Reblog, Click The Picture, And Prepare For Battle.

did it hurt? when your word count for the day turned out to be not even half of what you thought it was?

thank you guys for all the love on this post! it’s now my most popular one <3

“feminine urge” this and “masculine urge” that, what about the urge to stop procrastinating writing your wips?

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Intro

I thought this would be an appropriate post to make, because lately I've been having feelings of inadequacy in both myself and my writing. At first I thought it was just my inner critic, but after a while I realized that the problem wasn’t just feeling inadequate; I felt that I wasn’t the writer I thought I was. I would think back to some of the praise I received from other people and wonder if I was actually worthy of it. Did I actually deserve that positive feedback? Or were they just being nice?

I’ve tried to stop overthinking in that vein, but it can be hard to train yourself out of that habit. I’m making this post to help myself unlearn that pattern of thinking, and I hope it helps you too!

It’s completely normal

One of the most important things to keep in mind if you’re suffering from imposter syndrome is that you are not alone. Every single writer suffers from imposter syndrome at some point during their career--yes, every single writer. Even if you’re super confident in yourself and your writing, there will be times when you don’t feel that way. And that’s okay! Imposter syndrome does not make you any less of a writer. You are valid and you deserve to be appreciated!

Talk to someone

It’s great to have a support group that you can turn to whenever you need assistance or just some kind words. Talking about these feelings is vital to overcoming them. Together, you can brainstorm ways to boost your confidence and self-worth as a writer.

Many writers will internalize their struggle with imposter syndrome because they may be afraid that if they talk about it, someone will confirm that they are a fraud. But getting things off your chest, especially to someone who likely knows exactly what you’re talking about, is a great step towards regaining your confidence!

Remind yourself of your hard work

This especially applies to those who have had success with their writing, but are now doubting the validity of their achievements and questioning whether they really deserve them. Sound familiar?

If you start to feel like your writing success is due to luck, chance or accident...let me stop you right there. Take a moment to remind yourself of all the hard work that went into getting you where you are today. Remember the countless hours you’ve poured into your WIP(s)? Remember the passion, dedication and effort you’ve put into your darlings?

Determination and hard work got you to where you are, not a clever ruse or a lucky break. You’ve earned every bit of success you’ve achieved. So instead of second-guessing your achievements, reward and congratulate yourself on them. You deserve it!

Remember positive feedback

If you find your mind being overtaken by negative thoughts, take some time to remember the positive feedback you’ve been given on your work. This could be feedback on a submission or competition entry, comments from reviewers or beta readers, or even just a positive word or two from someone you know.

Writers suffering from imposter syndrome inherently believe that they’re not actually good at writing at all, even when there’s evidence that says otherwise. To overcome this, you need to accept what others are saying about you; you need to believe the positive comments as much as they do.

First, try to get out of the habit of automatically dismissing positive feedback. Many writers will find themselves reacting negatively to praise–denying or brushing off compliments instead of listening to and thanking people for them. This needs to change if you’re going to overcome impostor syndrome. This doesn’t mean that you can’t still be modest about praise, but it does mean that you can’t be self-deprecating. Establish what your strengths and talents are and accept them. Let yourself believe that you are a real writer, and a good one at that!

Keep writing

It can be hard--sometimes it feels impossible. But as a writer, the best way to defy feelings of fraudulence and self-doubt is to keep writing, no matter what.  Rediscovering the passion and dedication that drew you towards writing in the first place is vital to your self-esteem! The most important thing you can do is keep going.

People suffering from impostor syndrome believe that they aren’t "real” writers. The only definition for a "real" writer is "someone who writes things". So, if you stop writing, you’re only giving more weight to your own fears. Keep writing, whatever it takes. Consistently writing will also ensure you’re consistently improving, which in turn will boost your confidence. And sometimes just that confidence boost, or that renewed sense of passion and purpose in your writing, will be all it takes to help you overcome impostor syndrome!

Making Your Content Accessible

Introduction

On social media, being able to read and understand posts is essential. However, some sacrifice comprehension and efficiency for their aesthetic, which only hurts their audience. Content accessibility benefits people with disabilities most, but everyone and anyone can make use of it!

This is a noncomprehensive list of things you can do to make your account accessible. Feel free to add on in the comments!

Backgrounds

When you’re making a post, the text and the background must be 1.) different colors, 2.) contrasting, and 3.) not too bright or dark.

That should be pretty self-explanatory, but I’m going to elaborate on number 3. Don’t use pure white or too-bright colors in general for your backgrounds because it creates eye strain.

