Should I Be Obsessive?
In which a soundbite makes me consider what it means to be a writer, and I go exploring underground with Tim Curry.
Out on one of my walks this week I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts when it was interrupted by an advert for one of those celebrity-interviews-celebrity type shows that was accompanied by a quote from an interview with writer David Sedaris talking about when he encounters people who say they want to be a writer.
I’m paraphrasing here, but he basically said that his response is “Is it your passion?” He then went on to say that successful writers only want to talk about writing, that it’s the only thing they think about, and they have to be obsessed about their art to the point of being unable to have relationships, and that they don’t make for good friends with other people.
I hope that isn’t true.
I think that’s a lousy response to give to someone who expresses a desire to create, be it with words or any other type of art.
I guess it might depend on your definition of what being a successful writer means to you. Maybe for some, it’s all about being a top-dollar earning best seller to the point of distancing yourself from other people.
For some success might mean that they can earn a living writing full time.
For me, I’m still amazed that people seem to want to read my various ramblings and are prepared to either pay me to write them or pay to read them.
As for being obsessed - sure I think about writing a lot - it’s always in my mind, but it isn’t the only thing I think about, and family and relationships come first.
As for the friends thing, my experience couldn’t be more opposite, as many of my closest friends are writers, and through writing I’ve met a wide variety of wonderful folks from all walks of life, professions, and interests.
For me writing isn’t about being obsessive about my own aims, it’s about finding and building on opportunities to grow and learn from the people I met along the creative journey.
Taking a Short Break (maybe)
As this issue of the newsletter posts, we will be leaving things in the capable hands of pet and house sitters as we head out on the start of a two-week road-trip. So there will be a short break as we wind our way around the country. But it should provide plenty of material for more issues of the newsletter after our return. - But you never know, if inspiration strikes while we are traveling I may end up posting something anyway.
Other Stuff
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Pages and Screens
Books Read in 2024- “Journey to the Center of the Earth” by Jules Verne.
After my recent relisten to Rick Wakeman’s rock opera based on Verne’s classic tale of subterranean exploration, I felt drawn to reread the original, which I probably last read as a teenager.
With a couple of long freeway trips coming up I was delighted to find this version on Audible narrated by the incomparable Tim Curry. Making it a must-listen.
I’d forgotten just how verbose Verne’s prose style is and how long it took to set up what little action there was. This is less a story of exploration than a scientific treatise on subjects such as mineralogy, botany, paleontology, and theoretical mathematics delivered by characters with incalculable levels of knowledge and superhuman endurance and stamina.
Except for the unfortunate narrator, Axel. I’d forgotten what a dramatic, whining, alarmist he was. If I were either the redoubtable Professor Lidenbrock or their stoic Icelandic guide, Hans I think I’d have left Axel lost in a side tunnel somewhere beneath Scotland!
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If you enjoy the books I review here, you may want to check out my Instagram account where every book I read gets a quick review as I finish it.
We’ve also updated our online bookstore at Bookshop.org with a list of the books read in 2024 to date, so you can pick up copies of any that interest you, while also helping out local independent bookstores
Bond Briefings
In the latest edition of our bi-weekly James Bond Lexicon newsletter I take a look at what The Saint’s creator, Leslie Charteris had to say about Ian Fleming and James Bond - let’s say he wasn’t exactly a fan of 007. We also have an update on some podcast rescheduling, and say farewell to another couple of members of the Bond family.
If you enjoy the worlds of 007 and haven’t subscribed, you can join us at the link below
Before They Were Beatles Updates
The next episode of THE FORGOTTEN BEATLES podcast now live and available on your podcast platform of choice or directly at the link HERE. I
In this episode, we cover the 3 Cs - George’s stand in Vince Calandra, acapella group The Chants, and drummer Norman Chapman.
The March issue of the Before They Were Beatles newsletter formally introduces one James Paul McCartney to our story is now online. If you don’t want to miss out on the expanded story of the early Beatles’ history when they are published, you can sign up for a subscription below.
Weekly Web Round-Up
Batman On The Cover - The journey through Batman’s comics publishing history continues this week we look at the latest Batman newspaper strip adventure books published in December 1968 in Denmark, France, Italy, and Lebanon.
My pick from this week’s batch is the Superman comic from Lebanon. It’s a great example of how the covers for foreign editions where the text rund right-to-left are also often flipped, or in cases like this with original art. Are designed to draw the eye in what to a Western reader feels like a counter-intuitive direction.
Where on the Web is Alan?
You can now find links to all the places you can find me online, websites, newsletters, social media, and more in a single LINKS page on my personal website.
As always, thanks for joining me this week. If you know someone else who might enjoy the contents of this week’s newsletter, or just my weekly ramblings in general - please feel free to share by clicking the button below.
See you next time
Alan J. Porter
The Can’t See The Forest (TM) newsletter is a production of Megrin Entertainment, a division of 4Js Group LLC