It’s official. I am, career-wise, the unluckiest person you know. I am not simply ‘one of the unluckiest’ or the second unluckiest, or ‘yes, that’s certainly unlucky, but I know someone who…’ unlucky. On your list of ‘People I know arranged by bad luck in their careers’ I am the undisputed leader.
You don’t believe me?
Follow this link, to a rather excellent-looking book, then come back here.
You’re back? Now, have a quick flick through my manuscript, the solid draft for my next ‘book’. Yes, the manuscript for which I have: become an orphan; abandoned my gorgeous, wonderful grandfather; compromised my career and financial autonomy; suffered depression, borderline alcoholism, near-divorce. (Okay, this is slightly exaggerated, but you know what I mean – I have suffered for my art). The manuscript which, after three long years I had only just three weeks ago said to the mister, ‘I have cracked it! I have got my story and it is nearly finished!’
It’s looking pretty good, isn’t it that manuscript? Yes. I especially love the title. You Can’t Hide in the Desert. It’s something my mum once said to me. Parts of that manuscript are excellent, no? The sharp and witty prose. The claustrophobic melancholy. The insights of a daughter reflecting on a life no different to her mother’s (“as strong and as independent and as autonomous as my mother had been, as strong and as independent and as autonomous as she had taught me to be, we had landed in the same place. Sitting on the lounge, knitting in our laps, wine glass in hand, waiting for our husbands to come home”). The individual woman’s experience painted universal.
An excellent story. Except…gah! Someone is about to publish a better one.
Now, look me in the eye (avoiding if you can, the stitched and still-slightly-bloody mess on the bridge of my nose, it’s fine it’s not hurting today though I wouldn’t say that I am looking gorgeous). And then tell me that in your career you have had a worse piece of luck.
And srsly? WTF? Moving to Adelaide? Who moves *to* Adelaide?
The goddess of careers, she is messing with my mind. It is as if she shot the arrow of fortune that was destined for me, but just as she shot, one of her kids, the one who is prone to accidents called, ‘Mum! Quick! I’m bleeding!’ and the goddess twitched as shot, leaving the arrow to graze, but not to pierce, me.
It’s fine. Really. I wouldn’t be writing this if I were still demoralised. I wouldn’t be telling you about it if I hadn’t started to laugh and if I hadn’t started to believe again that it will come. My story will come and I’ve even got a few ideas about how I can rescue it (but no, I am not going to start talking about them yet). I cannot possibly have gone through all of this and not come out with a story. Just, it’s gonna take a bit longer than I thought it was.
And in the meantime, I think that book which I linked to is going to be fascinating and I think you should all put it on your 2012 reading list. It is certainly on mine. (And no, no one paid me to write that).
…
PS I know I’m not really the unluckiest person you know – I mean, for a day or so I did think I was, and the only sound I could hear was the whooshing of my career as it got washed down the toilet. But I know that I’m not really. I know that far worse things happen to people in the workplace and that in the scheme of things this isn’t really a big deal. I do know that.
ya big silly.
the big difference between her book and your book is that hers is only written by her, whereas yours is written by you. you!
there’s not a single sentence that’ll be the same. unless she’s been reading your blog and siphoning off your personality. which is entirely possible but not likely. she sounds awfully bookish.
no mention whatsoever of kids in her blurb. so just remember that your background is quite unique. and i have writing students who write about living in arab states and international cities without the slightest depth to their perception, and without the slightest ability in transference of personality to page – this drives the point home to me that anybody can have an experience but very few can get the telling of the story right. you will.
and by the time your book goes through the publishing cycle she’ll be the big sister welcoming in the new storyteller for that particular experience. you’ll probably become best friends.
everything will be peachy
That is very kind. Thank you.
just so you know, i’d love to move (back) to adelaide…
Yes, it’s true, some people do. Some of my best friends and all that. I myself, am longing to go back. But not all that many do it. And not that many from Abu Dhabi.
They are completely different books!!!
Btw: I have done this many times when readings books/articles related to my thesis. “They’ve written my thesis, only better…” Bullocks.
