I added a book of Chinese Proverbs: the Wisdom of Cheng Yu to my library. Each proverb has a little story behind it and I thought this one in particular was funny (in that “Oh, I should remember this way.) and still applicable even in our modern times. Each saying in the book has a literal meaning “Luoyang paper expensive” and an idiomatic meaning that follows. In this case, that’s “selling like hot cakes” or a “best-selling book.”
The proverb comes from a story about Zuo Si, a writer in the 3rd century. As the tale goes, Zuo Si told everyone around him he wanted to write a history book about the Three Kingdoms’ capitals. They told him it would never sell. When he finished it, everybody wanted a copy, but there wasn’t any mass distribution like there is now. The books were hand-made and had to be copied by hand. People loved this book so much, their demand drove up the price of paper.
To me, the lesson here is: write what you’re passionate about. Don’t listen to the naysayers because you won’t know if it sells until that book is in people’s hands. But, talking about it won’t sell copies.
- Mood: Getting used to the quiet again.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I had one cup of green tea.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Spent most of the day lying down. It was not fun.
In My Ears: White noise. Zzzzzzz…
Game Last Played: Sonic All Star Racing Transformed
Book Last Read: Lovecraft’s Monsters anthology
Movie Last Viewed: Mantera
Latest Artistic Project: *Still* *still* *still* need to take pictures… It’s on the list!
Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last
Latest Game Release: Freedom Flyer
What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work and novels.