Elizabeth Gilbert on Genius
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 3:00PM One of my favorite TED talks. I really should read Eat, Pray, Love and Elizabeth Gilbert's latest book, Committed.
"I am a writer. Writing books is my profession but it's more than that, of course. It is also my great lifelong love and fascination. And I don't expect that that's ever going to change. But, that said, something kind of peculiar has happened recently in my life and in my career, which has caused me to have to recalibrate my whole relationship with this work. And the peculiar thing is that I recently wrote this book, this memoir called "Eat, Pray, Love" which, decidedly unlike any of my previous books, went out in the world for some reason, and became this big, mega-sensation, international bestseller thing. The result of which is that everywhere I go now, people treat me like I'm doomed. Seriously -- doomed, doomed! Like, they come up to me now, all worried, and they say, "Aren't you afraid -- aren't you afraid you're never going to be able to top that? Aren't you afraid you're going to keep writing for your whole life and you're never again going to create a book that anybody in the world cares about at all, ever again?"

Reader Comments (3)
I have a copy of Eat, Pray, Love that you're welcome to borrow, although I strongly discourage you from doing so. I explain why here: http://www.ariannerh.com/cotton-candy-overdose
Suli,
This was one of my favorite TED talks of that year as well. Seeing as how what I have done is not so monumental, I don't yet share her concerns. Let us all strive to get to a place to worry about an encore!
I just moved back to San Francisco from New York. I heard you're in the Bay Area as well? I'm launching something with Y Combinator. You should come hang out.
Your point is very positive.
I like your style so much, I am your honest reader.