Free The Writer Behind the Words by Dara Girard

again). Envy. It’s perfectly normal. Don’t ignore it. Own your emotions; ignoring them will only make you feel worse. I hate it when someone suffers a particularly bad blow (fired, dumped, hurt) and her (purported) friend pats her on the back and coos a silly platitude. “Sorry your dreams are now in ashes, love.
Don’t feel bad.”
What the #@$!? What planet do you live on? I feel awful! Angry, pissed and plenty of other things. We are writers after all, and our rantings can be long and fierce. But that’s what writers do for a living — feel. We feel everything, intensely, so when envy creeps up on us or grabs us in a chokehold, it lingers and rages. See it, feel it. However, some writers invite it to dinner and allow it to destroy their lives. I don’t recommend that.
    How to Handle Envy
     
Write a story of someone envying you.
     
Sulk for a day (it’s allowed).
     
Give praise. You don’t have to be sincere.
     
Admit it. If someone tells you about their good fortune say “I’m so envious.”
     
Give gifts (making someone else feel better can help make you feel better. You won’t feel like such a jerk).
     
Have a tantrum. No one needs to see.
     
Read about top authors envying each other.
     
Remember when you succeeded at something and treasure that time.
     
Buy yourself something.
     
Get writing so that you can write something that will have people envying you.
     
     
    Sometimes envy sheds a light on what we want. Annoyed with the actor who has written a children’s book? Write one yourself. Jealous of the friend with a great agent? Change your agent, or list the qualities you want in your relationship with your agent and aim for that.
    If you envy someone for being younger, prettier, taller or anything else you can’t possibly achieve, write about it. Make a spoof of it. You may as well use your emotions for your art.
    Still steaming because someone has what you want? Here’s a little tale to help you. Remember being a kid and seeing the ice cream truck come around the corner? You try to rush to the front of the line so that your order will be first, but another kid gets there first. Before you lunge for the kid’s throat, a wise guardian gently holds you back and says, “Wait your turn.” Do that.

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Creative Flood
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Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress.
    ALFRED A. MONTAPERT
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    T he opposite of a creative block is a creative flood, and it can be just as damaging to the writer’s life. In this state, your mind is full of ideas and, at first, it seems like an abundance of riches. I’m not referring to writing flow (when time escapes you and the words spill forth), I’m talking about when words and ideas drown you. When you can’t focus on anything. When you have fifteen story ideas, twenty poems, five publishers you want to query, eighteen magazines you wish to write for, you’re designing a new writing space, and have identified sixteen agents you want to contact.
    A creative flood is when you start many projects that overwhelm you. This is another example of fear. Having too much to do can paralyze you. Too many story ideas may cause you never to finish one.
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I went for years not finishing anything. Because of course, when you finish something you can be judged…I had poems which were re-written so many times I suspect it was just a way of avoiding sending them out.
    ERICA JONG
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    Creative flood or overproduction can be another word for perfectionism. Being busy is important and so is creativity, but when it stops you, it’s a burden. When working on one idea, it’s okay for you to jot down another that comes to mind, but don’t abandon one project for another unless it is a calculated move.
    Steps to Overcoming the Creative Flood
     
Recognize when it happens so you can act accordingly. Creative floods can cause writing “burn out” so monitor how you’re feeling.
     
Always carry a notebook with you to