🚀 I would love to help you understand McCarthy’s novels better in my Cormac McCarthy course & book club. On my Substack, you can access the Blood Meridian For Writers Course and McCarthy’s unreleased interview. Click here to join: writeconscious.substack.com 📖Explore over 200 of McCarthy’s favorite books in my free guide to his favorite books Access here: writeconscious.ck.page/e20249... 👕Want to REP some McCarthy streetwear? Go here! writeconscious.com 📚Want to WRITE better? Join my free writing school: www.skool.com/writeconscious 📕My Best Books of All-Time List: writeconscious.ck.page/355619... 🔥Want to READ my wife’s fire poetry? Go here: marigoldeclipse.substack.com 🤔My Favorite Cormac McCarthy Novel: amzn.to/3TVdzCQ Insta: instagram.com/writeconscious
Cormac McCarthy sounds a lot like this other author I've heard of named Eli Cash. He was an assistant professor at Brooks College. When his second novel was published, he was thrust into unexpected literary celebrity. This book was titled, "Old Custer", a novel that considers the fact that Custer died at the battle of Little Big Horn, but presupposes that maybe he didn't. Although his sales were impressive, he was labeled "not a genius" in some reviews.
An excerpt from Old Custer: "The crickets and the rust-beetles scuttled among the nettles of the sage thicket. "Vamanos, amigos," he whispered, and threw the busted leather flintcraw over the loose weave of the saddlecock. And they rode on in the friscalating dusklight."
I'm not so sure that he had any system. I think the most important thing he had was raw talent, and second he was a writer for the ages, not for the money. His work will be read and studied hundreds of years from now, unlike other writers who wrote for the dollar, AKA hacks. The book the War of Art speaks to this. All we can do as writers is to honor the muse.
He didn't have a system until he wanted to make money! Wanting to make money with masterpieces like the Border Trilogy instead of staying broke doesn't make you a hack. Writing bad books for quick cash makes you a hack.
Hey brother, just subscribed. Very interesting channel. I’m from Australia and highly influenced by McCarthy and am halfway through my first novel. It’s very McCarthy influenced, rural Australia in the 1980’s farm life etc. I have zero contacts in the field but any tips regarding what to do about pursuing an editor, publishing, grants and so on - in which order. Keep up the great work mate your insights are tremendous 👍🏼😁
I would start working on some short stories and trying to get them published. There are some directories online with people accepting submissions in your genre. You just need one good story and send it out to everyone. Then with a publication or two to your name you need to start finding an agent for your novel. There are directories for that, but have some published things will make it easier to get your foot in the door. If you're writing in a genre, you could build an audience and self-publish or get a publisher outright in that genre. If it's literary fiction, it either has to be good, you need an audience, or some stories to your name to find a good agent.
He helped himself building his legend, sure, he lived by his code, but at the end of the day, you only get this one life in this skin, and to let it go to waste living in poverty due to a code, is a shame. It's a waste of life. That is unless you couldn't care either way, then either way it doesn't matter.
I’ve always been annoyed that someone with such an interesting and unique voice never seemed to talk about his craft. So many authors I like and respect have provided a description of their process and I appreciate the insight into how they create the stories I enjoy. McCarthy wants the benefits of the market (money) and people to buy his books but seemingly doesn’t want fans or anyone to bother him. That’s his prerogative, I suppose, but I’m annoyed at best and slightly mad at worst. I probably haven’t completely figured every angle of this thought out yet, but I guess my simplified thought is that if you want people to read your stuff ($$$$) you can’t also act annoyed and dismissive that people want to know more about you and how the sausage is made. If your art and process is so pure and nonconsequential just keep the fruits of that art to yourself until after you’re dead, like Salinger. But If you want to make money and have people read your stuff then know that some transparency is expected. Probably no one else here agrees, and that’s fine, but why can’t fans want more? I really appreciate your work and this channel, your theories and insights are thought provoking and your research adds some color to an author I really respect for his work but not so much his seeming disdain for anyone who reads his work.
What people don't want to hear is that you have to sit down and work for it. It's not even worth telling them. I'll say this with complete certainty it is true: the book is greater than skill of the artist, and it is more mysterious than the artist.
The redeeming part of McCarthy is that if you saw him in person he'd sit and talk to you about anything except writing and literature. You could go ask him about Spinoza from what people have said in a diner and he'd entertain you. He wasn't a dick, but just didn't want that to be his total identity.
