And Then Again...

I thought the people quoted in My Book Deal Ruined My Life were tragically naive until I got to this part:

"And you start to think, ‘Oh God, this is a complete piece of shit that couldn’t be published—nobody is going to read it.’ But then you have a sandwich and go, ‘I am a genius and I’m going to win the Booker Prize.’"

And that is so very, very true. Except that I've never thought I'd win the Booker because it's only for citizens of the British Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland. Plus I often don't like the Booker winners, when I read them at all, so I'd hardly yearn for it, would I? I don't think I'm the kind of writer who wins awards, anyway. What I'm really hoping for is a cult following--not the kind of cult following that starts religions but the kind of cult following that keeps your books in print long after your dead and gone. I don't think that's too much to ask.

But, really, that quote is very much what it's like to be a writer. You have to be good at tolerating mood swings.

Link from artsJournal