I have to come clean.
I freely admit it.
I suffer from Potter Envy!
However, in this particular instance, it has nothing to do with Harry or Hogwarts. I do not envy his success or that of the author; rather I am envious of the potters of old. The potter who molds and shapes the clay, who works out the tiniest details before putting the final product in the kiln is the subject of my envy.
Why?
Because as a potter, if the project does not go as pleases the artist, they can simply put the clay back in the mix and pull it out again later when they feel they can do better. There is no expenditure in resources other than the time invested. Everything else can be recouped, reclaimed and reused in the next go round.
As writers, we do not share that ability with the potter. There is scarcely little I can think of worse than having to work a forty hour a week job slaving to make someone else rich.
That is not to say I have not done it but I grow bored quickly and find that most jobs that will hire someone of my ilk and bearing to quickly become droll and tedious. As a writer, I am privileged to take as much time as I like working with some particular subject until it no longer strikes my fancy.
Some subjects, such as food, I think I will never become disinterested in because it can be ever-changing and learning experience. It is an opportunity that provides unique rewards for the work I have done.
Second to working a “square” job, the one thing that bothers me is when I have a story idea and it is not working out as planned. If it is a paid assignment, I will force myself to complete it but I will forever recall it as well.
It is interesting that no matter how well written the piece may be, I will always remember it because my heart was not in it. I will never look at a piece of material like that and feel any sense of pride or love but only recall the effort and the tribulations there with something I had to write.
The potter suffers from no such difficulties I think, or very rarely if they do occur at all. When I am working on my personal stories, the characters will cease to be interesting. Often times I feel like a reporter snooping around in their private lives just looking for something to report on.
If that is how the paparazzi feel, I can be thankful that I put down my camera and picked up my pen.
More often than not, these beginnings will end up gathering proverbial dust on my hard drive. I think that by saving them that some day I will return and finish looking the story over and seeing if the characters are ready to talk to me.
As of now, none of them ever have.
Still, I am grateful that I am a writer. I love the challenges and love the opportunities to constantly expand my knowledge base and learn about new things and why some things work and even why others do not.
We all take jabs from time to time if we are writers. The most common of course is when people ask us what we do for a living. I do not know why this is the case but it does seem to be that way.
Still, I suppose all things being equal, I would not trade my experiences as a writer for anything in the world. I never did like the feel of mud between my toes and I doubt I would enjoy it any better lodged between the digital extremities on my hands either.
I suppose, when it is all said and done, I admire the potter, and in some ways I do envy him/her some, but I really am glad that I have the opportunity to be a writer.
About the Author
Ward Tipton is the creator of The Internet Writing Guide