36 | Fake It Till You Make It? Here’s the Biblical Truth Every Writer Needs

Are you tired of feeling like you have to perform, pretend, or project success just to be taken seriously as a Christian author?

In this episode, I open up about the moment I hit burnout trying to “fake it till I made it”—and how God lovingly showed me a better way. We’ll unpack the subtle ways counterfeit confidence creeps into our writing lives through impostor syndrome, platform pressure, and financial fear—and how to replace it with bold, Spirit-led authenticity instead.

You’ll learn:

• Why worldly success strategies leave you drained and discouraged
• What Scripture says about confidence, credibility, and calling
• The 5 powerful steps to stop faking and start “faithing it”
• How to build a writing life rooted in purpose, not performance

🎧 Grab your Bible, notebook, and a quiet space—this one’s packed with truth and freedom!

📥 Download your free Faith It Toolkit from the Resource Library (includes a printable checklist + Scriptures for each step) Link below!

Transcript

Fake it till you make it.

That's what I wrote in my journal back in September 2022 while attending my first Ninc conference.

I was in my hotel room taking a breather between sessions and feeling like an absolute failure.

See, all throughout that week, I was surrounded by super successful authors killing it in the publishing world.

It felt like everyone else was successful and thriving except me.

No matter what I did or how hard I worked to increase my sales,

nothing worked.

Then at the same conference, I stood in line at the buffet one evening and overheard an author behind me say,

there's only one way to get to the top, and that's to fake it till you make it.

I remember having this moment where I thought,

really?

Is that how they did it?

Is it simply a case of pretending or projecting success and success will follow?

That one sentence stirred something in me. Not doubt, but a deeper question I couldn't shake.

Why do we feel that we have to pretend that we're okay,

that we have it all figured out until the world's interpretation of success finds us?

Because here's the thing.

Scripture says something very different, right?

So that's what we're going to dive into today. Because what I've learned since that conference back in 2022 is that there's a biblical way to bridge this disconnect between worldly success strategies and and biblical principles with faith, honesty, and, yes,

genuine skill that does not require you to fake it till you make it.

So if you are tired of feeling like you have to perform or pretend to belong in this industry,

this episode is for you.

This is episode 36.

I'm Urcelia Teixeira, ex real estate agent turned award winning Christian fiction author.

When I wrote my first novel on a bucket list whim, I had no idea it would spark a spiritual journey that would redefine my calling. But you know what, friend?

Self publishing wasn't easy. I got caught in the hustle, chasing rankings and sales while desperately trying to stay rooted in Christ.

Now, by God's grace, I'm building my author business his way. And now he's called me to help you do the same.

Welcome to the Anointed Scribe podcast, where faith meets business for Christian writers. Let's write, publish, and grow our author business God's way. Are you ready? Well then, let's get started.

Hey, it's your author friend, Urcelia. And welcome to today's Anointed Scribe episode.

I'm thrilled to have you join me for our conversation today, friend. So I hope you've got Your Bible and notebook ready? Because we are going to get a little bit real here today.

You might want to take some notes.

We are discussing something that might challenge what the world has always told us to do as authors and entrepreneurs.

But I promise, this biblical truth I'm sharing with you today is going to set you free from feeling like you have to fake your way to success.

If you allow the Holy Spirit to work in you as he did me back in 2022,

I guarantee you'll find freedom from the exhausting pressure of pretending to be someone you are not.

See, here's what I've discovered.

The world fakes confidence to earn credibility.

But Kingdom authors cultivate faith and let credibility follow.

What do I mean by this?

Secular culture says you need to act confident and successful to be taken seriously.

The Bible, on the other hand,

says, blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord whose confidence is in him.

That's Jeremiah 17:7.

So let's dig in with this question. We're going to jump straight in because it's a bit of a long one and it's full of nuggets.

So why do so many of us fall into the fake it till you make it trap?

Why do we think this is the recipe to success which somewhere along the way became the driver of our confidence?

Well,

I personally feel this mindset is rooted in self power philosophy and has strong similarities to manifestation thinking,

mind over matter,

self reliance, the attraction principle, and visualization.

Remember that book, the Secret? Similar thing.

It whispers that we have the power to create your own success through projection and performance.

