Writer's Envy

You've heard of Writer's Block, but have you heard of Writer's Envy? I often suffer from writer's block when I let it set in, but rarely have I experienced writer's envy. Jennifer Weiner, if you've never heard of her or read anything by her, you must. I highly suggest "Little Earthquakes" and you may have seen "In Her Shoes" the movie based on her book by the same name.

Anyway, Weiner causes me writer's envy. I lo-ove the way she writes and I am determined to focus on polishing my skill in a way that enhances what I already have but seasons my talent with realness, the way Weiner does. She takes reality to a whole new level, makes you feel the cold bite of Philadelphia's winter air. Her character makes fun of her mother-in-law's quirky ways in a typical, relatable, red-blooded-American-wife's style. Her writing, in short, is amazing.
I honestly laughed out loud while engrossed in the 400-page novel. Ask Babe, he wondered how I could laugh at a book. It's easy when the writer uses a sense of humor similar to your own. Sarcasm, drama, sass, it's all me and the way she threads these nuances weaves a story so much like your own life that you feel like you know the ladies of the story...like when you put the book down you can dial up Ayinde or Becky or Kelly. Yes, Weiner's writing is just that good.

So my writer's envy had to be forced to take a back seat so I can learn from her, but please believe it was hard. It's hard to see someone do something you think you're good at, then to see them do it incredibly well? So what on earth does the world need my writing for? My style of writing is similar to hers, but she's already published and very well known in the world of Chick-Lit and beyond, I'm sure....why bother? I bother because I have something important to say, something that will affect another woman, or two, and be considered a great work. Because I've seen life my way and there's something in that viewpoint that needs to be shared...so I bother.

But Weiner will help me kick my skills up a notch or two, at the very least, and I hope she continues to crank out the quality of work she produced in "Little Earthquakes" because that book for me as a woman, a mother, a wife, a writer...that book gave me newfound hope for reading and raised the bar for my own writing. A touch of writer's envy might be just what I needed.