I was sad reading this remembrance of Cormac McCarthy today. He was a writer who added a lot of meaning to my life over the years. His writing, both rich and terse, is a great antidote to reading the scientific literature. A couple of things from the linked article stood out to me.
McCarthy started writing in the 60s, and published his first novel in 1965. He never sold more than 5,000 copies of a book until he published All the Pretty Horses in 1992. That’s almost 30 years that he spent doing something with basically no financial success. During that time, he refused to give interviews, write blurbs for other authors, or essentially do any of the networking or marketing or what we would now call personal branding work that is usually a necessary component of a successful career. We could say that the exception proves the rule. But I always love seeing the exception in practice.
Once he was successful, he was able to sell some of his accessories for lavish prices. He sold his typewriter that he used to write all of his work. At auction, the typewriter brought in about $250,000. Then he turned around and bought the same model of typewriter, used, for $20.
What can we take from these two details of his life? First, keep practicing your craft. And second, don’t mistake the tool for the artisan.
Rest in peace, Cormac McCarthy.