Nobody should be forced to explain their process, to their fans or to other writers. Some writers also are not good teachers. Writing well and being able to explain how you did it are two different skills. I don't write novels, but I know what is happening in picture book world and there are some mediocre writers who go to schools and talk about book writing to children, and there are those who are great at writing but have no interest in teaching writing or going to events. I totally understand Cormac. He knew what he didn't like and nobody would force him to change for others, I respect that. I call myself an intuitive writer, and perhaps he was one too. We just do it, may not actually know how, all the methods, jargon, outlines etc Not everyone wants to be a teacher, and of those who want, not all of them are good at teaching. If anyone shares their process, be grateful, but don't expect it or demand it. If his purpose was to write good books, that is good enough.
Great video! The MacArthur fellowship is not an application award. Their website says they do not accept applications or unsolicited nominations. So I don't think Cormac applied for it though, right? That foundation must be like the CIA of talent scouts then.
Do you think there was an element in Cormac’s psyche that made him feel embarrassed by his writing. Lots of older authors saw it almost as obscene to parade themselves around as professional writers. Take John Donne as weird example. You see this later in Cormacs life. Youve mentioned how he looked down on his writing peers who couldnt understand science, and McCarthy seems to run towards this and embrace the identity of a scientifically minded intellectual who occasionally publishes books. Passenger/ Stella Maris are the apotheosis of this ideal in McCarthy
Both! Poems will be out sooner. Probably a short story collection will be out before the novel too! Plus, got a book on Cormac and a couple other non-fiction books past the first draft stage already!
An excerpt from a rare interview with Cormac McCarthy follows. Garry Wallace along with Betty Carey, Frank Morton (another gambler) met with McCarthy over a three day period in March 1989 in El Paso. "...Frank related a number of personal religious experiences that he had had over the years, pointing out the flaws in other people's lack of faith. I [Garry Wallace] challenged him, saying that one day science would understand these unexplained phenomena for what they really were. McCarthy commented that some cultures used drugs to enhance the spiritual experience, and that he had tried LSD before the drug was made illegal. He said that it had helped to open his eyes to these kinds of experiences. Betty recounted having seen the image of Christ on a bus while in Costa Rica. This had been at a time following the casino scam when Betty had been on the run. She said that her experience was a real as our sitting together in the motel room. It had not been a dream or hallucination. Always the skeptic, I said, 'But how does that prove Christianity? Why not Buddha or Allah? You saw Jesus because you were raised in Jesus-land.' I looked to Frank and McCarthy. Their expressions were sympathetic. McCarthy was slumped into one of the chairs with his left leg slung over the arm rest. He appeared a very patient listner. He said that he felt sorry for me because I was unable to grasp this concept of spiritual experience. He said that people all over the world, in every religion, were familiar with this experience. He asked if I'd ever read William James's THE VARIETIES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. I had not. His attitude seemed to indicate that in this book were the answers to many of the questions posed during our evening discussion. I was nonplussed" (p. 138). Wallace, Garry. (1992). Meeting McCarthy. The Southern Quarterly, 30(4), 134-139. Painting, The Incredulity of St. Thomas by Carravagio. 1601.
That whole thing McCarthy causing his wife to have a mental breakdown because he’d rather them starve than lose the mystique of his writing is BS and garbage. 🗑️ It’s earlier authors like him that has set this “starving artist” standard to avoid what they declared as diluting the craft. Writing is too often seen as the endgame rather than a means to get to the endgame. If writing is looked more as a skill rather than a “the thing” itself, more people would not be starving or buying into this mystique nonsense.
🚀 I would love to help you understand McCarthy’s novels better in my Cormac McCarthy course & book club. On my Substack, you can access the Blood Meridian For Writers Course and McCarthy’s unreleased interview. Click here to join: writeconscious.substack.com
📖Explore over 200 of McCarthy’s favorite books in my free guide to his favorite books
Access here: writeconscious.ck.page/e20249...
👕Want to REP some McCarthy streetwear? Go here! writeconscious.com
📚Want to WRITE better? Join my free writing school: www.skool.com/writeconscious
📕My Best Books of All-Time List: writeconscious.ck.page/355619...
🔥Want to READ my wife’s fire poetry? Go here: marigoldeclipse.substack.com
🤔My Favorite Cormac McCarthy Novel: amzn.to/3TVdzCQ
Insta: instagram.com/writeconscious
Cormac McCarthy sounds a lot like this other author I've heard of named Eli Cash. He was an assistant professor at Brooks College. When his second novel was published, he was thrust into unexpected literary celebrity. This book was titled, "Old Custer", a novel that considers the fact that Custer died at the battle of Little Big Horn, but presupposes that maybe he didn't. Although his sales were impressive, he was labeled "not a genius" in some reviews.
