39. Fighting imposter syndrome by living a writer’s life w/ H.L. Brooks

Parents Who Write

We all fight imposter syndrome. But some of us have better weapons.

In this episode, you’ll learn to fight off imposter syndrome by living the true life of a writer and the keys to building that life for yourself, regardless of where you’re at in your writing journey.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Becoming a writer later in life
• The importance of validation
• Facing rejection after writing that first book
• Published books aren’t written in stone
• The vulnerability of releasing your first book
• Unique challenges of women writers
• The differences of writing & publishing book 2
• Fighting that negative self-talk of imposter syndrome
• Doing it scared rather than not at all
• Living like a writer
• About the Write Women Book Fest
• Handling parenting stuff and writing stuff
• Balancing writing value, worth, and self
• Favorite books
• Bonus: Struggling to slow down our minds
• Final advice: Don’t be so hard on yourself and find support

About Heather:

H.L. Brooks writes dark fairy tales with dashes of sex, romance, and erotic short stories. More recently she's been working on a cozy witch mystery series. Founder of The Write Women Book Fest and The Write Women Network author salons, H.L. places an emphasis on strong female characters of various ages and body types.

H.L. lives in Maryland with her husband William. Her daughters Amber and Jade are now grown up, but are still an almost daily part of her life. She's looking forward to her daughter Amber's first child coming in 2023 and is thinking of all the ways to fit in being an active grandmother.

Get her books:

• Shifters of Mahigan Falls series (Red August, Red Archer & Red Hunter): https://www.amazon.com/H-L-Brooks/e/B01F2ALPV0/

Connect with Heather:

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/hlbrookswrites
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hlbrookswrites
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hlbrookswrites
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hlbrookswrites
• Website & newsletter: http://www.hlbrooks.com

Resources discussed:

• The Write Women Network: https://facebook.com/groups/1800921360129064/
• The Write Women Book Fest: https://www.thewritewomenbookfest.org
• Wide for the Win: https://facebook.com/groups/wideforthewin

Books discussed during the show:

• The Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer
• Abridged Shakespeare books
• Author Dr. Seuss
• Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon, by Jules Bass
• Charlie the Caterpillar, by Dom Deluise
• Busy Town, by Richard Scarry
• Blubber and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Bloom
• Grimm’s Fairy Tales
• The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
• Author Neil Gaiman
• Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens

Ready to stop circling around your manuscript?
As an experienced professional editor, I can help you finish your book with confidence and direction. Learn more by visiting ParentsWhoWrite.com/editing, and book a free 30-minute call with me to discuss what’s right for you.