cellini's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Place in the Canon Work on the edits to the deer book is almost complete. One more chapter to go. The cooking chapter, which I expect to be a bitch. I think I can finish it tomorrow and be fucking done with it already. As soon as it is accepted, they have to send me the rest of that advance within 30 days. Then on Friday I can get back to work on the new book. It is difficult under these circumstances to keep in mind the fact that all of this shit is really worth something and that the broad plan is a sound one and that it is on track. My next book is already taking shape in my head. I am going to make a point of writing it with the aim of being in a good position to sell the movie rights. I should get between $40-$80k for 2 years worth of rights if I am successful. I'll be happy just with that, but if they actually make the movie then I'd probably get another $400k or so. With that kind of money all at once, after taxes I'd buy or build a new house with all cash and not have to worry about a mortgage payment ever again. Then I could live off of much less income annually if I had to. Yeah, so I started the ball rolling on cashing out my IRA today. I need money ASAP to book my various tickets for the Eleuthera trip. I should be doing this right now and worry that costs will go up if I have to wait until next week, which I probably will have to. Eleuthera will cost me two grand at least in total, but I will get 3 chapters out of it. I just really hope that the book advance covers all of this shit and then some. I am really laying out a good bit of money between all of these trips to make this book happen. My publisher really believes in me. Like, its kind of touching. They are really investing a lot in me, above and beyond just the $20k advance for my first book. I'm going to ask my agent to give their publishing group the first look at the new book. If they offer me $40k or better then I think I'll stick with them even though I could probably get more some place else. Their support for my work has earned my loyalty. Even though I'm broke right now, I still have very good prospects. I just have to remember this over the next 5 days or so while I wait for my IRA money. This is, in many ways, a classic story of American entrepreneurship. Taking a good, sound, big idea and throwing everything into it. Every day, every penny, every bit of ingenuity. I believe in what I am doing and I believe that it is worth investing this much in it. I have staked my entire life on this. I'm fucking crazy. Jesus. I quit my career of 11 years to do this. With a family to look after. As winter approaches. Throwing everything on one toss. Its fucking insane. I keep getting better as a writer. That much is good to know. And working with my editor has really helped me to become more ruthless about cutting stuff. One thing that I can say for certain now is that so long as publishers keep writing me checks, I know for sure that I have the stuff to write books as a full-time gig now. I have the discipline and the ability. If I am getting paid for it then I can write at least one book a year for at least the next decade before potentially running out of ideas. What I want, secondarily to making a living, is to carve out some sort of immortality for myself as a writer. I want to write books that change people's lives and which do so in a sufficiently poetical manner as to be quotable. I want a place in the canon of American literature. I've done the starving artist bit now, all right? Now I'm ready for the heady years of global travel and the torrid affairs and perhaps a boozy breakdown or so, followed by a Nobel prize and even greater commercial success. 9:24 p.m. - 2010-11-10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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