An excerpt from Old Custer: "The crickets and the rust-beetles scuttled among the nettles of the sage thicket. "Vamanos, amigos," he whispered, and threw the busted leather flintcraw over the loose weave of the saddlecock. And they rode on in the friscalating dusklight."
“Eli was secretly my favorite Tenenbaum” - Pagoda
You are doing amazing things.
Thank you.
Yes he certainly is.
I'm not so sure that he had any system. I think the most important thing he had was raw talent, and second he was a writer for the ages, not for the money. His work will be read and studied hundreds of years from now, unlike other writers who wrote for the dollar, AKA hacks. The book the War of Art speaks to this. All we can do as writers is to honor the muse.
He didn't have a system until he wanted to make money! Wanting to make money with masterpieces like the Border Trilogy instead of staying broke doesn't make you a hack. Writing bad books for quick cash makes you a hack.
agreed. and I think turning off the muse makes you hack. I don't think he did that.@@WriteConscious
Are there any more current sales figures for a book like Blood Meridian? Crazy to think it only sold 1500 copies when first being published.
Awesome vid dude. Quick question; if you get up 4am, what time do you go to bed/fall asleep? I’m considering the earlier rise
Anytime between 7-10 PM! But, with you having to play shows it would require some hard-core discipline to get back on track on show nights!
Your videos are awesome, you're doing a great job with these
Thanks!
Hey brother, just subscribed.
Very interesting channel. I’m from Australia and highly influenced by McCarthy and am halfway through my first novel. It’s very McCarthy influenced, rural Australia in the 1980’s farm life etc.
I have zero contacts in the field but any tips regarding what to do about pursuing an editor, publishing, grants and so on - in which order.
Keep up the great work mate your insights are tremendous 👍🏼😁
I would start working on some short stories and trying to get them published. There are some directories online with people accepting submissions in your genre. You just need one good story and send it out to everyone. Then with a publication or two to your name you need to start finding an agent for your novel. There are directories for that, but have some published things will make it easier to get your foot in the door. If you're writing in a genre, you could build an audience and self-publish or get a publisher outright in that genre. If it's literary fiction, it either has to be good, you need an audience, or some stories to your name to find a good agent.
Thanks for your reply brother.
Awesome! I shall pursue
He helped himself building his legend, sure, he lived by his code, but at the end of the day, you only get this one life in this skin, and to let it go to waste living in poverty due to a code, is a shame. It's a waste of life. That is unless you couldn't care either way, then either way it doesn't matter.
I’ve always been annoyed that someone with such an interesting and unique voice never seemed to talk about his craft. So many authors I like and respect have provided a description of their process and I appreciate the insight into how they create the stories I enjoy. McCarthy wants the benefits of the market (money) and people to buy his books but seemingly doesn’t want fans or anyone to bother him. That’s his prerogative, I suppose, but I’m annoyed at best and slightly mad at worst. I probably haven’t completely figured every angle of this thought out yet, but I guess my simplified thought is that if you want people to read your stuff ($$$$) you can’t also act annoyed and dismissive that people want to know more about you and how the sausage is made. If your art and process is so pure and nonconsequential just keep the fruits of that art to yourself until after you’re dead, like Salinger. But If you want to make money and have people read your stuff then know that some transparency is expected. Probably no one else here agrees, and that’s fine, but why can’t fans want more? I really appreciate your work and this channel, your theories and insights are thought provoking and your research adds some color to an author I really respect for his work but not so much his seeming disdain for anyone who reads his work.
What people don't want to hear is that you have to sit down and work for it. It's not even worth telling them. I'll say this with complete certainty it is true: the book is greater than skill of the artist, and it is more mysterious than the artist.
The redeeming part of McCarthy is that if you saw him in person he'd sit and talk to you about anything except writing and literature. You could go ask him about Spinoza from what people have said in a diner and he'd entertain you. He wasn't a dick, but just didn't want that to be his total identity.
this is insanely entitled
Nobody should be forced to explain their process, to their fans or to other writers. Some writers also are not good teachers. Writing well and being able to explain how you did it are two different skills. I don't write novels, but I know what is happening in picture book world and there are some mediocre writers who go to schools and talk about book writing to children, and there are those who are great at writing but have no interest in teaching writing or going to events. I totally understand Cormac. He knew what he didn't like and nobody would force him to change for others, I respect that. I call myself an intuitive writer, and perhaps he was one too. We just do it, may not actually know how, all the methods, jargon, outlines etc Not everyone wants to be a teacher, and of those who want, not all of them are good at teaching. If anyone shares their process, be grateful, but don't expect it or demand it. If his purpose was to write good books, that is good enough.
