Express Yourself

The Cure for Creative Envy

Art is not a competition — so stop secretly resenting all your writer friends

Welcome to The Draft, an advice column about writing and life from Eileen Pollack, former director of the University of Michigan MFA Program. We’re here to answer your questions about storycraft, writing, and telling the truth.

Have a question? Share it with us.

Dear Draft,

I’m seeking motivation to write for fun and not to outdo someone else. I constantly have feelings of hatred toward other content creators, animators, and authors. How do I develop a healthier mindset about writing and interacting with other writers?

Signed,
Eaten with Envy

Dear Eaten,

When I was young and worked at an insurance company, my boss envied his friend’s promotion, which allowed him to eat in the executive cafeteria and pee in the executive men’s room. More recently, I moved to Manhattan, where envy — of a friend’s apartment, bank account, fame, second home, physique, handbag, child’s SAT scores, or spouse’s good looks — is the approved pastime, the way curling or hockey might be Toronto’s favorite sport.