Every writer needs a friend who's more successful and who's willing to validate their own bitterness

I have a friend whose first book did much better than mine, and who got much bigger advances for both their books, and I love complaining about the writing world to this person, because they're always like...yes, it is terrible, yes it is difficult, yes it is all luck.

I have another friend whose first book was brilliant, was fought over by agents, but w…