Overcoming impostor syndrome as a writer of colour

BY RAHMA KHAN

Writing is a skill that is achievable for anyone who has practised and mastered it. But to make a career in the competitive English writing industry is not as straightforward as it may seem, especially when you are a person of colour. Seven years back, when I decided to pursue freelance writing as a side hustle, I was naive to overlook the challenges which every non-native English writer, like myself, encounters. The top reason for my rejections was that I lacked the writing proficiency of a native English writer.

Thanks to my Pakistani roots, as the country was a British colony in the past, I grew up in an environment where English proficiency was considered more valuable than knowing the local language. In school, I learned English first, then my native language, Urdu. I never questioned my English language skills until I came across freelance writing jobs where I ticked off all the prerequisites but failed to check the Native English Writers Only box.

Investing in growth is the way to go in the competitive freelance writing industry, so I regularly enrolled in writing courses and attended workshops with successful writers. Though these efforts helped me land a few assignments earlier in my career, most of the work I got included writing short product descriptions and reviews. I continually failed to land long-form features and opinion assignments.

Mental wellness for non-native English speakers, some of whom are writers of colour, is an overlooked aspect in this industry. Racial discrimination can lead to repeated rejections, and feelings of failure can take a toll on the writer’s mental health. Even after being able to create a decent writing portfolio, my language skills were still being surveyed with a different scanner than that of a native writer. While I was made to pass a series of unpaid writing tests and to present an internationally recognized English language test to get closer to securing an assignment, the native English-speaking folks were always moved to the front at the first hiring stage.

Two years into my writing journey, I was dealing with impostor syndrome, doubting my capabilities, and losing confidence in my skills. I hit rock bottom when my negotiated writing rates were once turned down by an editor who stated my lack of “natives like” writing proficiency. It made me realize how I was being underpaid and considered a cheap labour option for projects which don’t require top writing quality.

The last year and a half have been a game changer for people of colour all over the world. Since the Black Lives Matter protests took place, awareness of diversity and inclusion has been substantially enhanced across all industries. From supporting POC-owned businesses to taking part in the Cancel Culture against big brands who implement discriminatory practices, under-represented voices are now heard loudly.

Since mid-2020, there has been a great demand for POC writers, and non-native English speakers are being hired to share their perspectives on issues ranging from the white saviour complex to the decolonization of travel. Publications are now featuring the stories of marginalized communities. I always used to consider writing for international publications and magazines as something out of my league. However, over the last eighteen months, I have accumulated more than twenty bylines in reputed publications. I have stopped letting impostor syndrome affect my confidence, and instead focus on enhancing my skills and growing my writing portfolio.

Rahma Khan is a travel writer and independent journalist from Pakistan. Creating awareness for the rights of BIPOC, Rahma uses her travel blog, thesaneadventurer.com, to share her discrimination stories and first-hand experiences with BIPOC travellers. Her work has been published in Independent UK, Open Canada, and Passion Passport, among others.