creative writing school
Module 5: Pleasure & Desire
structure
Introduction
Theory
Inspirations
Creative exercises
Stay grounded & motivated
Share your text with us
Theory
Inspirations
Creative exercises
Stay grounded & motivated
Share your text with us
introduction
Welcome to our online creative writing course exploring envy and jealousy. Throughout history, envy and jealousy have been powerful motivators and sources of inspiration for writers, fueling narratives of rivalry, desire, and betrayal. In this course, we will explore the differences between these complex emotions, allowing participants to acknowledge and separate.
theory
In psychology, envy and jealousy are often used interchangeably, but they actually represent distinct emotions with different underlying motivations and characteristics.
Envy typically arises when someone lacks another person's qualities, possessions, or achievements and desires to have them for themselves. It involves feelings of resentment, inferiority, and longing, often directed towards someone perceived as superior or more fortunate. Envy is often characterized by a focus on what one lacks and a desire to diminish or sabotage the success or happiness of the envied person.
Jealousy, on the other hand, typically arises in response to a perceived threat to a valued relationship or possession. It involves feelings of fear, insecurity, and possessiveness, often directed towards a rival or perceived interloper. Jealousy is characterized by a fear of loss and a desire to protect what one already possesses, whether it be a romantic partner, friendship, or material possession.
In summary, envy is primarily about wanting what someone else has, while jealousy is primarily about protecting what one already has. Envy is often directed upwards towards those perceived as more successful or fortunate, while jealousy is often directed sideways towards potential rivals or threats to existing relationships or possessions.
Envy typically arises when someone lacks another person's qualities, possessions, or achievements and desires to have them for themselves. It involves feelings of resentment, inferiority, and longing, often directed towards someone perceived as superior or more fortunate. Envy is often characterized by a focus on what one lacks and a desire to diminish or sabotage the success or happiness of the envied person.
Jealousy, on the other hand, typically arises in response to a perceived threat to a valued relationship or possession. It involves feelings of fear, insecurity, and possessiveness, often directed towards a rival or perceived interloper. Jealousy is characterized by a fear of loss and a desire to protect what one already possesses, whether it be a romantic partner, friendship, or material possession.
In summary, envy is primarily about wanting what someone else has, while jealousy is primarily about protecting what one already has. Envy is often directed upwards towards those perceived as more successful or fortunate, while jealousy is often directed sideways towards potential rivals or threats to existing relationships or possessions.
inspiration
"I wouldn't like to live in America, but sometimes yes
I wouldn't like to live under the stars, but sometimes yes
I quite like living in France, but sometimes no
I would like to live in the Far North, but not for too long
I wouldn't like to live in Issoudun, but sometimes yes
I would have liked to go to the moon, but sometimes yes
I wouldn't like to live on a reef, but sometimes yes
I wouldn't like to live in a submarine, but sometimes yes
I wouldn't like to live with Ursula Andress, but sometimes yes
I would like to live a long life, but sometimes no
I would like to live in Xanadu, but even then, not forever
I wouldn't like for us all to live in Zanzibar, but sometimes yes"
Georges Perec, "Think / Classify", 1985
I wouldn't like to live under the stars, but sometimes yes
I quite like living in France, but sometimes no
I would like to live in the Far North, but not for too long
I wouldn't like to live in Issoudun, but sometimes yes
I would have liked to go to the moon, but sometimes yes
I wouldn't like to live on a reef, but sometimes yes
I wouldn't like to live in a submarine, but sometimes yes
I wouldn't like to live with Ursula Andress, but sometimes yes
I would like to live a long life, but sometimes no
I would like to live in Xanadu, but even then, not forever
I wouldn't like for us all to live in Zanzibar, but sometimes yes"
Georges Perec, "Think / Classify", 1985
creative exercise
Inspired by Georges Perec’s playful and deeply personal inventories, this exercise invites you to create your own ultimate list—not just of what you love and hate, but of the things you almost love, the things you wish you loved, the things you pretend to hate but secretly enjoy. A list of contradictions, impossibilities, desires warped by envy, aversions shaped by jealousy. A list that surprises even you.
Step 1: Begin with the obvious.
Write a list of things you desire and things you reject. Be simple, clear, unapologetic.
Step 2: Complicate it.
Now, add things that confuse you. Things you desire but resent. Things you claim to despise but secretly long for.
Step 3: Get unconventional.
Expand your list beyond material things. Consider textures, temperatures, gestures, fleeting moments, absurd specifics.
Step 4: Explore the shadows.
Where does envy live in your desires? Where does jealousy hide in your aversions? Do your dislikes mask a deeper longing? Do your desires expose a quiet fear?
Step 5: Keep going.
Let the list take you somewhere unexpected. Keep it unfinished, a living document, a mirror reflecting back the contradictions and complexities of who you are.
Now, take a step back. Read through your list. What surprises you? What patterns emerge? What have you discovered about yourself through this act of writing?
Step 1: Begin with the obvious.
Write a list of things you desire and things you reject. Be simple, clear, unapologetic.
Step 2: Complicate it.
Now, add things that confuse you. Things you desire but resent. Things you claim to despise but secretly long for.
Step 3: Get unconventional.
Expand your list beyond material things. Consider textures, temperatures, gestures, fleeting moments, absurd specifics.
Step 4: Explore the shadows.
Where does envy live in your desires? Where does jealousy hide in your aversions? Do your dislikes mask a deeper longing? Do your desires expose a quiet fear?
Step 5: Keep going.
Let the list take you somewhere unexpected. Keep it unfinished, a living document, a mirror reflecting back the contradictions and complexities of who you are.
Now, take a step back. Read through your list. What surprises you? What patterns emerge? What have you discovered about yourself through this act of writing?
stay grounded and motivated!
"You are enough. Not when you achieve more, not when you prove yourself, not when you finally become something else. You are enough—now.
Envy and jealousy thrive in a culture that feeds on comparison, where value is measured in visibility, productivity, and possession. The world teaches us to want, to chase, to accumulate—more success, more recognition, more proof that we exist. Social media, algorithms, and the relentless spectacle of other people’s lives make it almost impossible not to wonder: Am I enough? Am I doing enough?
But what if we resist? What if, instead of chasing, we shift our attention to what already is? To what we have, to what we are? What if we stop fearing what might slip through our fingers and instead savor what is resting in our hands?
Envy and jealousy are not failures. They are invitations—to look closer, to understand our longings, to rewrite our definitions of worth. Let them guide you, but don’t let them own you. You do not need to be anything other than yourself. You are enough."
—Anna Ádám
Founder of the School of Disobedience
Envy and jealousy thrive in a culture that feeds on comparison, where value is measured in visibility, productivity, and possession. The world teaches us to want, to chase, to accumulate—more success, more recognition, more proof that we exist. Social media, algorithms, and the relentless spectacle of other people’s lives make it almost impossible not to wonder: Am I enough? Am I doing enough?
But what if we resist? What if, instead of chasing, we shift our attention to what already is? To what we have, to what we are? What if we stop fearing what might slip through our fingers and instead savor what is resting in our hands?
Envy and jealousy are not failures. They are invitations—to look closer, to understand our longings, to rewrite our definitions of worth. Let them guide you, but don’t let them own you. You do not need to be anything other than yourself. You are enough."
—Anna Ádám
Founder of the School of Disobedience
Photo: School of Disobedience / Masterclass