Act successful and you'll attract success. Right?

Project confidence and confidence will follow.

Remember that power dressing philosophy back in the 90s?

Dressing for success I'm reminded of that now.

But friends,

this isn't just a business strategy we are talking about here.

This is actually a worldview that puts self at the center instead of God.

It says that through our own mental and behavioral shifts,

we can manifest the reality we want.

And that's simply not Kingdom thinking, is it?

Because as believers, we know that our success,

our provision, our very breath, comes from the Lord, not from our ability to perform or project an image.

But here's the thing.

Even when we know this isn't Kingdom thinking,

it still shows up in our writing life. In what I've identified are the three most prominent and specific ways that can drive us toward this counterfeit confidence.

So let's walk through each one, because understanding why we feel this pull is the first step to breaking free from them.

Are you ready to start taking notes Counterfeit confidence. Number one is I feel like there needs to be a drum roll.

Imposter syndrome. Yep, you should have seen it coming.

But let's just talk about this industry cliche, because we've all had that voice that whispers we who do you think you are to write or publish a book?

You've only written one book. You can hardly call yourself an author.

Can you relate?

We've all had these voices in our heads. So our old nature kicks in and we compensate, right?

We inflate our bios just a little.

We make our launches sound bigger and more successful than they actually are.

We use words like bestselling. When we hit number one in a super specific Amazon sub sub sub category for about, I don't know, three hours,

we make ourselves sound more established in the hope of gaining credibility,

right?

And you know what happens?

Exhaustion. Complete burnout.

We exhaust ourselves trying to live up to an image that isn't even real.

And worse,

our readers start to sense this disconnect.

They can smell inauthenticity from a mile away.

Eventually they'll feel this disconnect between who we're presenting and who we actually are.

So imposter syndrome creates this exhausting cycle of inflation and burnout.

But there's another pressure that's even more subtle, and it's everywhere we look.

Number two is platform pressure.

Social media tells us we need to have it all together,

all the time.

The world tells us we need that perfectly curated writing space with a trendy desk setup and the beautiful background, the aesthetic coffee mug and the laptop positioned just so, with natural lighting that's streaming in through the windows.

The My Perfect Morning Routine posts up at 5am for prayer and journaling, followed by a green smoothie and 2,000 words before breakfast. The carefully crafted book launch announcements that make it sound like every release is a massive success.

We curate these Facebook stories and Instagram highlight reels that make it look like we've got this author thing all figured out.

Like we're always inspired,

always productive,

always positive,

always seeing God move in our writing ministry, and always full of joy and thriving, right?

But friend, when we're constantly comparing our behind the scenes to everyone else's highlight reel,

we breed comparison and envy.

Not just in others,

but in ourselves too.

And to top it all,

we somehow made ourselves believe that this is what we have to do to earn our readers loyalty and the respect from our peers. And if we don't keep up with the trends, we are going to fall behind.

But may I remind you what's really happening behind the scenes.

We are staring at blank pages, wondering if we've lost our ability to string words together.

We're wrestling with chapters that just won't cooperate no matter how many times we rewrite them.

We're checking our book sales obsessively and feeling discouraged and joyless when they don't match the success stories we see online,

we fall short.

There's this very real fear that whispers maybe you're not cut out for this. Maybe that calling you thought you heard was just wishful thinking or a dream.

Maybe you should just give up and get a real job.

And because everyone else seems to have it all together on Instagram all the time,

we feel like we're the only ones struggling.

And instead of us stepping into our calling and purpose with confidence of our faith,

we step out of our calling and God's plan. Right?

See, the truth is we are all struggling.

We're all dealing with the messy unglamorous parts of the writing life.

The difference is most of us only share the victories, not the valleys.

Because why would we right?

We dare not show our readers that it took literal blood, sweat and tears to get that book into their hands.

Which brings me to the third way our fake identities show up.

Counterfeit number three is economic reality.

Writing is tough financially. Full stop.

When you're trying to make a living with your words.

It's tempting to chase whatever's trending, to tweak your message to fit the algorithm to say what you think people want to hear rather than what God has placed on your heart.

So how does this show up in our writing lives?

Well, we start writing in genres that aren't our calling just because they sell better.

