cellini's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Third Book? Last night I read over the 10,000 words or so of 'Speak of the Dead.' I confess to never having read any of it after writing what there is of it and then moving on with the work unfinished. What I found was surprising. There's now a lot of distance between when I wrote that. It was very good. It was shockingly good. It stands on equal footing with J@ck London's 'John Barleyc0rn.' It also needs about 2,000 words cut out of it, because there is a section that rather drags. But the essential nature of it is something that I think might be a valuable piece of American literature. I know that what I write here is mostly a lot of meandering, whiny tripe. Well, its a diary and one is entitled to do that there. Even Anais Nin's published diary only included about a third of the material that the editors had to work with. The rest was shit. What I write in something intended for eventual publication is better than this. Right now I am pondering the possibility of turning 'Speak of the Dead' into my third published book. It would be very brash of me. I think that it would only earn a decent contract after my second book has launched and has sales figures to look at. Because it is essentially a memoir focused on my encounters with death. A risky thing for any publisher to put out. What I am contemplating is making this project the focus of my artistic residency in Texas in November. Two weeks in the Hill Country on an organic bison ranch with a bunch of artists. In that time I could finish 'Speak of the Dead' entirely. And then I think that I should sit on it until after the launch of my second book in 2012. Since that book is a non-fiction narrative of personal adventure and travel I think that decent sales figures could prove an audience for an autobiographical follow-up. The second book that I am wrapping up right now *is* good literature. It is turning out to be better literature than I had ever expected. Very much different from my first book, though the audience for that book will love the new one next year. And 'Speak of the Dead' could build on it. The second book has a good shot at being reviewed by the NYT and becoming a culturally important phenomenon. The third book, if I decide to follow through with SOTD, could establish me solidly as being in the club of important modern American writers. Its like a little bit of J@mes Thurber with some Jack L0ndon, having Benvenuto Cellin1 in mind and the H3mingway dash that Erin told me I had before I'd even read him. I'm really very happy with this work and I think that it is very much worthy of publication. I also happen to think that I can and will do better in 5 and 10 years from now, if I live that long. I have tried very hard to live the kind of life that makes for really incandescent non-fiction. I've really done it, I think. Except that I'm always alone. It would be more poetical and make for better copy of I wasn't always so alone. 12:13 a.m. - 2011-08-28 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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