If you want to do something well, you can’t hold it too precious. For example, an amateur potter feels great passion for the work. Every lump of clay that hits the wheel is a chance for greatness. Every pot that cracks in the kiln is a tragedy. Contrast that with the attitude of a Master Potter. It’s not that the Master doesn’t care, but there’s a level of detachment with any one pot. That one pot that cracks in the kiln isn’t a tragedy, it’s just a Thursday. This is the attitude of a professional.
I tell you this so I can explain that when I wrote the first How to Succeed in Evil, it wasn’t a Thursday. It was all far too special for me. My abilities were reasonable but my ambitions were outrageous. This resulted, among other things, in me having to write the thing three times. I’ve often said that if I had known how hard it was going to be to write a book, I never would have written the first one. But I bulled my way through and am happy to report that the second book was easier.
Now, I’m some 52,000 words into the draft of the final How to Succeed in Evil book. And I’m having mixed feelings about the whole thing. It’s bittersweet, to say the least. I have deep love for the premise and the characters. I’m doing some of my best work. I’m freer and more fearless in my writing than I’ve ever been. And there is a great ending to the arc I’ve set up in the last three books. But, I also want the damn thing out of me already.
I gather it’s like being 35 weeks pregnant. You couldn’t possibly love the kid more, it’s just time for somebody to change their address.
I say “The End of Evil” because after this I’m done with it. But this story doesn’t really have an end. It’s like a TV show. The characters reset each time, so they don’t change that much. Edwin is always Edwin, Topper and Agnes are always Edwin, Topper, and Agnes. It’s like Pinky and the Brain. They’re going to do the same thing every night: try to take over the world.
As fun as this book is, I’m ready to write something other than satire. It’s an impossible task in the “post-truth” era in which we live. The world is so crazy right now, it seems like we live in a self-satirizing paradox machine. And I’m not so sure of myself and my opinions as I once was. One might call this the beginning of wisdom, but it could just as well be exhaustion. At any rate, here’s what I mean:
At the center of ‘Evil is the idea that a very smart person can know what is best for someone else. And that those people are stupid for not listening to the very smart person. This idea is great because the reader (or the author) always imagines themselves to be the smart person in the world of fools. Hey, on some level, who doesn’t love being critical? Even if it is a somewhat nasty interpersonal habit, it’s huge fun. As Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter Alice said, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit next to me.”
But I don’t believe that core idea anymore. Nobody is that smart. And nobody is that smart across multiple dimensions of expertise. What seems clear-cut to an armchair quarterback, reveals itself to be much more complicated when you’re actually on the field.
Beta Reader, is that You?
If you’re a paying subscriber, I’m going to see that you get this book before everybody else. If you’re not a paying subscriber, but would like to read an early draft and give feedback, reply to this email and I’ll put you on the beta reader list. Be warned though, this entails more work than simply reading the book. You’re going to have to answer questions and give a useful critique. But you should totally do it. You get some of the feeling of writing a book, but without all the toil of actually having to write it.
The Roadmap
So I’ll be spending the rest of this month finishing the draft. Then September editing and publishing Both “The Season of the Lynx” and box set that includes every How to Succeed in Evil book and podcast script ever written.
More audio is on hold for the minute. I think I’ll get back into recording as this year slows down. But right now, the answer to the question “Would I Be Better Off Just Writing Another Book” seems to be an overwhelming, “Yes!”
There’s one of me and a lot of priorities, so what do I do?