Tayari's Blog: Roller coaster? We Should Be So Lucky.

Posted by TayariJones on April 12, 2008 10:33 AM
Filed under Writing

People often compare the process of writing and publishing as being on a roller coaster... you know ups and downs. I reject that metaphor because when you're on a roller coaster, you sort of know that you'll be okay. Yes, your heart drops when you hurtle down the steep hill and that little clicking sound is thrilling, but it's all make-believe and you know it. Publishing on the other hand is the real deal. You actually fear that you won't survive the experience.

(UPDATE: I've just worked out the metaphor. It's like this: You think you're ready for the controlled danger of a roller coaster. You're at the amusement park, dressed appropriately, strapped into the ride. Your friends standing in line waiting for thier turn. THey smile, you smile back. As the ride pulls away, you notice something about the cute 17-year-old boy running the machine. Is that a crack pipe in his hand????)

But I digress...

Pen/Faulkner winner, Kate Christensen, looks really young, but she has lived through a wide-range of publishing experiences. Her first book sold well, but wasn't taken seriously. The next one was released just in time for 9-11. The third was taken seriously by critics, but sold very modestly. And then the fourth title, BANG. Pen/Faulkner.

I love some of the things she has to say in her essay. It's not a sappy "keep on, keeping on" sort of essay. It's more about the terrifying and exhilarating range of possibility.

(via Joyous)

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There are 1 comments on "Roller coaster? We Should Be So Lucky.". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.

Comment #1, by Judy [TypeKey Profile Page]

This was one of the best essays on the writing life that I have ever read, and I've read a few. Technically superb -- sophisticated without being pompous about it, honest, and encouraging. Thanks so much for sharing this one, Tayari! I'm off to order The Great Man.

April 12, 2008 01:28 PM

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