Comments on: I’m better than you are…or not

By: PBW

PBW — Sat, 21 May 2005 01:28:27 +0000

Kind of wrote the dream/vamp book already, D. It’ll be out in October. I know the Krinard you’re talking about, though — I think the title is Prince of Dreams. Very good book.

Lori, that last comment made me aspirate green tea, so I’ll probably die of pneumonia now and never make the Times. Remember me fondly.

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 20 May 2005 19:14:19 +0000

PBW, when you write the book and make the NY Times list, please mention me on your blog. I’m not proud. I’ll take crumbs.

By: D. Angel

D. Angel — Fri, 20 May 2005 08:37:29 +0000

Energy vampires?

There’s one by Susan Krinard if you feel like going to search for it. Though the more accurate term might be dream vamps.

By: PBW

PBW — Fri, 20 May 2005 03:31:41 +0000

Energy vampires — now, there’s a novel in that phrase….

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 19 May 2005 20:26:04 +0000

D. Angel - I don’t know why your quote didn’t show up–it showed in the email to me. :) And, yeah, I guess the contest thing does do that. I have always been a big believer in competition, but in something like books (creative field) there has to be a certain part that will always be just a matter of opinion, so (IMneverHO) no one should let something like a contest win go to their head.
Marty - Energy vampires are out there. No doubt about it. I’ve encountered them–pubbed and unpubbed, NY pubbed and e-pubbed. Too bad garlic doesn’t work on them too.

By: D. Angel

D. Angel — Thu, 19 May 2005 14:15:06 +0000

Oops!

I was quoting from PBW:

By: D. Angel

D. Angel — Thu, 19 May 2005 14:14:10 +0000

That explains why the RITA nominees are often described by me as conventional–read boring.

By: MartyK

MartyK — Thu, 19 May 2005 12:39:29 +0000

I have my moments as well, but it only makes me want to succeed even more. Not because I want someone else’s success, but because I want my own. I think bad attitudes can be contagious too, so maybe we writers need to think about who we’re hangin’ out with if we want to keep an even keel ;)

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 18 May 2005 15:09:14 +0000

LG - Yeah, I’m okay with dog doo too. I’ve never had a huge need to be at the top of the pile.
PBW - Aren’t writers funny? I mean the alternating despising and envy? I think that is the one thing most of us have in common, the roller coaster ride from “I am the greatest” to “I completely suck” and the fun part is it can take place and repeat itself multiple times in any given day.

By: PBW

PBW — Wed, 18 May 2005 13:43:07 +0000

A lot of writer envy is reinforced by the various industry entities who advocate cronyism and awards-by-jury. They set you up to classify and compete.

I pursued publication in the equivalent of a cave in Tibet; I never met another writer until after I was published. Then I met some very unhappy examples, right off the bat. I was so freaked out by what they were like that I couldn’t envy them. I was too busy going “Whoa, is that going to be me in five years?”

I have my moments of envy. It is hard for me to shut up when I see writers getting attention for I did just as well — or better — while I’m ignored. It’s hard to be polite when someone hate-mails me for no reason other than (evidently) I’m getting more attention than they feel I deserve.

I don’t know how to handle it other than to stay focus on the work. The only writer I compete with is me. The only writer I alternatively despise and envy is me. That’s my kill-the-envy mantra.