You still can write it.
As a writer, there are all kinds of writing envy.
There is success envy, where you wish you were as successful as another writer you know, in real life, or just by knowing their works. This one tends to pop up when you see news of other authors doing well. A $1 million advance is likely to trigger success envy. Of course, success isn’t just a monetary thing. A writer with 100,000 followers, or a segment on the Ellen DeGeneres show will do it too.
There is quality envy. Quality envy isn’t always a bad thing. Admiring the skill and quality of other writers is motivating in the right circumstances. On the other hand, sitting and fuming at the ability of N.K. Jemisin to craft not only a whole other, unique world, but to craft a story where the point of view is actually an important part of the story, isn’t useful.
The most frequently triggered form of writing envy for me is, I Could Have Wrote That envy. This form of envy takes several forms. There is the I Wish I Had Thought of That form, where one reads something that they could have written but never thought to write it. Perhaps this could be known as subject envy?
Another sub-form of I Could Have Wrote That envy is a mix with success envy. I could have written it just as well, if they had assigned it to me. Sometimes this is legitimate envy, if you and the other writer actually work for the same publications. Other times, it is fantasy, where you’ve never spoken to anyone at the New Yorker, so how would they have assigned it to you?
I’m not going to talk about My Mom or Dad Was a Success In The Same Thing I’m Writing About Now envy, even though I find myself rage-reading all too many of these authors.
Whatever form of I Could Have Written That envy you have, there is a simple solution: Write it.
Obviously, I can’t go around copying Jemisin or any other author, but there’s no reason I can’t write a trilogy about a failing world and those on it. There’s no reason I can’t write an article about 529 plans, or how to avoid taxes on savings bonds. Who knows, maybe finally “getting around” to writing those things that you could have written will improve your writing success and help you make money writing online.
And, that takes care of success envy.