Maybe you have images as your backgrounds, which gives you a bit more to consider. One way to lessen eye strain is to put a layer between the background and the text. Another thing you can do is choose images that are not crowded or busy.

Text

Some people use fancy, cursive script for their post titles, which looks cool, but it can be hard to read. This doesn’t mean you have to remove it, though. Instead, use alternative text, which describes something that is inaccessible or difficult to read/see. In this case, you duplicate the post title in a more readable font on the cover slide. Good fonts for dyslexia include Open Dyslexic, Comic Sans, and most sans serif fonts.

Alt text should also be present if the original text has been manipulated in some way or has had effects added. For example, the titles of my posts are curved, so I add alt text.

Save cursive fonts for your post titles and headings. Cursive body fonts may sound great in theory, but in reality they are highly inefficient and make people people less likely to read through the entire post.

Also, if you type long paragraphs, you may want to separate it into smaller bulletpoints. People are more likely to skim (or just skip over) long sections of text. Make sure there’s enough space between the lines as well--reading crowded text can give some people headaches.

Alignment is also a factor in readable text. Align body text to the left, rather than centering or justifying it, because it lets people follow the lines of the text more easily. You can align your titles however you want because anything goes for them.

Screen Readers

Visually impaired people, dyslexic people, or people who get migraines may use screen readers, which read the text of a post to them.

One of the first things you’ll have to sacrifice here is aesthetic font. I know, I know, it looks cool, but screen readers don’t pick up on it, not to mention the more stylistic it is, the harder it is to read.

Hashtags are also difficult for screen readers to understand, because it might read the entire hashtag as one word. Instead, capitalize letters where a new word starts. For example: #WritersOfInstagram.

Another thing you can do is provide alt text for your entire post. Instagram lets you do this in the post but they only allow 100 characters, so if your posts run long you should just type them in the comments.

Descriptions

If you’re posting an image, for example, a meme, add an image description, or ID. When you’re writing an ID, include all details, even ones that might seem obvious. Consider color, position, shape, expression, etc. 

For example: “ID: A blonde, curly-haired girl dressed in an orange T-shirt and denim shorts sits on a mossy log surrounded by pine trees. Her head is bent in concentration as she cleans a bronze knife with a gray rag.”

Closed Captioning

As a hard-of-hearing person, I really appreciate closed captioning on videos that require me to understand what someone is saying.

When typing out your captions, abbreviate closed captioning to “CC:” and then write your text after it. For example: “CC: These are my favorite tropes.” 

Another thing to remember is not to censor swear words or leave out anything. Besides being annoying to people with hearing loss, it can also be patronizing.

In a video, keep closed captioning away from anything that might block it. Also, make sure the text is large enough to easily read. If you don’t want to type out what you’re saying, automatic captioning is available on Instagram, although like any automatic closed captioning, it can be unreliable.

Indie Authors to Support

@abbiepayne.author01

How could I make a post about indie authors and not include Abbie? She already has many titles to her name, and many more to come! The one I’m currently looking forward to the most, however, is Call Her Captain, her upcoming YA sci-fi novel that releases March 22, 2022. It showcases a found family in space, a majority-female cast, and a forbidden sapphic romance, not to mention this beautiful cover!

@j.v.montague

If you didn’t already know, Jay just released his debut short story, The Stolen Dagger, and I can safely say it’s one of the best indie books I’ve ever read. The humor was absolutely on point, the story itself was entertaining and fast-paced, and the main characters had so much depth and personality! I’m looking forward to seeing more of Montoya and Rose in the future!

Ariana Tosado

I recently discovered Our Mistaken Identity by Ariana Tosado and it was an extremely entertaining read! I liked and related to many of the characters, and their dynamics felt very natural and well-developed to me. The concept of this story was fascinating as a whole, and I’m happy that I picked it up. I hope to read the sequel, The Hunter in the Room, too!

@so_many_ocs

Radio Apocalypse is one of my most anticipated indie reads of 2022! From the synopsis, I feel sure that it’s going to be one of my favorites, as well. If you’d like to learn more about it, I suggest you visit the official page, @radio.apocalypse.novel. But that’s not the only book Kayleigh has--they have also published Defy and Unchain, a dystopian duology that I'm really excited to begin soon!

