I really love this for the opposite reason - I have never really attempted serious fiction but I desperately want to write books that I think are missing from the market, which is the perfect combination of gothic spooky compelling AND literary.
on the other hand, there are many many Substack pieces I wish I had written. ooo the envy is REAL
Envy’s a confession. Not of admiration — but of paralysis. You’re not watching someone else win; you’re watching yourself not move. That’s why it stings.
That’s an interesting take. I don’t see it as paralysis though. I see it as recognition of desire, which can be a first step toward that desire. I think bitterness —which can be envy minus self-knowledge—is paralysis.
This is such a good exercise!! I don’t know where I heard it, but years ago I remember picking up the idea that envy was information. Maybe it was in therapy, actually! I remember telling a therapist ages ago that I envied J. Courtney Sullivan’s career and novels, and the takeaway was that the envy was showing me what I wanted. It was such a clarifying moment. I envy her work because I aspire to write something that resonates with readers the way these books did with me. It’s nice to extract something useful from envy instead of letting it just fester! It’s
I totally agree, you can really feel it when the writer's joy and risk-taking come through! So many good ones here to read! Thank you for including my recommendation!
Maybe the best way to defeat envy is to articulate it! (Same as the best way to kill a joke!)
I really love this for the opposite reason - I have never really attempted serious fiction but I desperately want to write books that I think are missing from the market, which is the perfect combination of gothic spooky compelling AND literary.
on the other hand, there are many many Substack pieces I wish I had written. ooo the envy is REAL
Envy’s a confession. Not of admiration — but of paralysis. You’re not watching someone else win; you’re watching yourself not move. That’s why it stings.
I like that distinction — envy as a spark, bitterness as the stall. Maybe paralysis isn’t the envy itself, but the refusal to investigate it.
Either way, it’s still a mirror. The question is whether we shatter it or step through.
Well said! I want to remember your phrasing of that!
That’s an interesting take. I don’t see it as paralysis though. I see it as recognition of desire, which can be a first step toward that desire. I think bitterness —which can be envy minus self-knowledge—is paralysis.
This is such a good exercise!! I don’t know where I heard it, but years ago I remember picking up the idea that envy was information. Maybe it was in therapy, actually! I remember telling a therapist ages ago that I envied J. Courtney Sullivan’s career and novels, and the takeaway was that the envy was showing me what I wanted. It was such a clarifying moment. I envy her work because I aspire to write something that resonates with readers the way these books did with me. It’s nice to extract something useful from envy instead of letting it just fester! It’s
I totally agree, you can really feel it when the writer's joy and risk-taking come through! So many good ones here to read! Thank you for including my recommendation!