We copy other authors marketing strategies that feel completely foreign to our personality because they seem to be working for them.

We post content that gets engagement but doesn't align with our values.

Those inspirational quotes that sound nice and are trending on Pinterest but have nothing to do with our actual message.

We water down our faith based content because we are afraid it might alienate potential readers.

We chase the latest book marketing trend even when it feels inauthentic to our voice.

We say yes to opportunities that pay, but pull us away from what God has actually called us to write.

But here's what I've learned.

All of that.

It backfires.

It dilutes your message until you don't even recognize your own voice anymore.

It leads to burnout because you're constantly trying to be someone you're not.

And it creates this weird comparison culture where we are all trying to outperform each other instead of encouraging one another.

Plus,

and this is the kicker,

when you're writing outside your calling for financial reasons,

you're actually working against God's provision.

He wants to bless the work he's called you to do,

not the work you think will pay better.

Now, I want to share Romans 12:3 with you, where it says,

do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to,

but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Notice what this verse doesn't say?

It doesn't say, think less of yourself.

It says, think accurately.

Think with sober judgment.

That's the complete opposite of faking it, isn't it?

So if the world says,

fake it till you make it,

what does the kingdom say?

I'm so glad you asked,

because this is where it gets really good. Are you ready?

The world says you have to perform first. Then you'll belong.

Prove yourself, earn your place. Show your worth.

Then maybe you'll get accepted into the author community.

But the kingdom flips this completely upside down.

We belong first,

then we perform.

We're already accepted,

already chosen,

already called,

already anointed.

Our identity is secure in Christ,

so we can create from that place of belonging.

John 15:5 says, I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you,

you will bear much fruit.

Apart from me, you can do nothing.

We don't have to fake fruitfulness, friend.

We're connected to the source of all creativity.

The world says, hide your weakness.

Put on that brave face.

Never let them see you sweat.

But 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Paul actually boasts in his weaknesses because that's where God's strength shines the brightest, right?

And here's the big one.

The world says, please,

people,

write what sells.

Write what's going to bring you that big paycheck.

Say what's popular.

But Galatians 1:10 asks you,

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings or of God?

Or am I trying to please people?

If I was still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Let me tell you a story that illustrates this perfectly.

You all know the story of David and Goliath, right?

But have you ever noticed what happens right before David faces the giant?

King Saul tries to outfit David with his own armor. Picture this. He's this young shepherd boy,

and the king is trying to dress him up In a royal armor, a bronze helmet, a coat of mail. It was like Imagine if someone tried to dress you up in an author platform armor.

The perfect bio, the impressive credentials, the polished brand voice that sounds nothing like you.

That's what it was like. But what does David do?

He tries it on and says,

I can't walk in this. I'm not used to it.

So he takes it all off and chooses his sling,

the tool he's comfortable with,

the one God has already blessed in his hands.

The result?

The giant falls.

God gets the glory, and everyone remembers the victory.

Friend, what if we stopped trying to wear someone else's armor and started fighting with the authentic weapons God has already placed in your hands?

Okay, so how do we actually do this?

How do we faith it instead of fake it?

I've got five practical steps that have completely changed my approach to writing and platform building.

First,

audit your brand voice.

I want you to do something this week. Go look at your bio, your website, your Instagram captions. Really look at them.

Are you projecting who you wish you were or who God is actually shaping you to become?

There's a difference.

Instead of I'm a best selling expert, try something like I help readers find hope through suspenseful stories rooted in faith.

See the difference there?

One is about you and your achievements.

The other is about serving your readers with the gifts God has given you.

Now I know using these keywords on our Amazon pages might drive the algorithm and get your ranking better. So by all means, use them, but only if it's true, right?

Don't put best selling author if you are not a best selling author.

Second. Pray first. Post second.

This is such a simple practice, but it's been game changing for me.

Before I post anything on social media, I take a 60 second pause and ask,

does this edify?

Does this encourage?

Does this point people toward Jesus or toward me?

Colossians 3:17 says,

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. That includes our Instagram posts, right?

I actually have little sticky notes on my laptop stand with scripture verses. When I'm tempted to inflate something or present myself more than I am, I see those verses and remember my identity is in Christ,

not in my credentials.

