sitting down, standing up

I found myself reading the beginning of the stories in “It’s Like This” earlier, when I would normally be reading something more directly falling within the realm of Zen material. It was a sudden urge, how do these get going, and I read through 13 of the 15, the final pair unread taking into consideration a long early walk and yogurt and leaving earlier for work cause it’s a Tuesday. In fact I read the whole of the story “Summahs” because I couldn’t not.

Marketing the book is difficult because I never seem to have a clear feel for what’s pushy, possibly invasive to personal space, and what’s rejoicing and celebrating and sort of sticking up for myself. I’m guessing writers and artists have puzzled over this very thing since smoke signals and cave drawings. Saturday morning I made a crystal clear decision that I would sell 10 copies between then and sundown the following Saturday, the 27th. It was just a decision. The hows of it the hiders in a game of seek.

There’s a story in the book – “What Will Phil Do (With All Those Books)?” – which interestingly plays around with this very how much is too much, how much isn’t enough? thing. Phil, at least so far, is a bit more hands-on than me.