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

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 lifeThe importance of validationFacing rejection after writing that first bookPublished books aren’t written in stoneThe vulnerability of releasing your first bookUnique challenges of women writersThe differences of writing & publishing book 2Fighting that negative self-talk of imposter syndromeDoing it scared rather than not at allLiving like a writerAbout the Write Women Book FestHandling parenting stuff and writing stuffBalancing writing value, worth, and selfFavorite booksBonus: Struggling to slow down our mindsFinal advice: Don’t be so hard on yourself and find supportAbout 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/hlbrookswritesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/hlbrookswritesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hlbrookswritesTwitter: https://twitter.com/hlbrookswritesWebsite & newsletter: http://www.hlbrooks.comResources 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 PalmerAbridged Shakespeare booksAuthor Dr. SeussHerb, the Vegetarian Dragon, by Jules BassCharlie the Caterpillar, by Dom DeluiseBusy Town, by Richard ScarryBlubber and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy BloomGrimm’s Fairy TalesThe Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret AtwoodAuthor Neil GaimanWhere the Crawdads Sing, by Delia OwensSend us Fan MailREADY TO TAKE YOUR WRITING FURTHER? Join our Patreon community and access our vibrant Discord writing group to get writing prompts, participate in sprints, download free resources, and more: https://www.patreon.com/erinptcanningeditor