They are completely different, yes. But my book would already have needed a publisher who was going to take a risk on an unknown author…and of course, it just feeds into all the normal insecurities which seem to be so easily roused from their slumber. ‘Who are you to write a book, what makes you think anyone is interested in you…’ and so on. You know the ones.
‘An excellent story. Except…gah! Someone is about to publish a better one.’ Can we be the judge of that? Me thinks your scabby nose has taken over your thought processes. (I say this because when my own nose was scabby quite recently I couldn’t see past it and if DID affect my outlook on life.)
Different people, different life experiences, different books. Not out of the question that both are brilliant. But different.
Because of what you said I went and took the little bandage things off and now that it’s just a tiny little nick with a tiny little stitch I do indeed feel better about the world. Thank you, Elephant’s Child. You always have lovely and generous things to say.
Your book will be great, regardless of who else has written on the same-ish topic because [what chally said].
Thank you. You are a good friend.
I am stealing this from a Modesty Blaise novel where a character therein asserts there’s no such thing as coincidence and that’s there’s actually a magnetic field round the earth which causes these things to happen: specifically 3 books published in one month on Queen Victoria’s 3rd great-niece who no-one had ever heard of before. Nonsense of course, but it does seem to happen regularly in publishing and maybe you should rush your own book out so the reviewers can do two-for-the-price of one reviews and marvel at how ‘in’ books set about about Western women in the desert are at the moment. Cx
Yeah, I’m not so hot on the magnetic fields, one door opens, make lemonade right now, but your point is a good one. Thank you.
Being a librarygirl I do notice TRENDS – the move to Italy/Paris memoir; the abusive childhood misery lit memoir; the I-married-a-Muslim/African/Aboriginal man memoir etc etc. Look at Alice Pung and Anh Do: two Vietamese immigrant memoirs – my point being, they are all different to each other although similarly themed within categories. Don’t abandon yours!
And it could be worse. Pity the person who, back there in the nineties, had an embryonic story about a wizard off to wizard school.
I say in all sincerity that I’d much rather read yours.
I kind of rolled my eyes when I read the synopsis of hers.
If only you had a publishing company.
What Chris and Mindy said.
Well, you *would* say that. And if you didn’t, you know I would keep badgering you until you did. xx
And also, it sounds like a completely different take from what you would write. So … what librarygirl said.
I second what Chris says: “the big difference between her book and your book is that hers is only written by her, whereas yours is written by you. you!” I bought your first and am definitely going to buy your second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh….
Oh and cast your mind back to 1999 when Kaz Cooke published ‘Up the Duff’ to much commercial success and critical acclaim. Being a well known cartoonist, writer and (then) radio host, the book started life in the best sellers and (rightfully) stayed there for ages and continues to sell steadily today.
As for me, I was preggers and writing a baby diary that was supposed to be humorous, truthful and reassuring. Reassuring in the sense that NO-ONE would be feeling less prepared, terrified or awkward as me. Eighty thousand words duly sent off to an editor before submitting to a publisher. My title? Up the Duff. *sigh* It might make an interesting read for my daughter one day….
Over here, we’d say: “that just sucks” because we are terribly literary and mature.
Then we’d say: “now go write the shit out of it.”
I’ve had caffeine.
Apologies.
What everyone else said, but especially what Kath Lockett said. I would buy any book of yours cos, you know, you write good and stuff.
Pen
My apologies Chris for reading your name wrong. My comment should have read [what Chris said].
Actually my hubby was tossing up whether to try and pursue a PhD when someone published on his topic and he decided that since it had already been written, it was unlikely that he would get a PhD based on “What he said”. Really he wasn’t that keen anyway so it was useful for him.
Well, that did sort of happen, without so much of the school focus. She was an awful writer though, poor thing, unlike you.
I moved to Adelaide once. I quite liked it.
I’d choose your book any day.
Did you hear about David Lodge, who published his novel about Henry James (Author Author) at almost exactly the same time that Colm Toibin’s publishers released his novel about Henry James (The Master)? I gather that Lodge then wrote a book called something like “The Year of Henry James” about the whole experience. Turning straw into gold.