There’s an old adage that goes something like this; a work of art is never finished, only abandoned. This has been attributed to many different writers and poets, including W.H. Auden and Gore Vidal to name just two. After some research, it seems that the first published instance of this statement appeared in March 1933, in an essay by the French poet, Paul Valéry. He wrote:
“Aux yeux de ces amateurs d’inquiétude et de perfection, un ouvrage n’est jamais achevé, – mot qui pour eux n’a aucun sens, – mais abandonné”
or, if you prefer the English,
“In the eyes of those who anxiously seek perfection, a work is never truly completed—a word that for them has no sense—but abandoned”.
In that respect, I must say that I have resisted abandonment of this particular work for years now, decades in fact. Every couple of years since I first called it “done,” I take it out, fiddle with it for a few weeks, or months, then put it away again. It’s funny partly because I’ve already published six books, a handful of short stories, and more than a thousand articles in various publications, not to mention the many posts I have made online and in my own blog/Website over the course of years.
So, why has this novel been so difficult for me to abandon? I don’t honestly have an answer that satisfies me, so I’ll leave that examination to whatever amateur or professional therapist wishes to analyse me in some future time.
In the meantime, allow me to introduce my novel, “The Lonely God,” which I have chosen to self-publish in all of the major eBook formats, including Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple, and others. Buy yourself a copy and please consider letting others know about the book. Discuss it on your podcast, if you have one. Write about it. Tell others about it. Buy a copy for a friend or family member. If you really don’t like it, buy a copy for an enemy.
Oh, and feel free to psychologically analyse me. Do let me know if you uncover anything interesting.
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