"It takes a lot of guts to have nothing at your age! Yeah, most people would be ashamed! But you've got the courage to just say, 'The hell with it! I'd rather have nothing than settle for less."
(Elaine May, Ishtar)
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| Cover Art by Cody Andreasen. Still the greatest. |
Since I published the novel a year ago, I've received wonderful messages and phone calls from readers letting me know their thoughts about it. I'm humbled by how many people of disparate ages and situations have told me how much they related to dear Winston in his loveable loser-ness and how they were rooting for his success. Such conversations thrill me. I love talking about the ideas presented in stories. I love that a story will reveal, often unintentionally, a greater truth. It is especially gratifying when others find the stories that I have written worth talking about. My love tank over-floweth in such conversations. So, to all who have taken the time to reach out and let me know your thoughts--even if it was only to object to a certain conclusion,--I appreciate it.
One question that I am often asked is, "So, how long did it take you to write it?"
Then it is my turn to feel embarrassed at how slow I am at getting my thoughts together; at solving the imaginary problems that I created.
"Depends on how you count," I answer, stalling for time. "Just writing? I have no idea. Probably not too terribly long. Since I first had the idea? Since I first started? Years and years." I used to feel ashamed about this. I would see how prolific some writers can be and I would feel like I wasn't working hard enough. (And certainly, there are days when that is the case.) But I have come to learn some things since I inadvertently began this craft. Paramount among them is this: It takes as long as it takes. Does it frustrate me that the graphic novel project I wrote in an afternoon and submitted without editing was picked up for publication, whereas the other graphic series project that I spent years upon, yet languishes? You know it does. But I am less cranky about it than I used to be because I am less insecure.
There is a fickleness to the creative process because art is revelatory. Like a painstaking archeological dig, it is exposes to view what is hidden and buried. It connects humanity through our shared recognition of experience. A good book, a brilliant film, a beautiful painting or a powerful song have the ability take our internal insular experience and connect us to others who have felt the same things. Art makes connections between people where no obvious connections exist. Some writers have the ability to do this swiftly while others--like myself--do not.
Altruism in Gophers took a long time to come together because, like its protagonist, it is a late bloomer. But the occasionally barren and often lengthy nature of my creative process is not your problem. This is a fast-paced culture, after all. You can download the kindle version of Altruism in Gophers and be reading it before the current minute runs out. You, dear reader, were not the one with the ideas hanging out in the recesses of your mind for years and years. You just get to enjoy the finished product. (Free! Free! Free! in this limited time offer...) Go to Amazon and check it out.
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