As
of this writing, The Erotic Writer’s Thesaurus is nearing completion.
Hard to believe I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel after
nearly five years, but, then, I’m not complaining. I estimate another four to
six weeks to complete the editorial work, and maybe another month beyond that to
finish the formatting. The book will be widely available in paperback—a rather
thick paperback at around 500 8.5 x 11 pages—and I am currently exploring the
possibility of making a PDF version available on CD-R or even flash drive so
that users can have easy access to it on their computers.
Still,
I wonder, will anybody really want this book? Will the literally thousands of
hours I’ve put into it make any difference when potential buyers balk at the
price? (And the paperback will probably be a bit expensive given size and
production costs. I estimate in the 20-dollar (USD) range.) Will it be of any use to anybody? With over
20,000 entries, will people complain that it’s unnecessarily nebulous, too
unfocused, or not nearly close to exhaustive? (An exhaustive exploration of
erotic vocabulary would be impossible, of course, and, as with all reference
books of this type, the book will be obsolete even before it hits the market.)
Will all my hard work be for naught?
In
any case, I plan to take a long sabbatical once the work is complete. I haven’t
had a real vacation in over ten years, and, it seems, my whole life has been
consumed by work to the exclusion of everything else. I’ve kept at it in spite
of depression, illness (the last six weeks), and all the various headwinds that
life has chosen to blow in my direction, determined not to quit, even though
sometimes it feels like I’m rolling a rock up a hill in Hades. I will finish,
but I want it to be over—and with good reason. After the recent launch of my
novel The Seven Seductions—which appears to be going over like a gaudy
lead balloon—and the continuing slog on the Thesaurus, I need a break,
some breathing space in which I don’t feel obligated to have an opinion about…anything.
Some time to recharge my creative batteries.
OK.
Rant off.
