I've sometimes written things that I've looked back on after they were polished to a shine and been like, "Dayum, that's really good. I'm never gonna top this off."

So, I save it. Sometimes I have gone back and taken these snippets and worked them into something even better.

Here's one example that was the product of multiple re-writes. It's not big, but it's one of my favorite things that I've ever written.

Spoiler: solace

A lone, blinking light was all that served to cast a dim glow across the cramped cockpit of a vagrant starship. The nearly inaudible buzz of the green diode permeated the otherwise cold silence in a slow rhythm:

On... off... on... off...

Condensation spread itself in a layer of fine droplets that clung to the inside of the ferro-glass portal of the ship. The singular, electronic flicker reflected and refracted off of each individual globule of moisture. It cast a vision not unlike a microcosm to the infinite spread of stars glinting in the perpetual, black abyss that surrounded the spacecraft. In the deep outreach of space, time lost meaning. Life lost meaning. The birth and death of entire worlds were concurrent in the same blinding moment, and the softest breath was exhaled to the dying pulse of a supernova. One could find solace in that their existence meant nothing in the grand scope of creation and destruction.

That's such a beautiful piece. I absolutely adore each detail being brought together and how it describes so much and so little all in the same paragraph.

 

[Murdergurl]

That's such a beautiful peace. I absolutely adore each detail being brought together and how it describes so much and so little all in the same paragraph.

Thanks. that's the end result of maybe four re-writes over five years? I don't even remember what the original started as.

 

[StrawberryAvalanche]

Personally I get like that sometimes. I found some old notebooks my best friend and I filled out growing up of a story we wrote. And I swear we wrote like we're running out of time haha. But looking back I realized I wrote so much and my style was so prominent. I know writing a lot like that really helped me become the writer that I am today. But I'm like I can never write that much again. I'm trying to, but I guess having college, being more social, volunteer work and other stuff going on, I can't. I am happy to write as much as I do now though!

 

[one intrepid hero]

thankfully, not anymore! when I was younger, I used to be very insecure with any kind of art I created. nowadays, though, I'm pretty confident in my writing abilities and no longer feel like I'm just fooling everyone to like what I write. I know I could be better, but everyone could, so I'm not alone in that. I know I'm still pretty darn good where I'm at right now even if there's room for improvement - and I know I'll only continue to get better! and I may not be for everyone, but that's okay too!

 

[Celestia Zodia]

Typically I get this feeling more with music than with my writing. Half the time I listen to my old music stuff I don't even remember writing it and I think, "Wow... I wrote that? I don't think I could write anything like that today. I suck. How did I write this?!"

I think in 20+ years of roleplaying, I've only really felt a case of imposter syndrome maybe once or twice.

But I know the feeling for sure.

If this ain't the truth. As I approach a longer time overall writing I start to look at my stuff I've saved in my private discord servers over the years and I'm like.. never again, deletius!