[Transcript]
Hello and welcome to Peace, Love, and Robots, a podcast about anything and everything and all that's in between, I'm your host, Jeremy, and this is season 2, episode 9 for November 10, 2021
You know what I was thinking today while my equipment was powering up? We have podcasts with the "explicit" tag, because the themes and language in those shows might not be suitable for all audiences. But we don't have podcasts with an "Implicit" Tag, where it's only implied that the themes and the language in the show might not be suitable for audiences. I want to be the worlds first podcast with an implict tag. That'd be cool.
But, this podcast is brought to you by the ads you hear at the beginning and end of the show, so if you stick around until the end, I'll forever be in your debt.
I wrote a book people.
An entire book. With like, no pictures, just about 60,000 words.
Last year I gave myself a deadline, and I actually stuck to it. I was early, even. What was the deadline? My birthday. I decided that I would publish my first book before I was 44, and before I was 50, I hope to have a few of them published. No shopping for agents, no trying to go the traditional route, just get everything out there.
Part of me thinks my decision to avoid agents or traditional publishing is a crippling fear of rejection, and that's probably true. I wonder if I'm actually good enough to be picked up and paid by an actual publisher. I tell myself that I probably am, but I don't really have evidence to the contrary. And those are the mental gymnastics I go through sometimes.
The goal was never to wow an editor or an agent. That may be something I pursue in the future, but I had to prove to myself that I could do it. I had to defeat my own worst enemy, myself.
It's like that scene in Creed. If you haven't watched Creed, I highly recommend it. And I know, last week I had a boxing metaphor, but this is different. Towards the end of Creed, Donny is in the corner after getting his head caved in by Pretty Ricky Conlon. It's been a tough fight, and if it were legit, Creed would have lost. But this is a Rocky movie, and that's not how it works. So, Donny is in the corner, and Rocky is contemplating throwing in the towel, but Adonis stops him. Why? Because he has to prove it. He has to prove that he's not a mistake.
Man. Just writing the transcript for this episode and thinking about that scene chokes me up. Michael B. Jordan doesn't just break your heart, he shatters it. Into a million pieces, like Shea Serrano mentioned in his book Movies and Other Things.
It's a great scene. Great movie. It's actually way better than it deserves to be.
Anyway, writing and publishing this book was like my own fight with Pretty Ricky. I had to prove to myself more than anyone else, that I could not only write, but I could write something and put it out into the world. And I went out and knocked that son of a gun down.
It's a good feeling. But now I'm in a weird sort of limbo. Like, what do I do next? Do I take time off? Yeah, I may take a little bit of time off. But too much time off could lead to complacency. So I have to find the right balance. I kind of know what piece I'm going to work on next. But I also wonder if I should start something fresh. I guess a little bit of time off will help me get inspired. For now I think I'm going to read a book or two, finally watch Dune and Squid Game, and then, maybe I'll get back on the wagon.
No. Not maybe. I will get back on the wagon. Because if I don't, Pretty Ricky wins. And I need to make sure he stays down.
ou can let me know by sending me an e-mail at peaceloveandrobotspod@gmail.com or leave me a voicemail at 585-371-8986. I would love to hear from you.
And if you want to see more content from me, check out my substack at zehr.substack.com - I post a new column every Monday and Friday - that's three times the content from me every single week! I'd love to have you subscribe over there - you can even get it sent to your e-mail! It's that easy, guys and gals.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY - You can now buy my book on Amazon - it's available both on Kindle and in Paperback. Buy both versions, so I can make more money.
Peace, Love, and Robots: Your legacy is more than a name.