@mcpending​

MC is another self-published author I’m really excited to delve into. Untouchable, her debut, is a dystopian novel that follows protagonist Tessa as she attempts to survive in a world where she is less than nothing. I only recently discovered MC, but I think she has a great sense of humor and just a great personality overall, and I can’t wait to read Untouchable!

must a story have “plot”

is it not enough that I just, like, care about the characters a whole bunch

Writing is such an amazing art form. You’re essentially sculpting a living, breathing universe full of sounds, sights, and feelings with only the tools of your imagination, 26 letters and a lot of patience to help you, and honestly, the fact that you’re able to do that is not only unbelievable, but also metal as fuck.

My take on controversy

Introduction

Do not send hate or harassment to any of the other creators who have made posts like these or to anyone involved in this issue. That makes everything worse.

Remember that this entire post is my opinion. You can disagree with it, but I do not tolerate hate and disrespect in my comments. I will delete it. I want this post to be a safe place for discussion, but I don’t want people to blatantly insult and demean others just to make a point.

I’m going to preface this post by saying I think this entire drama is ridiculous and harmful. Read on to see why.

Originality

One of the things I’ve seen pointed out most often is that people often take inspiration from each other to the point that “we are all the same.” I would like to twist this and say that this is precisely why our community is so endearing. (Note: I am not including copiers in this. Copying other people is not the same as inspiration.)

Yes, a lot of people post Twitter themes. Yes, a lot of people have Tumblr posts. Yes, a lot of people utilize the tip/textpost format. All of this and more is true. But instead of seeing it as repetitive, I see it as a cycle of inspiration and creativity. No one person uses their post-making strategies like you. Nobody words their posts quite like you do.

The things that make us the same are the things that make us different. 

And I, for one, think that’s beautiful.

Content

Perhaps the biggest controversial statement I’ve seen so far is that posting writing tips is “basic.” I agree with this to an extent; people frequently post similar tips and ideas. But everyone always has something to add from their own unique perspective. The bones of writing advice may remain the same, but its appearance depends on who gives it. 

The word “basic” has been thrown around a lot.  "Basic” has the demeaning connotation of you not being good enough. But people pour their passion into what they post. The content you’re calling “basic” is what people want to do and what they like to do. Don’t shame them for that.

Basic is not bad. If you are “basic,” then yes, there are absolutely others like you in the writing community. But that does not mean you are worth any less. Likewise, you’re not “special” for posting different types of content. People are different and they post different things. Don't shame people because they don't align with your standards. We are all creators. There is no such thing as being inferior or superior to someone else.

Maybe you don’t want to see writing tips all the time. That’s fine! There are accounts out there that don’t post only writing content. Just don’t pressure others to change what they post because you’re tired of it. In the same vein, you can absolutely encourage people to post their unpopular opinions. However, you risk implying that people who don’t are “boring,” or, again, “basic.”

Controversy

I am not a person who likes controversy. In fact, I usually avoid it at all costs because it usually creates chaos and disharmony. Case in point.

Remember that there’s a difference between being blunt and being harmful, even unintentionally. What you can tolerate may be a lot different from what others can tolerate, and what you read as critical may read as demeaning to someone else. Understand that not everyone thinks the same way.

I absolutely encourage you to post unpopular opinions. I want you to speak up for what you want to say. I want you to express yourself. I want you to do what makes you comfortable. I want you to be able to do all of these, but not at the cost of someone else’s freedom and comfort.

I agree that you shouldn’t have to tiptoe around on eggshells when you share your unpopular opinions. The point of unpopular opinions is to provoke discussion, not to prevent it. Yet this entire drama is making people go silent because they are afraid that they are not good enough, or that they are doing something wrong. Check yourself continuously to make sure that you don’t come across as implying that someone is “wrong” or on the “wrong side” for not agreeing with you. 

I’ve seen people say that the original posters of these controversial opinions are telling "the truth.” However, there is no such thing as “the truth,” which is a generic blanket statement that fails to consider nuances. There are many different, smaller truths, and all of them often contradict each other. Just take a look at this post.

Takeaway

This entire controversy is creating too much toxicity. People are being hurt. People are losing motivation. People are thinking they aren't a real writer/creator or that they're not good enough. Every single one of you, no matter what you believe, deserves to feel worthy and wanted, and you are.

The writing community is meant to be a safe place to do what you love. I want it to remain safe. I want it to stay supportive. And most of all, I want it to understand.

In case no one has told you today: People enjoy seeing what you post and what you create. People appreciate your presence. People love what you do. Do not believe anyone who says or implies otherwise.

Post what you want to post and consume the content you want to see. Do what you are comfortable with, and do what you can to make others comfortable. 

This shouldn’t be so hard to understand.