The Green Eyed Monster

jamesaritchie: I do this with probably 99.9% of the writers/books I read. But now and then a writer isn't just good, he's incredible, and book isn't simply well-written, it's staggering, so far above what I'll ever be able to do that I wave the white flag.

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You've read my work?! I am humbled beyond humbility.

calieber said:

I'm more of a starfucker (metaphorically), so I'm not like "grr, why is RedWombat published and not me" but rather "awesome, RedWombat is here."

For the record, she was the example I was going to use even before I saw she'd posted in this thread.

In general I don't feel that someone else being published, even someone who sucks -- especially if they suck -- takes anything away from me.

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Aww, you're kind. Although now I feel a little guilty about the certificate thing. *grin*

Phaeal said:

When something gets published that I think sucks, I don't feel envy either, just outrage that such dreck should succeed. Also a deep sense of hopelessness for the species, that any human -- that many humans! -- should buy and even enjoy this corrosive garbage. We're going down, baby. Only the doomsday preppers will survive, and they've already stuffed their garages with literary POOP with which to while away the long radioactive, zombie-infested, disease-ridden nights....



And then I get over it.

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YES, this


QUOTE]

I do this with probably 99.9% of the writers/books I read. But now and then a writer isn't just good, he's incredible, and book isn't simply well-written, it's staggering, so far above what I'll ever be able to do that I wave the white flag.[/QUOTE]

And this.......

kkbe said:

You've read my work?! I am humbled beyond humbility.

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Yes, of course I was talking about your work. Ease up a little, will you? Write a rough sentence or three. Your brilliant prose makes me want to stop writing completely.

And can I please have your autograph?

kkbe
You've read my work?! I am humbled beyond humbility.

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Jamesaritchie said:

Yes, of course I was talking about your work. Ease up a little, will you? Write a rough sentence or three. Your brilliant prose makes me want to stop writing completely.

And can I please have your autograph?

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Oh, get a room you two...




ETA:

Also

jamesaritchie: Yes, of course I was talking about your work. Ease up a little, will you? Write a rough sentence or three. Your brilliant prose makes me want to stop writing completely.

And can I please have your autograph?

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"OMG, really? Holy crap, Batman!" (<Yet another example of kkbe's brilliant prose. Oh, and btw jamesaritchie, any time you want to stop writing completely, you just go ahead and do that. We shall support you 100%. )

mccardey: Oh, get a room you two...

ETA:

Also

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Why do we need a room, mccardey? Are you implying or insinuating . . . wait, why are you winking? Is this an inside joke? Do you and jamesaritchie know something I don't?

What's with that little smiley angel thingie? Why is jamesaritchie running away?

Forgot to mention this earlier, but there's actually a very good essay about this that I read a few months (maybe even a year) back. Worth a read, if anyone's interested:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003/jun/22/extract

Yeah, I can get a little jealous when I see that other people are published while I'm still wandering around, trying to find the story that will bring me that success. But I don't begrudge anyone the fact that they are published. In fact, I'm happy for them.

And then it makes me all the more determined. When I see that somebody else has traveled the difficult path to being published, I feel more strongly that I can travel that road myself.

Mr Flibble said:

Luck is infatuated with the efficient.

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I love this quote and want it on a T-shirt.

I used to get desperately jealous of things like book-signings, launches...then I went to a few and had my own, and realised for most new authors who aren't celebs for some other reason, a signing or a launch is basically a handful of your most loyal mates turning up and going...'so, um, cool...' and wondering where all the fans are, because, like you, the only signings they've heard about are for people like Terry Pratchett where the queues stretch for miles. So I got over that.
Then I got jealous of people who could write full time, and I had the massive fortune to get another (not huge, but there) source of income and ditched the day job. Ulp. So now I write full time and I've realised that yay, yes, I love it, but it's a friggin' job and has to be treated as such, it doesn't mean I'm just floating around in flowery dresses drinking champers with my muse.
But jealousy of other writers that I don't think I'll ever match up to? Oh yeah, still there. This is probably a good thing. It makes me try harder.

