This last week I learned a literary fact that surprised the heck out of me.
Did you hear that? Oscar Wilde built his brand first. He first made himself a commodity the press eagerly covered. He realized that “celebrity could come before accomplishment.” Then only after he was famous did he sail back to England and launch his literary career. Of course, unlike most celebrities he really was a genius and produced several literary masterpieces.
Obviously I’ve been going about my literary career (a word I use as a joke) all wrong. Fame should have come first. The trouble is, I lack not only Wilde’s literary genius, I completely lack his genius for self-promotion. And honestly, the idea of promoting myself as opposed to my novels just seems…. weird. I would feel so fake, so self-conscious, so strange. And yet, there’s something deliciously appealing about Wilde’s plan.
What about you? I mean, we’ve all read the advice-to-writers about building our “brand” first and so on. But do you think you could launch a self-promotion campaign the way Wilde did?
It’s Sunday night. My long holiday weekend has drawn to a close, and I figured I should write down a few things for which I found myself grateful.
Much as I am grateful for my job, I am also grateful that I could sleep in for four days.
I am grateful that I love my cat so much I didn’t kill her when for four days in a row she woke me up early by repeatedly sticking her face in mine and walking around on my bed until I got up and fed her.
I am grateful that I had enough discipline to get in four good workouts in a row.
I am grateful that when I go to work on Monday I won’t have to go down to the building’s workout room because my body will be too sore and tired for more exercise.
I am grateful to my friend Linda for having me to her home where more than a dozen friends and family had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.
I am grateful that she only wanted me to bring a loaf of bread from a local bakery so I didn’t have to bake anything.
I am grateful that I didn’t have to clean my place because I didn’t have anyone over.
I am grateful that instead of coming over my friends Ann and Rich invited me to go with them to a comedy club where all of the comedians were excellent.
I am grateful that I didn’t plan to get any writing done but I wrote anyway and am happy with what I scribbled down.
I am grateful for my warm place on these cold days and enough money that I can buy food whenever I want, because too many people aren’t that lucky.
Finally, I am grateful for all of you, my wonderful blog friends. I hope your own Thanksgiving was a feast of love and joy and wine and turkey meat. Or soy turkey, if you’re vegan.