The third one is skill over spin.

Here's what I've learned. Instead of inflating your credentials, invest in your craft.

Take courses, find critique partners, get professional editing.

Work on your writing skills.

Proverbs 22:29 says, do you see someone skilled in their work?

They will serve before kings, they will not serve before officials of low rank.

Excellence earns its own audience. You don't need to fake expertise,

you can build real competence.

The fourth one is Testimony beats hype.

Instead of self promoting, let your readers do the talking. Collect those emails and reviews where people share how your words impacted them.

Use those as social proof instead of making grand claims about yourself.

And please do not take somebody else's review and tweak it and pretend that it's yours. I've seen that happen so many times there's no reason for it. Gather your reviews and use your own reviews as social proof.

I've started keeping a file which I call God Stories, where I save every email, every review, every message where someone tells me how God used my words in their life.

Sometimes I print them out and I put them on the wall. If it's something that really gives God honor and it reminds me of what God did for me in that book or with that book.

When I'm tempted to puff myself up, I look at those and I remember it's not about me, it's about what God does through surrendered words.

The fifth one is Keep a progress journal. You guys know I love my journaling. Keep a progress journal.

Remember in Joshua 4 when God told the Israelites to set up stones of remembrance?

Now I keep a weekly journal where I write down what I call my stones of remembrance.

How God showed up in my writing life that week. Small victories, moments of growth, big victories. I write it all down.

When I share milestones on social media, I share them honestly.

Not look how amazing I am, but look how faithful God is.

The beautiful thing about all of this is that it's actually easier than faking it.

When you are being authentic. You don't have to remember what version of yourself you presented. You don't have to maintain a facade.

You can just be before we wrap up,

I want to give you three questions to sit with this week. Maybe carve out extra time in the day to talk with the Holy Spirit about them,

journal about them, maybe just think about them during your morning coffee. But don't rush past them because these are the questions that will lead to the real transformation.

I've had to come back to these several times because the flesh takes over right now. If you're driving or you can't write this down,

just bookmark this episode and come back to it later. Or better yet,

head to the resource library in the show notes and download your free Faith It Toolkit, a printable checklist. I've Created with all five practices we talk about today, plus the scriptures to anchor them.

Okay, so the first question I want you to ask yourself this week is where am I tempted to exaggerate my success or hide my struggle?

Be specific.

Is it in your bio,

your social media,

the way you talk about your writing at conferences, at church, or even at social events?

The second question is how can I replace that impulse with a faith filled action this week?

If you are tempted to inflate your credentials,

what if you invested that energy in actually improving your craft? If you're hiding your struggles, what if you shared authentically with a trusted friend or your writing group?

Question number three what scripture will I memorize to anchor my identity in Christ,

not in accolades?

Pick one verse that reminds you who you are in God's eyes.

Write it on a sticky note, put it where you'll see it every day and apply it.

Friend, I want to leave you with this truth.

You don't have to fake courage.

God supplies it.

You don't have to pretend to have all the answers.

God is the source of all wisdom.

You don't have to perform to be loved.

You are already loved.

When you are tempted to inflate yourself,

remind yourself that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

When you are tempted to hide your struggles,

remind yourself that his power is made perfect in your weakness.

Write for his glory, not for applause,

not to impress people, but to encourage them.

Not to build your own kingdom,

but to point others toward God's kingdom.

Friend, before I let you go, I want you to use the send me a message link in the show notes and let me know where you need God to show up for you today so I can pray for you.

It's 100% anonymous. I can't see your name or your email or your phone number. I can't even reply to you. But I can read your request and I can pray for you.

So I encourage you to use this feature to send me a private message to let me know what you are struggling with right now so we can come together and take this to the Lord in prayer.

And if you found today's episode helpful, please consider subscribing and leaving a review.

You know firsthand the impact this has on discovery.

So please help me get this show into more listeners ears. I have a mission and I cannot do it without you.

Oh and if you want more tips outside of the show, see sign up to my monthly 5 minute manna emails. The link is in the show notes. Okay, so that's it for today's show.

Thank you for listening. And remember, for such a time as this,

you have been called to thrive as God's anointed scribe.