Graphic by Alexis Daria
Next week we’re going to celebrate the awesome community that is you, #RWChat-ters! Come chat about the dependable support and empowerment in our creative community.
See you next Sunday 4pm PT/ 7pm ET!
This week’s #RWchat topic is all about jealousy. (And yes, this post title comes from a Gin Blossoms song.)
Envy is real. We look over at someone else getting the book deal, winning the award, hitting the bestseller list, and we think, “I want that.” But envy can be useful. It can guide us toward new goals, and allow us to study how other people got to where we want to go. Envy can push us to work harder and smarter. But if left unchecked, or allowed to run rampant in the mind, envy can quickly turn to jealousy, which is far more insidious.
The dictionary defines jealousy as, “jealous resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage, etc., or against another’s success or advantage itself.” The key word here is resentment. Resentment can fester and grow, sapping creativity and damaging personal and professional relationships.
Last month, I attended the Liberty States Fiction Writers’ “Create Something Magical” conference with fellow RWchat co-host Robin Lovett. On a whim, we went to a session called “I Want What She’s Got: How to Cope with Professional Jealousy” led by Avery Flynn and Kimberly Kincaid. Normally I’m a compulsive note-taker, and I live-tweet workshops and panels, but this felt too personal to live-tweet.
Here at #RWChat we’re all about hearing other people’s stories, so we’ve invited LaQuette to tell us why having a writing community is so essential.
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As a writer I require solitude in order to write. Whether that solitude comes from locking myself into my office, or sitting on the couch with my ear buds in and music blasting as my kids play on the living room floor, it doesn’t matter. If I’m going to write, I have to hear my own thoughts to create.
Yes, I need solitude. However, I cannot be continuously alone and successfully tap into my creativity. What’s the difference? Solitude is taking a few moments without distraction to focus on my internal thoughts. Once my work for the day is done, then my need for solitude is completed as well. However, being alone means to have no one, at all, ever. This state of being perpetually alone can be unhealthy for the writer’s mind as well as career. If you’re going to succeed as an author, you’ve got to have a community, a tribe of your own.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt alone as a writer?
Writing is a solitary thing. A lot of the time we like it that way. But a lot of the time we crave company too, and finding it among like-minded writers can be the best company of all.
Come talk with us about places you’ve looked for community, where you’ve had success finding it, and challenges you’ve faced on the journey.
Sunday 7:00 pm EST on #RWChat. See you there!
~Robin Lovett
Romance Writers Chat 