So I've continued to think and write and talk to others about this Thing that takes over our brains and keeps us from writing—or keeps us in a state of dread while we do.

It stinks.

And it's not fair.

Except that it seems to be an equal-opportunity Thing, attacking beginners and professionals alike.

Next Monday, June 8, we're going to explore what to do about it.

Here are a few things I've figured out:

1. Writers are particularly susceptible to fraud syndrome because sharing our work involves risk. Heck, sometimes even showing our work to ourselves involves risk.
2. Writing authentically requires a level of vulnerability most jobs don't. A plumber may experience fraud syndrome if she can't unplug a toilet, but she didn't open her soul to unplug the toilet.
3. We're expected to be vulnerable and authoritative at the same time. We're supposed to read excellent literature, study our craft, and then send our own work out into the world to be judged against all that sparkling prose by people who have the power to publish it—and who mostly tell us no, if they respond at all.
4. Being a writer is brave work.
5. And yet there's something about it we just have to keep doing. Creating with words feeds us in a way nothing else can.
6. We have a right to write.

If you've ever wondered whether you're talented enough, qualified enough, productive enough, or legitimate enough to call yourself a writer, this workshop is for you.

Come join us. You'll leave with new tools, a fresh perspective, and renewed energy for your work.

Love,

Katherine

PS This would be a great time to join Labyrinth. Charter membership is just $37 a month, and includes this workshop and all of our craft workshops, monthly writers' salons, and a supportive community of fellow writers.