An excellent point.
Great video. I have not ready any of his works but love all your videos on him (and other writers of course) .
This is just solid advise - i need this push
Child of God doesn't suck. I thought it was amazing. It might not have the depth of his other books but it's fantastic.
Great video! The MacArthur fellowship is not an application award. Their website says they do not accept applications or unsolicited nominations. So I don't think Cormac applied for it though, right? That foundation must be like the CIA of talent scouts then.
This is true. Scouted by Epstein to propagandise for the Clinton kabal to try destroy the southern border
Iirc, Shelby Foote really pushed for McCarthy to get the fellowship.
Do you think there was an element in Cormac’s psyche that made him feel embarrassed by his writing. Lots of older authors saw it almost as obscene to parade themselves around as professional writers. Take John Donne as weird example.
You see this later in Cormacs life. Youve mentioned how he looked down on his writing peers who couldnt understand science, and McCarthy seems to run towards this and embrace the identity of a scientifically minded intellectual who occasionally publishes books. Passenger/ Stella Maris are the apotheosis of this ideal in McCarthy
I heard somewhere, maybe on this channel, CM edited papers and maybe books by various scientists. It would be interesting to see his edits.
Great insights brotha! A lot of that embarrassment I think stems from his father trauma! Will make a video on this
@expatrio79 - He edited a bunch of books! Two of Lawrence Krauss's actually lmao.
do you know if there's any way to see his edits? I dislike the idea of reading Krauss's books...LMAO@@WriteConscious
Pynchon also didn't like people knowing he's a writer. Some people are raised not to talk about themselves.
We're all rolling stones
Yes!
Is your book a book of poems? Or a novel?
Both! Poems will be out sooner. Probably a short story collection will be out before the novel too! Plus, got a book on Cormac and a couple other non-fiction books past the first draft stage already!
Impressive! I'm looking forward to reading that poetry collection@@WriteConscious
What is the chapter about him staying at his friends house talking about religion?
An excerpt from a rare interview with Cormac McCarthy follows. Garry Wallace along with Betty Carey, Frank Morton (another gambler) met with McCarthy over a
three day period in March 1989 in El Paso.
"...Frank related a number of personal religious experiences that he had had over the years, pointing out the flaws in other people's lack of faith. I [Garry Wallace] challenged him, saying that one day science would understand these unexplained phenomena for what they really were.
McCarthy commented that some cultures used drugs to enhance the spiritual experience, and that he had tried LSD before the drug was made illegal. He said that it had helped to open his eyes to these kinds of experiences. Betty recounted having seen the image of Christ on a bus while in Costa Rica. This had been at a time following the casino scam when Betty had
been on the run. She said that her experience was a real as our sitting together in the motel room. It had not been a dream or hallucination.
Always the skeptic, I said, 'But how does that prove Christianity? Why not Buddha or Allah? You saw Jesus because you were raised in Jesus-land.' I looked to Frank and McCarthy. Their expressions were sympathetic.
McCarthy was slumped into one of the chairs with his left leg slung over the arm rest. He appeared a very patient listner. He said that he felt sorry for me because I was unable to grasp this concept of spiritual experience. He said that people all over the world, in every religion, were familiar with this experience. He asked if I'd ever read William
James's THE VARIETIES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. I had not. His attitude seemed to indicate that in this book were the answers to many of the questions posed during our evening discussion. I was nonplussed"
(p. 138). Wallace, Garry. (1992). Meeting McCarthy. The Southern Quarterly, 30(4), 134-139.
Painting, The Incredulity of St. Thomas by Carravagio. 1601.
That whole thing McCarthy causing his wife to have a mental breakdown because he’d rather them starve than lose the mystique of his writing is BS and garbage. 🗑️
It’s earlier authors like him that has set this “starving artist” standard to avoid what they declared as diluting the craft.
Writing is too often seen as the endgame rather than a means to get to the endgame. If writing is looked more as a skill rather than a “the thing” itself, more people would not be starving or buying into this mystique nonsense.
42:37 LMAO
lol
I'd like to send you a novel I've written. I think you'll appreciate it.
Sorry, not reading unsolicited work right now! Got too much to read. But, I wish you luck with promoting it!
Nope, having appeared in Esquire I can safely say it's a man's magazine
interesting!
💪🏿