I just read the best poem ever about the nasty little secret of the writing industry: jealousy, the hideously corrosive kind that comes, as Anne Lamott writes, out of "comparing your insides to other people's outsides". The Book of my Enemy Has Been Remaindered, by Clive James, is wise and wonderful and absolutely hilarious, and I felt cleansed after reading it. (Via a profile of the lovely Justine Larbalestier.)

(For another take on writing jealousy, Jenny Crusie, as usual, has a fun essay on the topic, called Green is Not Your Color: Professional Jealousy and the Professional Writer.)

And in really good news, my brother Ben will be going to Clarion West 2006! Woohoo! However, there's a lot of financial panic involved, as usual with Clarion, especially as he's struggling to save up the money for the ticket, tuition/board and maintenance while there at the same time that he's also trying to save up money to move to Miami this fall to start his PhD program. If you have any dollars to spare, please do check out his donation page. I went to Clarion West in 2001. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and it was the very best writing decision I ever made (despite having to go into major debt to do it)--but coming up with the money to go to Clarion can be awfully scary.

Outside, the weather is continuing to be strangely warm, sunny and beautiful. As Patrick and I were getting a ride home from the rental car company today, another passenger said, "What's happened to British weather?!"

Mmm.