I finally have something in common with Proust and Borges

Having a book published is something that everyone knows is hard, debatably on a par with writing a thesis, passing a kidney stone, living with teenagers or escaping from Alcatraz. The writing process starts happily enough, but as soon as you gain awareness of what you’re getting into it becomes something different. That’s when a series of words and expressions that everyone admires (preferably from a distance) comes into play: perseverance, endurance, self-improvement and pushing your limits. These are accompanied by others that are almost as inevitable as a windscreen for a mosquito crossing a motorway: fatigue, self-doubt, isolation, insanity and typos. Yes, writing a whole book, and having it make sense throughout, is hard work. However, generations of people have thrown themselves into the abyss, hoping that there would be a fluffy mattress and not a fieldful of cacti at the bottom. Why is that? Simply because pouring what’s in your head onto paper is therapeutic, cathartic, meditative, bonding and, in short, joyful. Seeing your freshly printed book for the first time is not dissimilar to seeing your freshly born baby for the first time. Have I gone overboard with the simile there? Maybe, but it’s in the same ballpark. Or perhaps it’s the same sport, but a different league. Close enough, in any case. I’m sure Shakespeare felt elated when he saw his work on the stage; Proust was blown away when he opened a parcel with the courtesy copies of his books from the publishing house; Borges, upon seeing his stories in print, felt relieved that he didn’t have to edit them any further; Virginia Woolf was the queen of the world for a day when she saw on paper the words that had come from her mind; and Capote was delighted at seeing his thoughts take concrete form, while at the same time being terrified that he might have overlooked an instance of teh where it should have said the. Despite still having a long road ahead of me if I want to reach the level of these writers (I guesstimate that about three or four lifetimes), I know that I now share something with them: I’m over the Moon that my first book is finally hitting the shelves!

Dolores and Other Sorrows is now available for pre-order from Waterstone’s and Amazon, and it will be published on 26th April 2024. There will probably be a reading in Brussels, so stay tuned for more updates.