by Fragon Calfbreaker
Ur just jealous of Paloini lolololozz!!!!! -random fan
He got published and ur not lolololozzz!!!! -random fan
Ur words give me brain aneurism lolololozz!!! -Calfbreaker
Another common statement made by many Inheritance fans is that the only reason we gripe and gripe and gripe about Paolini is that we're jealous of him. Someone said it was a case of "sour grapes". It's so common that yes, indeed, my head feels like exploding every time I see it.
I think the first thing we have to do here is define what jealousy is. Many fans confuse a number of different things together. For one thing, we are told we are jealous because we gripe about Paolini becoming published. However, jealousy plays an almost nonexistant role when we talk about Paolini getting published. It's less to do with us wondering why we aren't published instead and more to do with the fact that Paolini got published with such atrocious grasp of writing mechanics.
That, and so on. I suppose it does go without saying that we're a little peeved that Paolini is getting a lot of praise as a teen writer when so many others exist who are much, much, much better. This, too, is less about jealousy and more about feeling left out. When I was younger, I've been a part or have seen so many writing communities by teenagers that I'm surprised people aren't aware that good teen writers exist. It feels...unfair. Especially when adults are touting Paolini around as the "next Tolkien" or a "prodigy", a "literary genius", etcetera. What does that make the good teen writers? Nonexistant?
Hackslayer said it best, however, when she made this statement:
"I'm not jealous of Paolini, whose writing I hate. I'm jealous of my favourite writers, whose writing I love." - (Not an exact quote)
But it does make you think. We as a group are so concerned about writing and in particular, Paolini's atrocious writing, that it would be unthinkable for us to want to be in Paolini's place. I personally would rather drown in a vat of liquid cat feces. As writers, we each have a certain pride (call it arrogance if you want) with our craft. Paolini's fame is inconsequential to the joy I get when I work hard in my writing, and look at my work, and know that maybe it won't get published while I'm young enough to become famous for it, but that it's good in my eyes, it's mine, I could die today and if someone pulled it out and tried to get it published it would and maybe be remembered by a few in the years to come.
That kind of stubborn pride is what keeps us from being jealous of Paolini. He is not a good enough writer to be jealous about. His success, as we've already talked about, is a fluke, a genius marketing tactic, a turn of events. I won't question fate or God or whatever else it is you believe in for what has happened to him, and I'm not jealous of what he has gotten so far. I need only look at this website and realize that writers die poor and unknown and may be forgotten forever, but to us...
It's the words that matter.