Broadswordbabe said:

It makes me try harder.

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I am so far below a published author I'm leaf mulch. I therefore do not get jealous of them, I get inspired.

Maybe when I've finished my novel and had it rejected a thousand times the envy may kick in.

Broadswordbabe said:

it doesn't mean I'm just floating around in flowery dresses drinking champers with my muse.

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It doesn't? Bugger. *throws plan out of window*

cmi0616 said:

Forgot to mention this earlier, but there's actually a very good essay about this that I read a few months (maybe even a year) back. Worth a read, if anyone's interested:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003/jun/22/extract

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That's really well written. Thanks.

I never envy any other writer's success. I do sometimes envy their talent, which makes whatever I have look so puny and feeble.

caw

blacbird said:

I never envy any other writer's success. I do sometimes envy their talent, which makes whatever I have look so puny and feeble.

caw

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So much this. I try not to become discouraged. I try to see it as a challenge: go on, become as good a writer as I am. I dare you.

kkbe said:

Why do we need a room, mccardey? Are you implying or insinuating . . . wait, why are you winking? Is this an inside joke? Do you and jamesaritchie know something I don't?

What's with that little smiley angel thingie? Why is jamesaritchie running away?

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You asked me once, what was in Room 101. I told you that you knew the answer already. Everyone knows it. The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world.

Okay... I'll say it. I hate all you published people! With all your fancy words and you putting them in all the right order and everything! I could be published if I had your talent and work ethic! It's completely unfair!

I'm glad I finally got that off my chest! Thanks OP.

Stephen King addressed the value of reading both great and lousy books in ON WRITING. For different reasons, I took away a lot from reading Alex Adams' debut, as well as the mess one of Al Gore's adult children wrote (trying to maintain respect of my fellow writer). It's a good thing to aspire. Other work can be an excellent visual aid in what not to do.

I'm not jealous of those people who have been published. I don't have anything written that's worth publishing, so it's no one's fault but mine. I can aspire to be published. I have had short form things published. It's not unthinkable that I would have something longer published eventually.

I do feel jealous of some writing. There are some incredible writers about that I could never even hope to touch, and that's tough to reconcile - I can't aspire to be more naturally gifted, that ship has sailed.

GFanthome said:

Hi everyone:

I doubt I'm the only one who this happens to, but sometimes when I'm reading a thread and writers are talking about their experiences with being published, the green eyed monster might tap me on the shoulder and I have to tell it to shove off.

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I don’t get envious, but what I feel instead is doubt about my ability to write a good story. I start to worry that maybe I should just concentrate on getting promoted for my day job. Or that maybe I should use my writing time to exercise.


I worry that I am not good enough. But I also know that success depends on the amount of effort you put into it. I figure if you do something diligently for a while, you can’t help but get better at it. I just focus on myself and what I can do to improve. When I develop tunnel vision and stop listening to the noise, I find that I am happy just to have written another 1000 words. Other people’s success is not going to dictate whether or not I am happy with my achievements.

Sure, it's human nature.

I'm always going to be at least slightly jealous of people who are more successful in the field I want to succeed in than I am. Or that they're just more immeasurably gifted at writing than I am. I just try to learn from what they've done, emulate, and move forward.

And drink.

A lot.

Yes, I find myself envying the writers I see on here who have their book covers in their siggies and avs. But the more powerful emotion I feel is intimidation. I know that getting published doesn't just involve smarts and industry know-how--there's persistence and luck involved, too--but my mind seems to treat the published authors as if they have the key to some unattainable heaven. They're in the club. Now, of course, published authors were just like us unpublished authors once, and I'm sure many of them aren't intimidating. I can't help feeling it, though!

Tolstoyce said:

...published authors were just like us unpublished authors once, and I'm sure many of them aren't intimidating.

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Apart from the publications, we're all still pretty human, you know. I mean, obvious supernatural brilliance aside... <loses glasses, trips over cat, spills coffee over brilliant story in Analog and angsts about clumsiness plus how have never been in Analog and am therefore obviously rubbish...>