I have often been told that if I don’t toot my own horn, nobody is going to toot it for me. And I am a great believer in tooting as much as you can. Ok, I am mixing metaphors or maybe just trying to slip in yet another reference to masturbation while I write, but writing, masturbation, or at least thinking of things naughty when I scribble is kind of what my new book: Writing Dirty Words: The not-so-sexy hustle of making a living writing-and the occasional crack of the whip is about.
Well, that’s not all it’s about.
My first adult title and full publication from Parisian Phoenix Publishing, this book truly became a wonder to me when I finished it, as the publisher/CEO/HCIC (that’s ‘head chick in charge), the wonderful Angel (who I sometimes call April for reasons even I didn’t know) illuminated to me to the fact that the book read every bit as much a memoir of my writing life as it did a ‘How-To’ writing advice book. I hadn’t seen the book this way, but I was tickled by the surprise. I had poured over the chapters, revised the pages probably more than I had ever revised any piece of my writing, and finding out there that there was another layer to the book really tickled me.
I hope the layers will tickle you to.
Knowing that simply giving forth writing advice would show a heavy hand of hubris even I don’t possess, and realizing that there are lots of how-to-write books out there, even some about writing dirty words, I worked hard to make my book unique. It’s in the anecdotes (some of which my buddy, co-host and great writer M. Christian stars in), the more personal moments that surely make the book my own. But I also hope is as much me relating these experiences as well as my humorous take on the meat-and-taters of writing that as much makes the book entertaining…and dare I think it, maybe even slightly informative.
And lastly, and what I feel might be the most important point in the book, I hope I impress upon my gentle reader that what we all do, be it writing, painting, planting a garden or even putting out the garbage, if what you do fills your soul, defines you, is what you are assured is the very point of your existence, then it is art, no matter what anybody else’s definition of that term is.
And, extrapolating further…if we then all have the potential to work our or ‘an’ art, then we are all artists and no art or artist, is ‘better’ than another. And therefore, those actors, musicians, sculptures and surely writers who you encounter (and there really are just too many of them out there I believe) who believe that the making of their art sets them above others, or in just the making of their art they should be applauded, are surely kidding themselves.
Come on, get over yourselves.
In the end, I hope you find the art in your life, that which you do or want to do gives you purpose.
So, here my new book. Thank you, Angel, for as much publishing it as shepherding me through the process with insight and passion. You can buy it here: Writing Dirty Words: The Not-So-Sexy Reality of Selling Your Work in Any Genre (and the Occasional Crack of a Whip): Greco, Ralph: 9781957863146: Amazon.com: Books
