In parts one and two of this mini-series, we addressed fear of the unknown, and fear of taking the wrong step. In this final installment, we’ll cover a third common problem:

Addressing: Fear of Inadequacy (a.k.a. Imposter Syndrome)

Imposter Syndrome is a term used in regard to writers who feel like they just don’t have what it takes to write about certain subjects, either because they haven’t experienced said subjects themselves, or because they don’t feel they have enough general knowledge of the field they’re writing about.

Writing fanfiction eased this fear for me in three key ways:

1. It made research fun.

   For some, the word “research” elicits groans. I’m one of those people. Digging through articles and non-fiction volumes is not something I spend loads of time doing, but when the need arises, I do it.

   Imposter Syndrome looks at a pile of impending research and panics because there’s so much we don’t know we feel like we can’t even begin to properly educate ourselves.

   In fanfiction, most questions during the writing process arise in regard to canon events, or some aspect of the world that needs clarifying. For most fictional worlds, the internet affords rich resources, and finding answers is as simple as typing a question into a browser search bar. I’ve discovered tremendous fandom-specific sources of information this way.

   While combing the internet for minutia relating to a fictional world we love can be quite entertaining, it’s not the only way to effectively research an element of a fanfic. For my ongoing alternate universe project, I regularly re-watch episodes of the source material and dive into notes and unused ideas from the creators. Each time I find a new snippet of information I can’t wait to see how it might fit into my work, whether that means casting a character in a light I’d never considered, exploring alternate options for the storyline, or just having fun and trying something no one’s attempted before.

   Instead of dreading my lack of knowledge/experience regarding an element of my piece, I look forward to finding out more because I’m invested in the people involved.

   With that foundational connection to the characters in place, Imposter Syndrome has no means of scaring me off, because I care more about who I’m writing about than my own fear.

2. It gave me someone to share the experience with.

   We all like to do things with other people (at least once in a while), and going through things we’ve never experienced before is one instance where most of us want company. Fanfiction provided me with a host of characters with varied life experiences, beliefs, cultures, and geographical locations.

   Imposter Syndrome tells us because we haven’t experienced something, we’re not qualified to write about it.

   That’s garbage.

   Do we need to approach serious subjects with due care? Absolutely. We should weight content accordingly. While writing any given fanfiction installment, when I wasn’t sure how experiencing something specific might feel or effect someone, chances were I already had a basis for comparison. That might mean spending extra time with certain characters to better understand the source of their challenges. It might mean writing through something I’ve never experienced and taking that journey alongside a character. Working in a fictional world can have as much impact on a person’s life as interacting with those in our world.

   The realm of fanfiction represents most any life experience imaginable—good, bad, practical, or fantastic. Just because the person writing the piece hasn’t endured spousal abuse, experienced adoption, flown a plane, or walked on an alien planet doesn’t mean they can’t effectively relate a character’s experience with said events.

   In many cases, fanfiction is much like conveying the experiences of a close friend. We might not have walked in their shoes, but we were with them while they followed life’s path, and if that doesn’t qualify us to recount their struggles, nothing will.

   For me, this sense of companionship has carried over to original fiction, and even when I’m writing about something I haven’t experienced before, I’m never alone, so Imposter Syndrome is too intimidated by my company to intrude.

3. It gave me new perspective regarding others’ struggles.

   I’ve seen instances in fiction where serious topics are framed with such vulgarity it makes me sick. Fanfiction afforded me a starting point in my writing journey that wasn’t based on politics, or fantastic environments, or spectacular action scenes. It was based on people I’d come to care about.

   Armed with empathy, I set out to portray others’ difficulties in a respectful light, not minimizing their experiences or the emotional/mental/spiritual impact they’d had on each individual involved, regardless of whether I agreed with their choices.

   Imposter Syndrome insists we can’t understand what happened to someone else since it didn’t happen to us. And that’s somewhat true. We can’t understand—at least, not the way those who’ve experienced something do. But we can transcribe our observations and responses to what happened to others. We can imagine ourselves in their place. And we can make honest evaluations about emotional, mental, and spiritual ramifications.

   As writers of fanfiction, we may not ever act in a movie, or thwart an invasion, or cook at a Michelin Star restaurant, but we have friends who did, and we can tell others how we experienced their stories.

Because I seek out meaningful engagement with the characters in my work, Imposter Syndrome has no power. No, I can’t understand exactly how someone with differing life experience feels about something I’ve never been through, but I can sit down and listen to what that person has to say.